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[TheBoy]

Could the Sony PS3 be used in the same way? That has a built in BluRay player doesn't it? I guess I could use the PC in the dining room in that case.  :-?

Yes - and it is good for games and BLuRay playback

No, PS3 can not act as a Media Center extender.  XBOX and XBOX360 can be MCE (XP) extenders, XBOX360 can be VMC (Vista) extender.

[TheBoy]

GB - before splashing out too much, put a Media Center OS (XP MCE or Vista Home Premium/Ultimate - or the free Windows 7 beta) on a PC with a TV card and see how you get on.  OK, it won't be pretty, but once you've used it a bit, it will give you a better idea of what to buy, or whether MCE is suitable or not.

[Martin_1962]

Could the Sony PS3 be used in the same way? That has a built in BluRay player doesn't it? I guess I could use the PC in the dining room in that case.  :-?

Yes - and it is good for games and BLuRay playback

No, PS3 can not act as a Media Center extender.  XBOX and XBOX360 can be MCE (XP) extenders, XBOX360 can be VMC (Vista) extender.

Well I watch things on the PS3 from the PC using TVersity Media Server - as long as it is DNLA compliant

[TheBoy]

Could the Sony PS3 be used in the same way? That has a built in BluRay player doesn't it? I guess I could use the PC in the dining room in that case.  :-?

Yes - and it is good for games and BLuRay playback

No, PS3 can not act as a Media Center extender.  XBOX and XBOX360 can be MCE (XP) extenders, XBOX360 can be VMC (Vista) extender.

Well I watch things on the PS3 from the PC using TVersity Media Server - as long as it is DNLA compliant

Extenders aren't just about watching TV - its having the (virtually) full functionality of MCE in another room.  For instance, you may be streaming live tv to another room (perhaps that TV is analogue, or you want ability to pause or time shift), and decide you want to record something.  All possible via extenders.

The one annoying thing it can't (directly) do is stream Xvids.  Fortunately with MCE being a PC, there are some clever bits to do this.

[Woodfull]

Hi technical wizard type guys.

We've just got a new Panasonic 42" Plasma TV with built in Freesat and Freeview tuners. I also bought a new Panasonic 400GB HDD recorder with built in DVD player. All great so far, except I'm £1300 worse off but such is life.

The quality of the TV is just wonderful, especially on BBC HD and on upscaled DVD's from the DVD player, but I'm a bit disappointed that we've only got one tuner on the HDD recorder and, whilst we can record from the TV tuner to the HDD, we can still only record one programme at a time and can't pause the TV if we are recording another channel.

This got me thinking about buying a second PVR but I was recommended to install a MCE system or HCPC, same thing I assume.

So, to cut a long story not particularly short, I was looking for some advice on what sort of specification I should be looking for on such a box of tricks.

Ideally I would want the following functionality:

Ability to record two channels at one time.
Ability to watch Blu Ray discs.
Ability to surf the Internet wirelessly over my existing wireless network.
Ability to play PC games. (I don't have any at the moment but my daughter is quite keen on such things, so needs to be capable of satisfying a teenager in waiting)
Upscaling output to 1080p to get the best quality from the TV. (I think that's right)
Want to stream music and video from other devices or store on internal HDD, I'm not sure which is best.
Surround sound, not fussed over 5.1 but want to output to a decent amplifier, which will have to wait, or through the TV in the meantime.

I can't think of anything else I would like this thing to do unless there is something really cool that I've missed.

I plan to build this myself and have a very capable assistant so I'm not too concerned about this. Also, I am happy to spend decent money on such a system although I don't want to throw money down the drain on stuff I won't need or is overspecified.

 I've got exactly the same Tv/dvd combo, like you I was minorly disapointed with the tuner issue, I've already got a BT Vision PVR so ultimately am using that and have the option to record up to three different channels, unless you want to record HD that is!!  

Am thinking about Sky HD but will probably bin that idea due to cost  

Games and internet, I plug my laptop into the tv, works well.

