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Geek Culture / My media center troubles..

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Oneka
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Posted: 19th Mar 2007 05:28
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Ok, I am trying to setup a media center like in the pic below...
The problem is listed also,

What I am trying to do is f0rk my room up, and remove my TV and other big stuff out and totally nerdify myself because I have no girlfriend because I have lost interests in woman due to my addiction of video games and I have no friends etc etc etc

I am trying to setup a new computer build that I will list the specs if you want me to but are not important...


Firstly, I will be building a computer that will have Vista install one it, this will be basically my TV/PC/Videogames...

I will want to watch TV, use the PC and play video games all on the same thing..

But interfacing it all have come to a still in my mind, one question I want to know is, does anyone know where I can found a TV tuner with component input, or with a VGA input.

If those exist, is it possible I could use 2 in one rig so that I can have one just for my Xbox 360 and RAW TV and the other for my Digital Cable and other video game systems that use Composite..

Another problem is interfacing the sound system, I already in my room have a TV and Computer but are 2 seperate rigs that are somewhat close to each other but what it be worth it buying 2, 7.1 surround sound systems and having the same setup like the monitors (2 in each place) or using one 7.1 and splitting the speakers up for sound?..

Also, Would it be better to use VGA out or Component for HD on the Xbox 360, and would I possibly loose quality of HD or gain a really noticable delay of running Component from Xbox to TVCard to PC to Screen...


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!

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indi
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Posted: 19th Mar 2007 05:39 Edited at: 19th Mar 2007 05:47
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component video definition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video

vga definition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vga

vga splitter product example
http://www.zantech.com.au/rextron/video-splitter.html

component video splitter product example
http://au.shopping.com/xPO-Gefen-1-3-GEFEN-COMPONENT-VIDEO-SPLITTER

3.5mm audio jack product example
http://www.shoptronics.com/duhejaspst3y.html

External to Computer Tv tuner product example
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=108029

DVi to vga product example
http://www.svideo.com/dvi.html
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/DVI_ADC-converter.html

kvm usb/vga splitter product example
http://www.nti1.co.uk/srvsw-usbu.html

composite 4 in 1 video / audio splitter
http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/45fe079005f59f9c273fc0a87f9c072b/Product/View/L4680

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Oneka
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Posted: 19th Mar 2007 12:57
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Sweet , thanks

Quick question though, since I would have a sound card + onboard audio, is it possible that I could have one speaker set go into one sound card and the other set go into the mobo's sound and be able to setup the computer to use both so I can have 2 different volume levels?


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 19th Mar 2007 13:27
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usually the motherboard says "no" to using more then one at the same time as instructed in your BIOS.

however another daughter board sound card might alleviate that, to be honest though I have never tried.

If the software your using to play the audio/music can be assigned to use a card i would say yes.
Im guessing it would be easier in a linux/unix environment then it would be with windows.

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 01:24
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Hmm...what you had up above doesnt really achieve what I want to do.. so I made another image this time it better represents what I want to do!

Note: I want to use VGA/DVI/Component due to the HD capabablilities it posesses....

And I want them all to be able to be windowed, no KVM switches


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!

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DrewG
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 01:27
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Quote: "I have no girlfriend because I have lost interests in woman due to my addiction of video games and I have no friends etc etc etc "


Eww.. I've heard of geekiness, but you top the cake. I mean, you... nevermind. ugh, don't post stuff like that again,, scary..

(I mean, the cable question is perfectly fine.)
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 01:57 Edited at: 22nd Mar 2007 01:58
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oneka you will find there is enough there to do what you want.

I have made a few media centres now since building my own with VGA / HDMI / Component / Composite switching in different areas.

Your Monitor "Moniter" will only allow the picture in picture feature if it has it built in, otherwise its switching between them.



the only way you can resize the screens is if you pipe it all through your computers hd tv tuner card, through a hardware television input, you may find what you want is to invest in a few HD tv tuners that go into your computer, I highly doubt though windows will handle more then one. One very good HD tuner in your pc would allow the fraps and resizing, the other monitor would be directly switched to that device for fullscreen game play.

