HD/Bluray for HTPC or buy standalone HD/Bluray player

[m1abrams]

So I am badly wanting to jump into the HD/Bluray arena. I do know that I want a dual format player and said player needs to output 5.1/7.1 analog so that I can enjoy the newer audio formats that my Denon 3805 does not support (it has analog inputs though).

Question is should I go for the LG drive for my HTPC for $299 or get a standalone player like the Samsung for ~$799.

My HTPC specs:
Athlon X2 3800+
1.5GB RAM
Sapphire ATI 2600 Pro AGP (note my MB does not have PCIe)

Currently I am still working on getting decent 1080i HD performance out of the 2600pro, I suspect it may be driver related going to attempt to uninstall and clean the drivers with driver sweeper or similar app. I have only had this card for a week or so.

Audio on my HTPC is currently just using onboard because it all goes through SPDIF to the receiver so I would need a better audio card, however I could wait on that.

Man question is how many people have had success with HD optical playback on their HTPC? Would my above gear be much of an issue?

Who thinks I would be better off just getting the Standalone unit.

I like tinkering with my HTPC, but my main concerns are quality of playback.

[stanger89]

If all you want to do is play them, buy a standalone. HD DVD/Blu-ray is still in alpha testing on the PC.

[m1abrams]

That is what I am thinking, maybe down the road go with the HTPC route.

Stanger88 by anychance to you visit on the 350z-Tech forums? Their is another user on that forum with the account Stanger88. However he drives an F-body GM car and vocally does not like mustangs so I am guessing no.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by m1abrams

That is what I am thinking, maybe down the road go with the HTPC route.

Stanger88 by anychance to you visit on the 350z-Tech forums?

Nope, not me.

Their is another user on that forum with the account Stanger88. However he drives an F-body GM car and vocally does not like mustangs so I am guessing no.

I had an f-body at one point, but wouldn't have one again

[Djc208]

Depends on what you want out of it. If you like goofing around and tinkering then the LG drive route would be cheaper but like Stanger89 said there's still plenty of bugs to work out. Only certain players support the VC-1 and H.264 acceleration your 2600 can do, and you're already dealing with the driver issues you'll probably encounter. Plus any integration issues with Sage. Lots of tinkering but you'll have one less component to deal with and save yourself a decent amount of money.

If you want ease of use then the stand-alone player is the way to go. Make sure the player supports the newer BD profile (not all do yet). May also want to consider buying seperate players, they're actually cheaper than the combo units depending on the deals you get, but then you have twice as many connections to deal with.

[evilpenguin]

You can't go wrong buying one of the Toshiba A2 HD-DVD players this holiday when their price is going to be ~$150. Best case HD-DVD wins and you're good to go, worst case HD-DVD loses but you got to enjoy HD-DVD on the cheap while the BD players go down in price and you've got yourself a good upscaling DVD player for another room.

[petereader]

FWIW, I've been using the LG combo drive for about three weeks in combination with PowerDVD 7 and have had no major issues. I've already played some of the new movies that contain BD+ and they play just fine (stunningly beautiful picture in fact with an 8500GT connected to a Mitsubishi HD1000u projector).

As far as audio is concerned, it doesn't sound as though I'm quite the audiophile you are. I'm using an older model Audigy 2zs connected to Logitech's Z-5500 speakers. Initially I was disappointed to discover that I couldn't use spdif with my setup (by that I mean playing HD discs on PowerDVD: perhaps you can, but my meager knowledge was not enough to figure it out), so I reverted to analog 5.1. The few movies I've watched have sounded so good I a haven't bothered looking into spdif again.

That being said, I don't think there is currently a way to get TrueHD sound out of a computer yet (someone with more knowledge in this area may correct me if I'm wrong) . If your just looking for analog 5.1/7.1 sound, I can tell you that you can get that with the LG combo player, and it's been solid for me.

All-in-all, I couldn't be happier (well, I can always be happier, but being able to play both HD formats for $300 makes me pretty happy)

Although EP et al make quite a strong case for stand-alone players, I thought that this thread should include at least one success story with the LG combo drive.

[Polypro]

HP HD-DVD external drive here...also a sucess story...for $129

P

[petereader]

Originally Posted by Polypro

HP HD-DVD external drive here...also a sucess story...for $129

P

Now if I could only be that concise rather than blabbering about this and that .

[m1abrams]

Originally Posted by petereader

As far as audio is concerned, it doesn't sound as though I'm quite the audiophile you are. I'm using an older model Audigy 2zs connected to Logitech's Z-5500 speakers. Initially I was disappointed to discover that I couldn't use spdif with my setup (by that I mean playing HD discs on PowerDVD: perhaps you can, but my meager knowledge was not enough to figure it out), so I reverted to analog 5.1. The few movies I've watched have sounded so good I a haven't bothered looking into spdif again.