X-Box 360 and psp3 could be plugged in via HDMI connections I believe.

Can't get my external HDD to work on the dvd (formatted to FAT 32) however so have uploaded music by memory stick via the USB port.
That also works well.

My amp is plugged into the back of the tv so anything on tv or dvd (films, music etc) can be played through the speakers.

Hope that helps

[MindlessJD]

Yeah, I belive that all Xbox 360's now have a HDMI port. The 'Pro' one certainly does as that's the one that I have!  

 

[CaptainZok]

As Jaime says, you could do with trying it out before comitting any large amount of cash. Simplest way I can see would be if you have vista on your lappy, add a cheap usb freeview tuner and usb IR receiver and mce remote, Connect to your tv via a scart adapter and Robert's your mothers brother. Won't be cutting edge media centre experience but it will give you enough of an idea what VMC works like.

[Martin_1962]

Hi technical wizard type guys.

We've just got a new Panasonic 42" Plasma TV with built in Freesat and Freeview tuners. I also bought a new Panasonic 400GB HDD recorder with built in DVD player. All great so far, except I'm £1300 worse off but such is life.

The quality of the TV is just wonderful, especially on BBC HD and on upscaled DVD's from the DVD player, but I'm a bit disappointed that we've only got one tuner on the HDD recorder and, whilst we can record from the TV tuner to the HDD, we can still only record one programme at a time and can't pause the TV if we are recording another channel.

This got me thinking about buying a second PVR but I was recommended to install a MCE system or HCPC, same thing I assume.

So, to cut a long story not particularly short, I was looking for some advice on what sort of specification I should be looking for on such a box of tricks.

Ideally I would want the following functionality:

Ability to record two channels at one time.
Ability to watch Blu Ray discs.
Ability to surf the Internet wirelessly over my existing wireless network.
Ability to play PC games. (I don't have any at the moment but my daughter is quite keen on such things, so needs to be capable of satisfying a teenager in waiting)
Upscaling output to 1080p to get the best quality from the TV. (I think that's right)
Want to stream music and video from other devices or store on internal HDD, I'm not sure which is best.
Surround sound, not fussed over 5.1 but want to output to a decent amplifier, which will have to wait, or through the TV in the meantime.

I can't think of anything else I would like this thing to do unless there is something really cool that I've missed.

I plan to build this myself and have a very capable assistant so I'm not too concerned about this. Also, I am happy to spend decent money on such a system although I don't want to throw money down the drain on stuff I won't need or is overspecified.

 I've got exactly the same Tv/dvd combo, like you I was minorly disapointed with the tuner issue, I've already got a BT Vision PVR so ultimately am using that and have the option to record up to three different channels, unless you want to record HD that is!!  

Am thinking about Sky HD but will probably bin that idea due to cost  

Games and internet, I plug my laptop into the tv, works well.

X-Box 360 and psp3 could be plugged in via HDMI connections I believe.

Can't get my external HDD to work on the dvd (formatted to FAT 32) however so have uploaded music by memory stick via the USB port.
That also works well.

My amp is plugged into the back of the tv so anything on tv or dvd (films, music etc) can be played through the speakers.

Hope that helps

Try Freesat HD then

[Ken T]

As Jaime says, you could do with trying it out before comitting any large amount of cash. Simplest way I can see would be if you have vista on your lappy, add a cheap usb freeview tuner and usb IR receiver and mce remote, Connect to your tv via a scart adapter and Robert's your mothers brother. Won't be cutting edge media centre experience but it will give you enough of an idea what VMC works like.

You might want to watch the cheap USB freeview tuners. They run very hot, and tend to die soon  

Ken

[Golfbuddy]

GB - before splashing out too much, put a Media Center OS (XP MCE or Vista Home Premium/Ultimate - or the free Windows 7 beta) on a PC with a TV card and see how you get on.  OK, it won't be pretty, but once you've used it a bit, it will give you a better idea of what to buy, or whether MCE is suitable or not.

