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kind of a broad question. this device, when it is supported will allow for HD from acable box or a sat provider, which will allow for "premium" channels. For the time being , many are using the HDhomerun which is a dual QAM tuner. It will receive over the air "local" HD, or QAM which is how several cable compaies are relaying the local HD content unencrypted over the wire.

Shaun

This device claims that you can record HD content on a regular DVD for play back in a blue ray player. How is that possible. Is it cause of the encoding ( h.264). if so , why aren't all hd dvds compressed the same and put on "regular" dvds. I'd think that quality has to suffer, I',m confused. Also notice 1080i support  but not 1080p.

First here are my up and running linux MCE specs:

Core/ Hybrid
Intel Celeron 340 2.93Ghz 533FSB Socket 478
Aopen s661GXm-U Socket 478 Motherboard
3 pci slots, 1 agp
SPDIF
2 Hauppauge 150's

MD 1 option 1
Compaq D310v
1.8 ghz
1 g.b. ram
1 agp.
3 pci


MD1 OPTION 2 ( cheezy, yet faster)
Gateway 310 s
2.4 ghz celeron 
1 g.b ram
478 socket
Intel® Extreme Graphics controller
3 pci slots
No pci-e, no agp
No spdif



I need some help understanding how on board video cards compare to a dedicated video card. I have never game'd so the video card specs are fairly new to me. I know many are using various integrated nvidia 6100, 7150, m705,  cards with much luck. I also know that the suggestion for hd and UI2 blending is a 6200 with a least 128 on board.

Q1. How does that compare to an onboard nvidia. I never see any onboard memory ( ie 128 or 256) listed for an integrated chipset. Does it just use the mobo's memory?

Q 2 if so is there a performance difference. I would think that dedicated onboard memory of a card would be better then sharing system memory. I'm at a point where I need to add video cards to enable UI2 and hd so I can and add a hd tuner..  My problem is that a 6200 in agp is around $55. I see many mobo's mentioned on this forum such as a AN-M2HD for under $80 that include integrated nvidia, hdmi/dvi and digital audio out ( optical or coaxial). If I'm gonna spend $55 on just video, I may as well just get new mobo's and not have to worry about audio. Problem is I can't find a mobo with integrated nvidia, hdmi/dvi and digital audio out that supports my celeron processors. Adding a processor to the AN-M2HD or such is another $70+.  I'd hate to have to upgrade mobo's, processors, and memory, especially since my processors are fast enough to support this system that is running, yet i want UI2 blending.

Q.4 Should I upgrade video cards, or bite the bullet and upgrade mobos. I don't want to fight a losing battle. Suggestions?

TIA Shaun

jgaffney is your 1.2 ghz a core, a MD or a hybrid. I think it should do hd fine if its a MD, but for a core or hybrid every thing read leads towards ups 2's or a 3 ghz. You didn't mention how much ram, but it seems that for HD you need 1 gig in a core and 512 mb in a MD. A hybrid would probably benefit from more but mds and core don't seem to show an improvement from any more ram then listed even for HD. Not that they need an improvement they seem fine with the above. I'll be testing this out in a couple weeks with the same tuner that u have, trying a 3.0ghz for a core only and 1.1 ghz for a md, both intel and using the ram listed above.

Shaun

u can leave it running xbox mce, it should be able to access all of your files including PVR media from LMCE. It won't be integrated, but it will still allow for file access.

the hdhomerun is equivilant to a tv card, yes you are correct, no need for an additional card inless you want analog. The ideal here is to have all your channels weater analoge or dgital are both go through the LMCE and not have to switch the inputs on you tv and be able to record or rewind any thing that you watch.

the hdhomerun is equivilant to a tv card, yes you are correct, no need for an additional card inless you want analog. The ideal here is to have all your channels weater analoge or dgital are both go through the LMCE and not have to switch the inputs on you tv and be able to record or rewind any thing that you watch.

looks like 4 others replied while I was typing,

I think that I can answer this. I also have a lcd with dual Qam (digital) and analog tuner, yet only one coax input. If i put an antenna I receive 20+ Digital channels ( 8 hd) but no CBS  (chicago land signal issue). If i plug into my wall with basic cable and NO box, i receive 78 analoge channels plus all of the local hd and digital channels (including cbs, channels 100+) since Comcast relays the locals over the wire.

