Interested in the HD100, have some questions...

[infocus13]

Hey Guys

I'm currently running a SageTV HTPC and would like to add the HD100 to move the server out of the living room. I'm running a PAL TV (australia), connected to my HTPC via hdmi. The HTPC is an athlon X2 4200, 1.5GB ram, with a ati 2600 pro running XP and latest SageTV beta and Sage MC.

Before pbuying the HD100, I had a couple of questions, I was hoping you guys can help with!

0. Is the above system powerful enough to run a HD100 setup (i.e. is it powerful enough to transcode non-MPEG2 video, etc?) I think it is, but just want your opinion.

1. It appears the latest HD100 firmware suppports PAL via HDMI, is that correct? Are there any major issues with this setup?

2. I currently run a few XP apps on my HTPC from within SageTV (Firefox, etc). Will I still be able to run these apps from the HTPC via the HD100? Will I be able to "see" and use the windows desktop on my HTPC via the HD100 when SageTV is not running?

3. Does the HD100 have the same overscan adjustment capabilities as SageTV on my HTPC? I.e. can I adjust the overscan settings on the HD100 to ensure the picture fits on my screen? I have a fair bit of overscan on my TV and using SageTV's adjustment is the only way I can get a usable pictire. I noticed in this thread: http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...light=overscan that adjusting video overscan is problematic on the HD100, is that still the case? I know the HD100 can adjust the UI overscan, but can it adjust the video overscan too?

4. Do I even need my 2600 pro with the hd100? Does the video card even get used in a Sage server/hd100 configuration? I understand that all video (mpg2, mpg, h264, mkv, etc) is passed straight through the network to the HD100 and HD100 does all the decoding, is that correct? Does that mean that I can get rid of the video card, use the onboard and still be able to play 1080p video, etc?

Thanks in advance!

DK

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by dkatchalov

The HTPC is an athlon X2 4200, 1.5GB ram, with a ati 2600 pro running XP and latest SageTV beta and Sage MC.

0. Is the above system powerful enough to run a HD100 setup (i.e. is it powerful enough to transcode non-MPEG2 video, etc?) I think it is, but just want your opinion.

My SageTV server has a 2.8 Ghz P4; works fine. And, non-mpeg2 video is not transcoded for playback on the HD100, since the HD100 plays most video types natively. (The Hauppauge MVP is the one that needs transcoding or other video types.)

Will I be able to "see" and use the windows desktop on my HTPC via the HD100 when SageTV is not running?

The HD100 only shows the SageTV UI and has to connect to a SageTV server to play media.

3. Does the HD100 have the same overscan adjustment capabilities as SageTV on my HTPC? I.e. can I adjust the overscan settings on the HD100 to ensure the picture fits on my screen? I have a fair bit of overscan on my TV and using SageTV's adjustment is the only way I can get a usable pictire. I noticed in this thread: http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...light=overscan that adjusting video overscan is problematic on the HD100, is that still the case? I know the HD100 can adjust the UI overscan, but can it adjust the video overscan too?

In SageTV, 'overscan settings' refers to sizing and positioning the UI. The aspect ratio modes handle video sizing & placement. The HD100 uses its own aspect ratio system & there is a FAQ that talks about the variopus settings for creating custom AR modes.

4. Do I even need my 2600 pro with the hd100? Does the video card even get used in a Sage server/hd100 configuration? I understand that all video (mpg2, mpg, h264, mkv, etc) is passed straight through the network to the HD100 and HD100 does all the decoding, is that correct? Does that mean that I can get rid of the video card, use the onboard and still be able to play 1080p video, etc?

The video card on the SageTV server plays no role when using the HD100.

- Andy

[infocus13]

Thanks Andy for the very informative answers.

Are there any issues with running the HD100 via HDMI on a PAL TV system (Australia?). It appears that PAL support is now added to the firmware... is that correct?

Also, if the HD100 plays all (most) media types natively, does that mean I do not need to have codecs (ffdshow, Xvid) and decoders (Cyberlink, ac3filter) installed on the server if I use the HD100?

Sorry if some of the questions are stupid

Thanks.

[Opus4]

I'll leave PAL comments for others...

Originally Posted by dkatchalov

Also, if the HD100 plays all (most) media types natively, does that mean I do not need to have codecs (ffdshow, Xvid) and decoders (Cyberlink, ac3filter) installed on the server if I use the HD100?

Codecs on the server play no role in the HD100's decoding; it has a hardware decoding chip that it uses for playback.

And, currently, I'm not aware of any formats that are transcoded for the HD100.

- Andy

[gplasky]

Check one of the other threads but with the latest beta and firmware PAL is now functional.

PAL thread

Gerry

[infocus13]

Thanks, I've ordered a HD100. The prospect of having one device handling all the media decoding via hardware and not having to bother with codecs, etc was too much for me to resist!

Hopefully they are in stock! Do I get a UPS tracking # when it is shipped? Can't wait to get it!