STX-HD100 Format Capabilities

[nettech_gt]

Originally Posted by stanger89

It will play 1080p VC-1 + DD audio in MKV. It will also play 1080p AVC+DD in TS files.

Caveat being Jeff is looking into some streaming bandwith issues at the moment.



I still play DVDs (not rips) in SageTV on my HTPC.

As far as processing power, how does the HD media extender compare to a HTPC. How does the video processing/pic quality compare to using an HD video card (GT 8500 etc.) in a HTPC? Would I be better off upgrading my non HD capable video/sound cards or replacing the HTPC with HD media extender?

[SHS]

Read my read go down to Conclusion look for Why PC just don't work well with today latest media.
http://www.shspvr.com/reviews/sagetv...der_index.html

[valnar]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I still play DVDs (not rips) in SageTV on my HTPC.

Out of curiosity, is this because you don't have a stand-alone DVD player, or because Sage (in conjunction with your HTPC) provides a better picture than a STB DVD?

-Robert

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by nettech_gt

As far as processing power, how does the HD media extender compare to a HTPC. How does the video processing/pic quality compare to using an HD video card (GT 8500 etc.) in a HTPC? Would I be better off upgrading my non HD capable video/sound cards or replacing the HTPC with HD media extender?

Well with HD Transport Streams it's at least as good as my 6800. With say WMV trailers, asside from the current steaming issue, it looks very good. I guess I'd say wait a couple weeks to make sure the streaming gets figured out (I assume it will). Assuming it does, I'd go with an Extender over the current PC solutions.

Originally Posted by valnar

Out of curiosity, is this because you don't have a stand-alone DVD player, or because Sage (in conjunction with your HTPC) provides a better picture than a STB DVD?

-Robert

I don't have an upconverting DVD player, I setup my HTPC before I ever did that so my HTPC does a better job than my Pioneer Elite DVD player.

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by SHS

Read my read go down to Conclusion look for Why PC just don't work well with today latest media.
http://www.shspvr.com/reviews/sagetv...der_index.html

Your review contains an implication that the extender will not play DVD rom content, which the current SD extender can. This can't be true is it?

I don't understand why a ripped DVD would not play properly.

Thanks,
mike

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Well with HD Transport Streams it's at least as good as my 6800. With say WMV trailers, asside from the current steaming issue, it looks very good. I guess I'd say wait a couple weeks to make sure the streaming gets figured out (I assume it will).

Can you elaborate on the streaming issue?

TIA

B

[SHS]

Originally Posted by mikesm

Your review contains an implication that the extender will not play DVD rom content, which the current SD extender can. This can't be true is it?

I don't understand why a ripped DVD would not play properly.

Thanks,
mike

Mike that part has to do DVD Disc in a DVDrom drive it self know as direct playback which the extender dosen't support, how ever a ripped DVD on the hard drive is fine.

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by SHS

Mike that part has to do DVD Disc in a DVDrom drive it self know as direct playback which the extender dosen't support, how ever a ripped DVD on the hard drive is fine.

Well, there is no DVD drive in the extender, so I didn't think that would work. :-)

thx
mike

[Opus4]

BTW: encrypted commercial DVDs cannot be played on an extender from a DVD drive, but if you have homemade non-encrypted DVDs, you can configure the DVD drive as a video import directory & play the disk. (But, that requires refreshing the imported media before it will be seen, so if you have a homemade non-encrypted disk, you might as well leave it on the hard drive for easy playback.)

- Andy

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by Opus4

BTW: encrypted commercial DVDs cannot be played on an extender from a DVD drive, but if you have homemade non-encrypted DVDs, you can configure the DVD drive as a video import directory & play the disk. (But, that requires refreshing the imported media before it will be seen, so if you have a homemade non-encrypted disk, you might as well leave it on the hard drive for easy playback.)

- Andy

You are pretty quick with edits Opus4... :-)

Anyways, I hadn't thought about using the DVD drive for importing. I guess Sage would instantly index it since it would see a change in media status on the drive. Is the same true if I removed it from the drive? That is, would Sage detect that and remove the DVD from the index?

thx
mike

[SHS]

The server to the extender

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

Can you elaborate on the streaming issue?

TIA

B

I've had some trouble with buffer underflows with with HD non MPEG-2 TS (eg WMV and MOV trailers). It plays TS files perfectly so it looks like there's just some optimization to be done (Jeff confirmed the issue, so they know about it).

[valnar]

OK Sage. I went pimping for you guys. Don't let me down!
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post12453205

-Robert

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by valnar

OK Sage. I went pimping for you guys. Don't let me down!
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post12453205

-Robert

Me too... :-)

[valnar]

Originally Posted by mikesm

Me too... :-)

he he.


OK, one more question to the first person who gets it.

I was a very vocal about my disappointment in the color/brightness quality of the Hauppauge MVP. So much, that I never use it. I went back to my HTPC with an ATI 2600 video card. On top of all the wonderful functionality touted for the HD extender, I sure hope this thing actually looks good.

Please post impressions. If you have a top-notch HTPC, critical comparisons are welcome and encouraged. Don't be afraid to give it scaler/deinterlacer torture tests too!

-Robert

[stanger89]

It looks great, HD is awesome, SD is well, SD.

Scaling appears good, I'm still debating what I think of the deinterlacing. It doesn't fair too well on the HQV disc, but in real world content, doesn't seem so bad.

[bialio]

Deinterlacing comes into play if the extender's output resolution is 720p or 1080p and the source material is 1080i (ignoring SD variants)?

So if you put out 1080i from the extender you can let something later in the chain deinterlace right?

So then a related question - does it interlace 720p / 1080p material to 1080i correctly? Any tests on the HQV disc that cover that scenario?

btl.

[seaverd]

Can the HD extender be setup to just pass through the video signal SD or HD content untouched since my TV has the Realta processor in it and I would prefer that it do the video processing?

Thanks,

Dan

[alon24]

Can any1 who has the device comment on subtitles?
is it able to show srt files?

It would be nice to know if it displays UTF-8 subtitles ok???

[stanger89]

I haven't evaluated the HD deinterlacing really.

Originally Posted by seaverd

Can the HD extender be setup to just pass through the video signal SD or HD content untouched since my TV has the Realta processor in it and I would prefer that it do the video processing?

Yes it can.