The only way to get TrueHD out of the PC would be via analog outs. SPDIF can not support TrueHD, not enough bandwidth. Other way to deliver TrueHD is via HDMI 1.3 which is currently not possible and will not be possible ever on my rig. So that does not bother me. What I would like to know is what people recommend for high-quality analog outs on the PC, something with a good DAC.

[stanger89]

TrueHD decoded to PCM can be sent over HDMI 1.x (exactly the same end result).

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by m1abrams

The only way to get TrueHD out of the PC would be via analog outs. SPDIF can not support TrueHD, not enough bandwidth. Other way to deliver TrueHD is via HDMI 1.3 which is currently not possible and will not be possible ever on my rig. So that does not bother me. What I would like to know is what people recommend for high-quality analog outs on the PC, something with a good DAC.

I don't think any of the current software players will do anything other than downsample TrueHD, even on analog. Something about protected audio path etc...

There are some new software packages coming, but Cyberlink etc... don't do this today, even if the hardware supports it.

That's why a dedicated player makes so much sense.

Thanks,
Mike

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mikesm

I don't think any of the current software players will do anything other than downsample TrueHD, even on analog. Something about protected audio path etc...

AACS limits audio to 16-bit 48kHz if not over a "protected" path. The "dirty little secret" of the whole "downsampling" thing, is that it really doesn't matter. There's precious little content out there that's actually "better" than that. Movie soundtracks are at best 24bit/48kHz, many of which are dithered to 16bit/48kHz by the studios for HD release. TrueHD and DTS-HD MA tracks are less likely to be dithered, PCM tracks more so.

And I congratulate anyone who has a setup that will reproduce the difference between 16 and 20 bit audio, let alone 24bit. THX specifies certified Home Theater to meet NC22 Noise Criteria (less than 22dB ambient noise). Combine that with Reference Level of 105dB/channel, and you see that even a THX certified theater can only resolve 83dB of dynamic range. That's less than the 96dB 16 bit audio is capable of, not to mention the 120dB of 20bit audio or 144dB of 24bit audio.

Sorry, that post has been brewing for a while, every time I see a post lamenting the "downgrading" of HD audio on PCs it would get a little closer to being posted

[m1abrams]

I am not bothered by the downgrade as stanger88 has posted. Even the standalone player would downgrade on the analog path. In my environment it would not even matter. Since my receiver can not handle TrueHD digitally anyhow I would have to connect via the analog inputs.

[Ken C]

Originally Posted by stanger89

>Combine that with Reference Level of 105dB/channel, and you see that even a THX certified theater can only resolve 83dB of dynamic range. That's less than the 96dB 16 bit audio is capable of, not to mention the 120dB of 20bit audio or 144dB of 24bit audio.

Yea, but if I used Monster cable ...

[Protoman]

Originally Posted by Ken C

Yea, but if I used Monster cable ...

That would be a waste of money. Price for cables does not equal quality of cables. I would steer clear of Monster since they mark up their prices by 500% or better, and try to sell people the idea that the more expensive it is the better quality it is.

As an example:

Monster Cable 16' HDMI = $129.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1186008031720

Monoprice Cable 25' HDMI = 22.79 <--- These are the cables I use.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

That is roughly a 570% price mark up for Monster cables, and you get shorter cables.

There is nothing special that Monster offers over any other cables out there with the same quality, except a bigger hit in your wallet. I would say save your money by buying the cheaper cable, and also get an HVR-1800, and you will be much happier, and stretching your money out.

It is amazing that a company that charges an extreme amount of money more than their competitors can stay in business. I guess it all boils down to the mentality of higher price = higher quality.

I have even heard of companied trying to sell people on gold-plated fiber optic cable. For those than don't know, fiber optic cables use waves of light to transmit signals, not a metal-to-metal connection (S-video, composite, HDMI, component cables, and headphones use this).


Thanks,
Protoman

Disclaimer: I have no affliation with Monoprice.com in any form other than a satisfied customer.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Protoman

That would be a waste of money. Price for cables does not equal quality of cables. I would steer clear of Monster since they mark up their prices by 500% or better, and try to sell people the idea that the more expensive it is the better quality it is.

Hey, I'm running Monster 14-2 (or 16-2 don't remember which for sure) to my speakers.

Of course, that's only because they had spools at the local hardware store and they're as cheap as you can get any in-wall cable anywhere

[Crashless]

Originally Posted by Protoman

That would be a waste of money. Price for cables does not equal quality of cables. I would steer clear of Monster since they mark up their prices by 500% or better, and try to sell people the idea that the more expensive it is the better quality it is.

I believe the smiley indicates he was joking...

But great response - very well put.

[Ken C]

Yea, trying to be humorous. Guess Letterman won't be asking for my help during the writer's strike.

[Djc208]

Originally Posted by Protoman

I have even heard of companied trying to sell people on gold-plated fiber optic cable.

That one always made me laugh. Just like the "high end" Monster optical cables with extra thick rubber covering and heavy duty connections. I want to know what kind of conditions these people are using cables under

The most dangerous thing my cables have to deal with is usually a dust bunny.