As Jaime says, you could do with trying it out before comitting any large amount of cash. Simplest way I can see would be if you have vista on your lappy, add a cheap usb freeview tuner and usb IR receiver and mce remote, Connect to your tv via a scart adapter and Robert's your mothers brother. Won't be cutting edge media centre experience but it will give you enough of an idea what VMC works like.

Not a bad idea TB and Cap'n Zok but I don't really have a PC capable of running Vista. My desktop, whilst running nice and fast at the moment, is four years old and is way too slow to run processor hungry graphics applications. The laptop is even slower, albeit a couple of years newer.

The more I think about this, a top notch MCE would give me some really good options as well as a new PC to boot, although I take on board your comments regarding stability issues when using the machine both as a MCE and a PC.

The only other thing I would say is that component prices are all over the place. Just a nice case and a decent motherboard, excluding power supply, takes me to almost £350. Alternatively, I could spend about £50 on the two!!! This really is going to take some time and persuasion of Mrs GB.  

[Woodfull]

Hi technical wizard type guys.

We've just got a new Panasonic 42" Plasma TV with built in Freesat and Freeview tuners. I also bought a new Panasonic 400GB HDD recorder with built in DVD player. All great so far, except I'm £1300 worse off but such is life.

The quality of the TV is just wonderful, especially on BBC HD and on upscaled DVD's from the DVD player, but I'm a bit disappointed that we've only got one tuner on the HDD recorder and, whilst we can record from the TV tuner to the HDD, we can still only record one programme at a time and can't pause the TV if we are recording another channel.

This got me thinking about buying a second PVR but I was recommended to install a MCE system or HCPC, same thing I assume.

So, to cut a long story not particularly short, I was looking for some advice on what sort of specification I should be looking for on such a box of tricks.

Ideally I would want the following functionality:

Ability to record two channels at one time.
Ability to watch Blu Ray discs.
Ability to surf the Internet wirelessly over my existing wireless network.
Ability to play PC games. (I don't have any at the moment but my daughter is quite keen on such things, so needs to be capable of satisfying a teenager in waiting)
Upscaling output to 1080p to get the best quality from the TV. (I think that's right)
Want to stream music and video from other devices or store on internal HDD, I'm not sure which is best.
Surround sound, not fussed over 5.1 but want to output to a decent amplifier, which will have to wait, or through the TV in the meantime.

I can't think of anything else I would like this thing to do unless there is something really cool that I've missed.

I plan to build this myself and have a very capable assistant so I'm not too concerned about this. Also, I am happy to spend decent money on such a system although I don't want to throw money down the drain on stuff I won't need or is overspecified.

 I've got exactly the same Tv/dvd combo, like you I was minorly disapointed with the tuner issue, I've already got a BT Vision PVR so ultimately am using that and have the option to record up to three different channels, unless you want to record HD that is!!  

Am thinking about Sky HD but will probably bin that idea due to cost  

Games and internet, I plug my laptop into the tv, works well.

X-Box 360 and psp3 could be plugged in via HDMI connections I believe.

Can't get my external HDD to work on the dvd (formatted to FAT 32) however so have uploaded music by memory stick via the USB port.
That also works well.

My amp is plugged into the back of the tv so anything on tv or dvd (films, music etc) can be played through the speakers.

Hope that helps

Try Freesat HD then

Got the freesat HD, only reason I mentioned it is because I believe you get a dual channel HD PVR, thus you can record one, watch another  

[TheBoy]

GB - before splashing out too much, put a Media Center OS (XP MCE or Vista Home Premium/Ultimate - or the free Windows 7 beta) on a PC with a TV card and see how you get on.  OK, it won't be pretty, but once you've used it a bit, it will give you a better idea of what to buy, or whether MCE is suitable or not.

As Jaime says, you could do with trying it out before comitting any large amount of cash. Simplest way I can see would be if you have vista on your lappy, add a cheap usb freeview tuner and usb IR receiver and mce remote, Connect to your tv via a scart adapter and Robert's your mothers brother. Won't be cutting edge media centre experience but it will give you enough of an idea what VMC works like.