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 02:04
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Well, do you know of any HD Tuners? I would only need one since I need an actual card and not an external thing, I could just use a normal TV tuner for the rest of what Iam trying to do, but the other is mainly for my Xbox


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 02:13
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tiger direct and new egg as well as price watch are the websites for your country.

in australia we have a consumer watchdog "choice magazine" that i use when figuring out brands to purchase and i would visit umart to buy the part.

I also read as many reviews about the product, while being skeptical of new products with instant reviews, as they are usually pimping it at this point until its been in the marketplace for a while. another indication is how many complaints the web & forums have about that particular product, if any.

there really is no point in giving you a brand name as my choice is very limited to that states.

however i would suggest you get a PAL/NTSC with component or HDMI and what the remote looks like really counts! I hate shabby remotes

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 02:16
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Well, it would be nice to have a brand name to atleast know what I am looking for because I have still yet to find a HDTV Tuner card with Component,HDMI,DVI, or VGA input...seem as those dont exist for me I have looked for hours on New Egg and now starting on tiger direct...


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 02:22
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you can go for a no name brand
http://www.digitalconnection.com/Products/Video/mdp120.asp

or to someone well known
http://reviews.cnet.com/ATI_HDTV_Wonder_TV_and_HDTV_Tuner_PCI_Card/4505-9332_7-30973967.html


hours mate? its sounds more like frustration then reality.

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 02:37
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Hmm... Those dont seem to be it either...

They only support S-Video or Composite input...

I need Component,VGA-Dsub,DVI, etc type input to hook up my 360 for the High Def...I really thing no such card exists...

Alot of them do support Component and VGA output but not input..


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 03:01
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You may have to look for an external receiver box.
however they are buckets more expensive.
akin to the first post regarding the external tv box.

this one has component in looking briefly
http://reviews.cnet.com/Onkyo_TX_NR1000_black/4505-6466_7-30891812.html?tag=lst

here is a cheap method for your xbox on a monitor
http://hightechgamer.com/hdmonitor/index.php

As a workaround, use a DVD recorder to record the content from a gaming session then convert it to a web safe video avoiding fraps altogether.

A VGA/USB switch at this point would make sense.

I think you may be right about HDMI in on internal TV cards, however a high end video capture card is probably what your going to require heading that way.

or you can deploy a vga to usb signal grabber like this

http://www.epiphan.com/products/product.php?pid=1&gclid=CM2y48OXh4sCFQ3ZYAodvUrKGA

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 03:10
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Well, that USB one looks like it is the best thing I could use for what I am trying to do since I cant find anything else to do

Well, I will give that one a try


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 03:15
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As ive mentioned above always read the reviews and choose your products carefully.

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bitJericho
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 03:35
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Quote: "Quick question though, since I would have a sound card + onboard audio, is it possible that I could have one speaker set go into one sound card and the other set go into the mobo's sound and be able to setup the computer to use both so I can have 2 different volume levels?"


Actually, vista allows you to set the volume on each program independently, so you can run media player at a different volume than the rest of the system, or vice verse... So you don't really need to use the other sound card, less you have other specific needs...

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 04:15
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Hmm...upon further desperate attempts I find this..

XBox to VGA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16874103025

Female to Female
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812116215

VGA to HD
http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=605&sku=02561

HD TV Tuner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815260005

Would that work?...
And would I get a possible delay on the video?


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 04:26
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i would not recommend svideo or composite for the best experience.

your tuner card and speed of your pc will dictate delays with older generation cards.
the silver box on those cards is the actual terrestrial converter, so its on the card itself to tune in and then pass out.
if you tv has component video plugs like those listed it should be ok.
My component plugs in australia is more akin to red green and blue composite looking plugs.
that looks like BNC plugs

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 04:34
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Well, I was looking at Cox's HD TV and how they had HD running from a Coax and in theory a VGA to Coax would still give me HD right?

http://www.cox.com/hr/help/diagrams/hdtv_tv.asp


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 04:43 Edited at: 22nd Mar 2007 04:44
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VGA to VGA is very crisp, except when you have a Tv that drops the signal quality when using picture in picture.

