For "convenience", sure, go ahead and rip your digital CD's, but don't forget they were made at 44kHz x 16bit x 2 channel = 1440 kbps. CD's are a bad enough approximation of analog already. The highest mp3 encoding I've seen is 320 bps, but until I get a digital output to an external DAC, the signal will still suffer from the EM nightmare inside a PC. Hold on to your CD's.PC & Video Entertainment Center on Slashdot
I too wanted to achieve PC/TV integration, and after researching it, decided it was too soon. It's just not economical to achieve digital TV quality from a PC right now. Video capture cards with lossless compression require higher bus rates than are available. Short of a $17K Pioneer Plasmon Display, no sets, even HDTV sets, support high res digital input. DVD formats don't even support HDTV! I wouldn't even think of using dvd anyway until it's opened for linux. This is what you would have to buy:[ed. note Feb, 2004 - lot's of progress since then!]
1) Next generation AMD Athlon (K8 w/ 200 MHz fsb) $1K
2) Dual U/160m Quantum Atlas 10K drives $2K
3) (formerly Teralogic, now Zoran) HDTV card (coming Q4) $300
4) High End Video Capture $500+
5) Pro-Music Card $500+
6) Madrigal Proceeds digital pre-amp/amps $10K
7) Pioneer PDP-501MC $17K (Sorry - does not support digital - just d-sub)
8) HiFi Speakers $5K+
Especially irritating knowing that it's $36K in the near term but half as much in 2 years. The alternative consumer level products (Sony DVD, TIVO, SDTV) work but will not integrate with the PC until they become internet appliances and run jini. Alas, digital dreams...
PCWorld sums up their review of all TV tuners (10/99):
None of the cards we tested provides as smooth or stable a picture as you see on your average TV. They look, well ...digital. Not DVD-quality digital--lower-quality,downloaded-AVI digital. Both ATI cards exhibited a slight jitter (up-and-down motion) that was distracting. But depending on your tolerance for minor display glitches, all the pictures were quite viewable.hint: I have zero tolerance!
Ars Technica about Playstation 2 (Q4'00):
The current PlayStation introduced the concept of the Graphics Synthesizer via the real-time calculation and rendering of a 3D object. This new GS rendering processor is the ultimate incarnation of this concept - delivering unrivalled graphics performance and capability. The rendering function was enhanced to generate image data that supports NTSC/PAL Television, High Definition Digital TV and VESA output standards. The quality of the resulting screen image is comparable to movie-quality 3D graphics in real time.Ars Technica on the SGI Visual Workstation (Will run linux in Q4'99!):
The Arsenic chip designed for the Visual PC is the third component of a graphics and display rhapsody. This chip actually handles generating the display signal for not only standard monitors and resolutions, but also the HDTV 1080P standard. It allows the frame buffer to have continuous DMA, and it also allows for connections to the flat panel interface. As if that weren't enough, the chip is also going to let the box be outfitted for stereo viewing (quad buffered!) in the second quarter of 1999. Hence, several of SGI's key UNIX markets will be able to take a spin on the Vis PC and still get what they are used to getting. BioChem, Engineering, CAD/CAM/CAE etc will all benefit from this option.Videography Online (now gone) on Motorola Blackbird spec. (10/98):
..."The new architecture, code-named Blackbird, combines the key functions of a broadband router, a network computer, and a digital home-theater platform. This architecture offers an unprecedented integration of communications and interactive entertainment."
Blackbird is the first open platform to support interactive 3D graphics, Java, MPEG digital video, high-fidelity audio, DVD, Internet access, electronic commerce, and broadband networking in a single integrated unit (see Blackbird diagram). Powered by an independently programmable CPU, communications, and multimedia engines, the platform is able to instantaneously change its role from one function to another to suit the consumer's immediate wishes or to adapt to new and emerging requirements.
The aspect of this platform that I believe to be most significant is the role of the PowerPC processor in the system architecture... (Hint: like the TIVO)[ed. note 2/2004: Motorola outsourced this to Solectron, where it disappeared. I leave this in here as a symbol of many attempts at the same thing which have all failed. Finally, M$ threw its monopoly profits behind the Media Center, with equally dismal results.]
HDTV Wars good discussion of TV industry conflict with PC industry.