Not a bad idea TB and Cap'n Zok but I don't really have a PC capable of running Vista. My desktop, whilst running nice and fast at the moment, is four years old and is way too slow to run processor hungry graphics applications. The laptop is even slower, albeit a couple of years newer.

The more I think about this, a top notch MCE would give me some really good options as well as a new PC to boot, although I take on board your comments regarding stability issues when using the machine both as a MCE and a PC.

The only other thing I would say is that component prices are all over the place. Just a nice case and a decent motherboard, excluding power supply, takes me to almost £350. Alternatively, I could spend about £50 on the two!!! This really is going to take some time and persuasion of Mrs GB.  

A 4yr old PC should run it - generally all but first generation of P4 is fast enough.  Needs 1G RAM minimum though.

Failing that, for testing, use XP MCE.  I certainly have the media here, not sure if I have an ununsed OEM key though.  Can't remember how long it works without activation though, think OEM is 3 days

[Martin_1962]

Hi technical wizard type guys.

We've just got a new Panasonic 42" Plasma TV with built in Freesat and Freeview tuners. I also bought a new Panasonic 400GB HDD recorder with built in DVD player. All great so far, except I'm £1300 worse off but such is life.

The quality of the TV is just wonderful, especially on BBC HD and on upscaled DVD's from the DVD player, but I'm a bit disappointed that we've only got one tuner on the HDD recorder and, whilst we can record from the TV tuner to the HDD, we can still only record one programme at a time and can't pause the TV if we are recording another channel.

This got me thinking about buying a second PVR but I was recommended to install a MCE system or HCPC, same thing I assume.

So, to cut a long story not particularly short, I was looking for some advice on what sort of specification I should be looking for on such a box of tricks.

Ideally I would want the following functionality:

Ability to record two channels at one time.
Ability to watch Blu Ray discs.
Ability to surf the Internet wirelessly over my existing wireless network.
Ability to play PC games. (I don't have any at the moment but my daughter is quite keen on such things, so needs to be capable of satisfying a teenager in waiting)
Upscaling output to 1080p to get the best quality from the TV. (I think that's right)
Want to stream music and video from other devices or store on internal HDD, I'm not sure which is best.
Surround sound, not fussed over 5.1 but want to output to a decent amplifier, which will have to wait, or through the TV in the meantime.

I can't think of anything else I would like this thing to do unless there is something really cool that I've missed.

I plan to build this myself and have a very capable assistant so I'm not too concerned about this. Also, I am happy to spend decent money on such a system although I don't want to throw money down the drain on stuff I won't need or is overspecified.

 I've got exactly the same Tv/dvd combo, like you I was minorly disapointed with the tuner issue, I've already got a BT Vision PVR so ultimately am using that and have the option to record up to three different channels, unless you want to record HD that is!!  

Am thinking about Sky HD but will probably bin that idea due to cost  

Games and internet, I plug my laptop into the tv, works well.

X-Box 360 and psp3 could be plugged in via HDMI connections I believe.

Can't get my external HDD to work on the dvd (formatted to FAT 32) however so have uploaded music by memory stick via the USB port.
That also works well.

My amp is plugged into the back of the tv so anything on tv or dvd (films, music etc) can be played through the speakers.

Hope that helps

Try Freesat HD then

Got the freesat HD, only reason I mentioned it is because I believe you get a dual channel HD PVR, thus you can record one, watch another  

Yes you do - it is the Humax HDR - good piece of kit and works quite well - just letting the first few bugs settle

[Woodfull]

Hi technical wizard type guys.

We've just got a new Panasonic 42" Plasma TV with built in Freesat and Freeview tuners. I also bought a new Panasonic 400GB HDD recorder with built in DVD player. All great so far, except I'm £1300 worse off but such is life.

The quality of the TV is just wonderful, especially on BBC HD and on upscaled DVD's from the DVD player, but I'm a bit disappointed that we've only got one tuner on the HDD recorder and, whilst we can record from the TV tuner to the HDD, we can still only record one programme at a time and can't pause the TV if we are recording another channel.