Y Pb Pr ( component ) to Y Pb Pr ( component ) is amazing in quality from 1080i to 720p

VGA to component would still give you a great experience.

As long as you stick with component / VGA / DVI and avoid S-video as well as composite for the digital higher end devices it will look fantastic.


I still use the S-video port for the old vhs players and one dvd player for those devices.
VHS tapes on svideo is ample
DVD on svideo is ample for its usage but i have another DVD player running component, there is a noticable difference but its still good.

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 04:48
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I am not trying to use S-Video in anyway, I was seeing if I could use the VGA to BNC, and a BNC to Coaxial and plug that into my Tuner and if that would work and still output 720p to 1080i..

Unless BNC is the same thing as S-Video...


Iam trying to use Coaxial as an alternative since I cannot find directly what I want, and apparently Coaxial can carry signals upto 1080i...so what I am trying to do is

VGA to BNC to Coaxial to HD/TVTuner


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 05:10
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only you can answer that mate, it involves looking at the back of all your equipment.
I have elaborated on what you require, its up to you now to check out what plugs you have.
there is enough information there to make a very informed decision, it really falls down to you and what your equipment has in regards to inputs and outputs.

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 05:12
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......

Why cant they just make a TV card with Component input...

I really want to have it all run through my OS and not have to use switches and stuff...


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 05:21
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there are many ways you can do this, your kinda just skipping over valuable information i have provided in regards to solutions posted above.

draw yourself a very elaborate diagram with all the ins and outs you want on all your products.
then go back and look at what has been suggested, compare it your budgets constraints.
do some research on the net for the converters you need.

if you get stuck, why not ask someone at a home entertainment store.
All there going to do is try to sell you something more expensive to solve it.
however they will answer what ive already mentioned to you in the same round about way.
sounds like your getting frustrated and that doesnt help.

there is no way your going to link all that without switches, unless your TV or monitor has super massive amounts of the same ports, and ive never seen any tv with that, bar using a switcher in the middle.

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 05:40
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Well I have read what you are saying but it turns out like this to me

-Use a KVM Switch
-Use Composite video
-Directly connect VGA to Monitor

But I wanted to be lazy and be able to

-Turn on Xbox 360
-Open the program on my computer, and have High Def Xbox 360 in a scalable window while still on Vista, so I could minimize it to look at it etc etc, and still have 480 to 1080i quality and not have to compromise using composite..
-Also and have it so the PC is already spanned across 2 monitors so that I can move it over and maximize it to the monitor if I wanted to

But what I am looking for does not seem to exist, atleast in the consumer market..

Internal HD TV/Tuner with Component input.... ;_;..

Maybe I should just buy an HDTV, rip out the chords and build my own gruetest TV Tuner..


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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indi
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 05:48
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your being silly now, Ive mentioned many times to avoid composite and svideo for the higher end stuff.
im over it, you will work it out if you focus.

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Oneka
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Posted: 22nd Mar 2007 05:53 Edited at: 22nd Mar 2007 05:54
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Bah fudge the whole thing, I cannot do what I want to do, I dont want any work arounds, I wanted to run the whole thing through my computer and not have anything seperate, hence the use of a component input TV Tuner but I guess these things do not exist yet, I have found where other people have tried to do the same thing but have come into the same problem and they just compromise to just using the whole monitor. So fudge it


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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Benjamin
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Posted: 25th Mar 2007 00:22 Edited at: 25th Mar 2007 00:24
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Quote: "-Open the program on my computer, and have High Def Xbox 360 in a scalable window while still on Vista, so I could minimize it to look at it etc etc, and still have 480 to 1080i quality and not have to compromise using composite.."

Good luck with that.

Quote: "I wanted to run the whole thing through my computer and not have anything seperate"

Why would you waste all that computing power just for the sake of not having to connect your monitor directly to your Xbox 360?

Tempest (DBP/DBCe)
Multisync V1 (DBP/DBCe)
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Oneka
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Posted: 25th Mar 2007 02:35
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Because that is how I wanted it. End of story


Making better games everday!
Oh yeah and just so you know its Oh-nek-a not One-ka!
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