I'm not sure my box qualifies as a HTPC, but it is a nice setup. Athlon 1.1 GHtz 512 MB RAM (PC 133) WinPVR 350 (using S-Video in) ATI Radeon 64 DDR ViVo 60 GB HD (for OS and programs) 120 GB HD (for video, tv) Reciever: Sony Sat B55 (controlled from the computer via a standard serial cable -- DB9-DB9, male-female). TV Capture: SnapStream 3.3 Editing: Pinnacle Studio 8.10.4 DVD Burning: Sony 500AX I'll use this box when I'm at home for desktop usage (if I don't have something scheduled to record). Since SnapStream has a nice TV schedule website -- I can schedule recordings remotely. It does most recording while I'm asleep at night or when I am at work. My only problem is I'm recording faster than I can watch and delete or archive to DVD. Sorta a good problem to have.
JT, I'm trying to get my HTPC working as well. My only issue is the TV-out quality. I'm using S-video cable from a matrox card to a regular CRT TV. Did you run into any quality issues? My picture is a tad blurry compared to normal TV.
I have the same problem. Your TV is probably HD-Ready and has component video inputs. You should be able to get clear graphics and text when using the component inputs. The problem is in using S-Video. This is most likely the key to our problem. I have just purchased an XFX FX 5200 Personal Cinema card. It has a DVI output and a DVI to VGA adapter. Problem is it doesn't have a DVI to Component Video adapter. I have found cables that go from DVI to Component Video on the net and have located an ATI adapter that does the same. Problem is....The XFX support people don't have a clue as to if this will work. I think it will because my card has the DVI-I connector which should support both digital and analog. If you get a solution, please let me know! Fdwho