This got me thinking about buying a second PVR but I was recommended to install a MCE system or HCPC, same thing I assume.

So, to cut a long story not particularly short, I was looking for some advice on what sort of specification I should be looking for on such a box of tricks.

Ideally I would want the following functionality:

Ability to record two channels at one time.
Ability to watch Blu Ray discs.
Ability to surf the Internet wirelessly over my existing wireless network.
Ability to play PC games. (I don't have any at the moment but my daughter is quite keen on such things, so needs to be capable of satisfying a teenager in waiting)
Upscaling output to 1080p to get the best quality from the TV. (I think that's right)
Want to stream music and video from other devices or store on internal HDD, I'm not sure which is best.
Surround sound, not fussed over 5.1 but want to output to a decent amplifier, which will have to wait, or through the TV in the meantime.

I can't think of anything else I would like this thing to do unless there is something really cool that I've missed.

I plan to build this myself and have a very capable assistant so I'm not too concerned about this. Also, I am happy to spend decent money on such a system although I don't want to throw money down the drain on stuff I won't need or is overspecified.

 I've got exactly the same Tv/dvd combo, like you I was minorly disapointed with the tuner issue, I've already got a BT Vision PVR so ultimately am using that and have the option to record up to three different channels, unless you want to record HD that is!!  

Am thinking about Sky HD but will probably bin that idea due to cost  

Games and internet, I plug my laptop into the tv, works well.

X-Box 360 and psp3 could be plugged in via HDMI connections I believe.

Can't get my external HDD to work on the dvd (formatted to FAT 32) however so have uploaded music by memory stick via the USB port.
That also works well.

My amp is plugged into the back of the tv so anything on tv or dvd (films, music etc) can be played through the speakers.

Hope that helps

Try Freesat HD then

Got the freesat HD, only reason I mentioned it is because I believe you get a dual channel HD PVR, thus you can record one, watch another  

Yes you do - it is the Humax HDR - good piece of kit and works quite well - just letting the first few bugs settle

Part of the logic in deciding to go for the Panasonic built in Freesat TV was that it negated the requirement for another set top box. I may consider the Humax at a later date, when there are more HD channels available on Freesat. Thanks for the advice though Martin  

[CaptainZok]

GB - before splashing out too much, put a Media Center OS (XP MCE or Vista Home Premium/Ultimate - or the free Windows 7 beta) on a PC with a TV card and see how you get on.  OK, it won't be pretty, but once you've used it a bit, it will give you a better idea of what to buy, or whether MCE is suitable or not.

As Jaime says, you could do with trying it out before comitting any large amount of cash. Simplest way I can see would be if you have vista on your lappy, add a cheap usb freeview tuner and usb IR receiver and mce remote, Connect to your tv via a scart adapter and Robert's your mothers brother. Won't be cutting edge media centre experience but it will give you enough of an idea what VMC works like.

Not a bad idea TB and Cap'n Zok but I don't really have a PC capable of running Vista. My desktop, whilst running nice and fast at the moment, is four years old and is way too slow to run processor hungry graphics applications. The laptop is even slower, albeit a couple of years newer.

The more I think about this, a top notch MCE would give me some really good options as well as a new PC to boot, although I take on board your comments regarding stability issues when using the machine both as a MCE and a PC.

The only other thing I would say is that component prices are all over the place. Just a nice case and a decent motherboard, excluding power supply, takes me to almost £350. Alternatively, I could spend about £50 on the two!!! This really is going to take some time and persuasion of Mrs GB.  

A 4yr old PC should run it - generally all but first generation of P4 is fast enough.  Needs 1G RAM minimum though.

Failing that, for testing, use XP MCE.  I certainly have the media here, not sure if I have an ununsed OEM key though.  Can't remember how long it works without activation though, think OEM is 3 days

So if you fancy reinstalling windows XP it would give you a reasonable idea what the media centre stuff a few of us use is like.
Think I've got a 60 day trial key for MCE kicking about somewhere.