Now if i wanted to record or watch both in LMCE 'PVR  i'd need a winttv 150 for the first 78 channels plus a digital tuner such as hd homerun to allow for recording and distributed viewing in other rooms. The hdhomerun which is a dual qam that would allow dual digital or hd recordings or viewings at the same time. I'd need two winttv 150's or 1 wintv 500 to get that dual capability for the analog channels. The hdhomerun also would alow for an antenna to receive the over the air digital and hd local's as an alternative to a local cable company relaying the local's

Now either the hdhome run or the wintv's input can be "split" and ran directly to my LCD for viewing, but that wouldn't allow for recording or distributing with out the appropriate analog or digital tuners or both tuners. Happauge does make a 1600 series tuner that is a dual analoge and digital (qaM ) in one card , but not yet supported in linux. if it was supported it wouldn't allow dual recording or recording and watching of 2 analog or 2 digital channel similtaniously, you'd need two 1600's for that, but the one 1600 will allow for a distributed watch or record of both 1 analog and one digital channel at the same time.

hope that helps. Shaun

would these 720p/ 1080p issues be present with the highly recommended 6200 card, also would it matter if the 6200 was pic, pci-e, or agp? I keep hearing that 128mb onboard is more then enough, but would 256 eliminate this chopping? Also why is the 6200 usually recommended on this forum over the 6600, 6800 or 7000 series.

I stumbled across this issue and figured that I'd post it in hopes that it may help someone else down the line since not everyone attempting LMCE is a networker.

Background info: Spanning tree (STP) is a protocol that runs on network switches and discovers and disables multiple paths on a LAN. This is done to prevent loops in the network. This is done this through a series of blocking/listening/learning/forwarding of STP information before other data is allowed to pass. This feature is necessary on switch up link ports, but is not needed on client ports. 
Port fast is a STP feature of that by passes the blocking/listening/learning states of the switch port and allows it to immediately start forwarding. It is intended for server and workstation ports, important for prevent dhcp and bootp from timing out. Unfortunately it is disabled by default on Cisco and many other business grade network switches.

So how is this related to LMCE. I was trying to boot a MD plugged into both a Cisco 2950 and again with a Cisco 3550 switch, and it wouldn't boot. I noticed that MD's switch port link light was staying orange (indicating its not up), it wouldn't turn green to indicating a good link is up until about a second before the MD pxe/bootp attempt timed out and rebooted. I switched it to an old hub and it worked fine. So I logged into my switch and enabled the Portfast feature one the MD's switch port and it booted just fine.
Config example for a Cisco 24 port 2950 switch, MD was on port 23

Switch: config t
Switch (config) : interface fa 0/23
Switch (config): spanning-tree portfast
Switch (config): end

Thanks guys, the info was there. Looks like both the video and audio had expansion slots that hang off the Mobo. makes sense now just kinda threw me off a little since it wasn't list separately in any of the specs. thanks again.

Shaun

i was wondering whats the model is of the sound card that has optical and coaxial out. It doesn't look like a full blown sound card, but maybe a daughter card that is just has outputs and atttaches internally to the mobo via cables as apposed to a sound card in a slot that actually processes the sound.

also whats the model/part number for the video out card , it appears the same as just a output only card.  it has composite, component, and s-video. I belive the nvidia chipset is in the mobo, so this is just additional outputs.

Anyone know any more about either of these?

Thanks Shaun

Ddamron, can you elaborate on your set up. is it a settop sat box or a sat card, if set top , what capture card? how many MD's, how much CPU/ram/ what model video cards. Thanks

any suggestions, i thought along as it had 128mb or more that i'd be fine. i know wiki lists 6000 series and up, but for my specific app, hd is there a higher requirement ?