Ask Slashdot: Build the ulitimate A/V component 8/22/2000 (I'm in there)
Digital Convergence Controversy - copy-protecting high-bandwidth streams
Good analysis of the potential superiority of a HTPC over traditional high-end (audio) components
-->See all my other links here
| Kanam Accent HT200B HTPC Case | looks like a high-end stereo component, aluminum and solid | 230 |
| Nexus Real Silent 400 Watt Power Supply | almost silent power supply with Active Power Correction | 99 |
| Celeron 1.3GHz on Asus TUSL2-C mb and Artic Cooling Slim Silent Pro | runs cool and quiet! | 200 |
| Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro with the ZM80C-HP Zalman Video Heatpipe | good 2D & 3D - fanless heatsink | 175 |
| 2 Seagate 80GB U6 hard drives | most quiet storage | 150 |
| M-Audio Delta 410 | professional 96/24 sound card, S/PDIF output | 180 |
| Plextor PX-708A-BL 8x DVD+/-RW writer | cd, vcd, dvd rw. digital-out for cd's | 178 |
| MIT MyHD MDP-120 card | HD receiver and recorder, VGA/DVI, S/PDIF out | 289 |
| Audio Authority's VGA to Component Converter | VGA to ATSC for HDTV | 110 |
| Sigma Designs X-Card | hardware dvd decoder, progressive component video out and digital sound (pcm,ac-3,dts) mpeg2/mpeg4 decoding | 100 |
| SIIG JU-2NG011 USB2.0/Firewire/Gigabit Ethernet card | internal connections to Firewire and USB2.0 for the Accent Case | 80 |
| TerkTV50 antenna | amplified, directional antenna required for DTV | 140 |
| Toshiba TW40x81 hdtv | upconverts NTSC to 480p, ATSC to 1080i | 2500 |
| Yamaha RX-V1 | 8 channel digital receiver | 2525 |
| 5 Linn Speakers (2x5140's, 2xTukan's, 1x5120) | only the very best | 6000 |
| 1 Linn Sizmik Sub-woofer | Kick Ass! | 3000 |
| Monster Power | electrical protection + power conditioning | 200 |
| TIVO digital vcr - Hacked! 100Gb + TiVoNet | mpeg2 hard disk recording, guide, NTSC - runs linux! | 300 |
| Total@Prices paid | (Current price estimate: $1500 + stereo price) | 16500 |
Notes on what it takes to be a HTPC:
Coming Soon or In Consideration:
Here in Dallas June, 2003, we now have CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, UPN, WB, PBS, plus several local stations, broadcasting dtv signals. We may be lucky to have 10 broadcast channels, but reception is very difficult (the area I live in has numerous tall buildings). I can clearly pick up (ie, must have 0 transmission errors on average) only 6. I live less than 20 miles from most of these stations, I have an amplified directional antenna, and still I have to orient the antenna to within a half-inch of its correct position (for each station it's different!).
At least the major networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, & FOX) now have most of their prime-time in HD. Everything else is just upscaled NTSC quality programming (no better than digital cable). Unfortunately, I don't do sitcoms, and instead look for the occasional once or twice a week widescreen movie. For a while we had FireFly, John Doe, Quest, but no more. I suppose (just guessing) that the movies are only upscaled DVD formats, and on my system, are pretty much like getting a DVD rental for free (woop tee doo, huh). However, only ABC has ever broadcast any of its movies (The Big Picture Shows) in AC-3 (6 channel) sound. And then, good luck trying to find a program guide! Occasionally you can find some hdtv scheduling on CBS and ABC web sites (links in my bookmarks) - and still, because of frequent technical or whatever problems, it will not be broadcast in hdtv format. So there you have it: lousy reception, but slowly improving programming. There are several satellite options, but these are very expensive ($800 + premium) and still have sporadic hdtv programming. update - Feb 14, 2005 - Dallas DTV options have improved greatly. The satellite option is much more attractive now (3-6 channels for not much more $). Comcast provides an HDTV cable box with 14 channels of HD. Local OTA HD is now up to 15 channels (unfortunately, 3 are Christian channels and 4 are Spanish). I took the Comcast HD Gold option, and can now record both SD & HD off the firewire connection to my linux HTPC.This last upgrade notes(Jan. 2004):
Comments on the current state of DTV.