Windows Media Centre

[adrian]

OK, really want to get this.... but need a bit more info. Anyone here have it? Do I need a digital TV tuner or just an analogue one as I alreayd have a SKY digital box and just want to pass it through the media centre.

Also, I would like to get it on a laptop, as I could thyen use it for business as well as a living room ent system. Any info greatly appreciated!

A

[CJ]

Assuming the Media centre PC is staying in the one spot, you'll need a VGA input on your TV, depending on the graphics card in the PC, you could also output a composite signal. I havn't tricked about with XP Media Centre as such but I've used Windows Media Connecton an XP machine and hooked it up to an Xbox 360 via a wireless bridge.

Depending on your PC skills and budget, you could either spec and build a PC handy enough (plenty of web resources out there) or buy one off the shelf thats designed to run quietly and will sit happily in your sitting room.

CJ

[Muad_dib77]

Sound can also be a problem as the picture travels quicker than the sound (due to different compression rates) this causes sound lag. Mouths and words don't match (think badly dubbed) you will need a TV tuner that will alow you to speed up the lip sync....

Hope this helped...

Have never experienced this phenomenon - and I've hooked up a fair few tvs to computer...sounds like fun...

[pergau]

Are you getting a Windows Mdeia server for a specific reason, or is it just that you haven't considered other options.

You could do this a lot easire on an apple eg a Mac Mini or go the whole hog and build it on linux

Either way, you will have less problems moving the music and films that you store on it to another device if you give windows a miss.

[Muad_dib77]

Maud It depends on how far the signal travels. Couple of feet and no noticible time lag. Long distance sometimes lag. Better the PC CPU less of a problem

Mad I never knew that - mind you I've always had a machine placed right under/next to the telly..

If I wanted to watch something I'd simply transfer it to the machine and run it straight from there.

[adrian]

Thanks for the replies so far. I saw media centre in a shop and it looked the dogs. I have tried the PC to my TV and it looks good. My TV is a Samsung 40 inch LCD HD Ready TV. The TV has an SVideo in.I am wondering things like...would I need to have the PC on always to watch TV or could you bypass it some way? Minefield of questions, I dunno where to start....I was hoping one of you folks would have done it

[kevinod]

I haven't looked at the media centre thing myself but maybe you could make the PC a scart device? Then can just switch between tv and your media centre?