Normally I'm a projector guy, but sometimes S+V tech editor Al Griffin sends a TV my way, and I have to suffer for a few weeks with a tiny screen instead. This month was the excellent Samsung PN59D8000 (look for it in the November issue, I think). Despite the fact that I was only about 8 feet from the screen, text was much harder to read than I expected. This has nothing to do with the TV, which was pixel-perfect in this regard, but everything to do with fonts made for a close-up computer screen on a TV that's farther away. I had mentioned this being a possibility in the original HTPC article, but seeing it firsthand makes me think I underestimated it.
Font size for Windows is under Personalization (there's a video linked in the original article), but of bigger concern were games. Playing SPaZ resulted in a lot of leaning forward to make out the smallish text on the icons and descriptions.
For those of you using HTPCs on TVs, please chime in. do you have this problem, and if so, what's your solution?
One important thing I forgot to mention in the original article is aspect ratio. Specifically, making sure that all 1,920x1,080 pixels sent by the PC are displayed on the TV/projector. Every TV should have an Aspect Ratio button (or something similarly named), and one will usually be called "Just" or "Native" or something. Also check the setup menus, as in many cases (Panasonic for one, definitely) you'll find a sub-menu dealing with overscan, which zooms in on the picture slightly, potentially blurring the often single-pixel-wide text characters.
Also turn down the sharpness control, as on most TVs this just adds edge enhancement or ringing that will make text harder to read.
We've had an incredibly — and rather unprecedentedly — mild summer here in LA (sorry, rest of the country), but the heat spiked up at the end of August, and I was right to be concerned about the heat dissipation in my rack. Playing long sessions of the awesome-so-far Deus Ex: Human Revolution, would occasionally cause. . . some. . . hard. . . stutters. . . and. . . pauses. .. the telltale signs of heatstroke.
It's likely right on the cusp of being an issue, as it would only act up when the house was really hot from the heat of the day. Now that it's cooling off as we head into the Fall and Winter, we'll see if I really need to work something out for this. I might try a few things anyway, as it's not something a lot of people seem to talk about.
Do all wireless mice suck, or just the one I bought? Seriously, it borders on unusable. I thought maybe it was just trying to use my sofa as a mouse pad, but after buying a Mionix Propus 380 gaming surface, it was little better. There is so much slop in the control, first person shooters are barely playable. I'm really good at FPSs, but playing with this thing makes me feel like a noob.
It's not just that it's laggy, it doesn't track on anything. So I'll try to aim, to find that the reticule hasn't moved despite 8 inches of mouse sliding. The Mionix pad was the last straw, as I had tried magazines, hardcover books, cardboard, pretty much every flat surface I could find. It does that frustrating thing where it will work fine for a bit, then just decide it's no longer a mouse, merely an underhand decoration with buttons. Unacceptable.
I'm resisting calling out the manufacturer of this POS until I get in some more wireless mice to see if they're all this bad. If they are, I'll begrudgingly return to USB mice, of which there are many, many excellent choices.
Many of you left great comments on the last post in this series, with plenty of suggestions for things to try, and trust me, they're on the list. For now I'm still trying to get the HTPC comfortably usable, then I'll move on to improving its functionality.
If you're looking for a wireless mouse the Logitech Performance MX is uhh-mazing. I use it a minimum of 8 hours per day and charge maybe once a week (via usb-cable, you could also swap in your own battery if you wanted). Not to mention it tracks on everything I've ever tried, including glass.
Prior to the Performance MX I was using Logitech's G7 which was the first wireless mouse I had ever used that didn't feel disconnected from the PC. After I wore the buttons out on the mouse, and long after Logitech stopped supporting it, I bit the bullet and bought the pricey Performance MX.
I personally feel spoiled from the G7, further spoiled by the Performance MX, and actually get frustrated when using a wired mouse since it feels like it drags as the cord stretches to it's limits or bunches too much, or just slightly twists it when I let go to type.
Please note that I do not work for Logitech, nor receive compensation from them, though I feel that I should, with how much I talk about them -- except for the piece of junk the DiNovo Mini has been in my experience due to bad connectivity.
OK, there are a couple of things you mentioned in your article that made me want to comment.
First, you REALLY need to ditch Vista. Windows 7 has HUGE improvements in stability, as well as enhancements to Windows Media Center. Most importantly Windows 7 has support for the CableCard tuners that just hit the market! A CableCard tuner will enable you to connect your Media Center PC to your cable system and will allow you to tune in ALL channels, including HD and premium channels like HBO and Showtime. Until recently, your ONLY option to get a CableCard tuner was to buy a new PC that had been certified (as a whole system) through CableLabs. Now you can buy the Centon InfiniTV 4 tuner PCI card on Amazon or Newegg for $299. Another option is the SiliconDust HD Homerun Prime, which will connect to your home network. Then any PC on the network will have access to the tuners. Currently, the HD Homerun Prime six tuner model is available for $499, but they are making a 3 tuner version that will be available for $249 that will be released "soon". Keep in mind that you will be limited to a total of 4 tuners on Windows 7 unless you have a special OEM only version that unlocks the ability to use 6 tuners. (This OEM version isnt available to most people, its being restricted to companies like Niveus and VidaBox that make high end Media Center PCs) Continued in next post....
Second, you mentioned playing a video game on your "media center". This is a HUGE no-no! For best results, keep the PC dedicated to media center use ONLY. When you first set up the PC, do a FULL format and CLEAN installation of Windows. Download and install all of the latest drivers you need, and install all available Windows updates. Next...this is the important part...TURN OFF AUTOMATIC UPDATES! You do NOT want your computer rebooting randomly in the middle of the night after an update! This is a sure-fire way to miss recording shows that would have otherwise recorded! Do NOT browse websites, install games or other software, or use the PC to download torrents or anything else for that matter. Having a DEDICATED PC as a Media Center will greatly improve the stability of your system. If you need to rip DVDs, or download torrents, do this on another machine then move the files over to the media center after running the files through a virus scanner.
Next, you need some updated hardware. Go and look for an AMD (formerly ATI) Radeon 5450. This HDMI equipped graphics card will cost you $40! It has support for audio over HDMI and will run just fine on your Samsung. You will notice a HUGE difference in clarity using HDMI instead of VGA!
I hope this information helps you out! Good luck, and have fun!
You're wasting your time with the current software. XBMC is simply the best HTPC experience money can't buy.
Compatible with a wide range of hardware; PC or not even ie. ATV2; and a very wide range of skins, add-ons, etc. Give it a look and try the best software available for the HTPC and that should settle the debate.
Demo vid of one of the skins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAw9CAlqqus
@jnemesh Not using this PC as a gaming PC is not an option. In fact, this is primarily a gaming PC. Gaming, in my opinion, is 90% of the reason you would want a computer in your theater. Yes, it can do all sorts of other things, but gaming is the one thing it can do that no other equipment can.
Yes, I'm discounting consoles: http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/blog/2011/07/22/video-games-vs-computer...
So in my mind, getting it to do other things in addition to gaming is the goal. Stripping out all that to be a WMC box doesn't make a ton of sense, not least because I don't have "cable" (it's U-verse).
A new video card is definately in the works. Not least because the current one is freaking out with: http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/blog/2011/09/30/battlefield-3-free-open...
I personally feel spoiled from the G7, further spoiled by the Performance MX, and actually get porn frustrated when using a wired mouse since it feels like it porno day drags as the cord stretches to it's limits or bunches too much, kelebek or just slightly twists it when I let go to type.