Media Room Update: Denon 2313 and Steam Big Picture
Since my old Denon 790 decided to self combust (my fault), I decided it was time to finally finish our media room. The TV is the excellent Panasonic ST50 which I wall mounted a while ago. The extendable arms are a godsend when you are messing with wires and plugs highly worth it over the standard mounts.
From my Study I ran a 15 meter HDMI cable and a 15 meter USB cable which is connected to the TV. As you can see, poking through the wall here is a powered HDMI splitter/extender which was required to eliminate Sparkle caused by loss of HDMI signal strength:
Unboxing the Denon 2313.
Shiny new Denon 2313.
The new AUDYSSEY XT Calibration is even better than on the 790 model, I didn't have to tweak anything.
The Study acts as the information hub with network cables running all through the house, during the build stage I also ran a 15 meter HDMI cable and a 15 meter USB cable (with booster) specifically for PC connectivity. These keystone wall plates accept standard cables and can be interchanged simply by replacing the type of connection insert.
And the end result is a seamless Steam Big Picture console type experience for under $50 for the wall plates and cables:
XBMC on the Transformer Prime
As you may know, XBMC has officially been created announced for Android with the Source code available for those willing to compile and test on their Android devices.
The following video is XBMC running on the Transformer Prime with media shared from my main HTPC box wirelessly. Impressive Stuff!
XBMC Remote App works
Aeon Nox Skin works (with Remote)
No Hardware acceleration currently.
Couldnt get FLAC to play, Ogg and mp3 work great.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csLJrpPr9r8
My new 2011 gaming and media PC Build
With my current system struggling with The Witcher 2, I have decided to upgrade my PC with the latest and greatest Bang for Buck Gaming and media orientated hardware. Here is what I have selected and some reasons for doing so:
Intel Core i7 2600K $319.00
I was deciding on this or the 2500k, probably won't make that much difference to be honest but at least the 2600k will have some decent longevity. The 2500k and 2600k are currently the gamers CPU due to being able to easily hit overclocks of 4.9ghz on Air cooling.
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Motherboard $199
To go the Extreme 4 or Extreme 3, that is the question. Further inspection revealed the Gen 3 doesn't gave USB3 pins on the mobo so I grabbed the gen 4. It costs an extra $50 in Australia though its worth it to have the front mountable USB faceplate.
CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ CPU Cooler $33.00
Appears to be the best AIR bang for buck overclocking option in order to achieve those 4.5 - 5ghz speeds with the i2600k.
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ $69.00
Will be using my current hard drives with this as an added extra, may just use this for my Steam install. I was tempted to go SSD though other than windows starting up quicker I cant really see that much of a benefit. My current Steam games load in a timely manner – maybe in the future. I have an existing Seagate Barracuda ST3320613AS which averages 120ms read for my OS install.
Most suggestions for a gaming config suggest buying the cheapest possible ram option at 1333mhz though I decided on the 1600mhz at $7 more, I could have also gone for lower latency for about $20 more but the performance advantages hardly seem worth it looking at available benchmarks.
Silverstone Strider Plus 750W ST75F-P $145.00
Gives me room for SLI in the future without overdoing it.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit with SP1 OEM $105.00
A second copy will come in handy.
Silverstone Fortress FT02B with Window USB 3.0 $259.00
My Silverstone HTPC case was the deciding factor in purchasing a premium case design – yes it costs a premium but the build quality over the $100 over dollar cases is justification enough. Hopefully unlike the last few dodgy cases I have, this will last me quite a few years of PC upgrading.
I am going to try see how my existing 9800gtx goes with this system in the meantime as I really want to hold out for one of the next gen video cards. If it is too much of a bottle neck I'll go and buy a 9950 at MSY or similar.
Future plans:
AMD Radeon 7000 series
Due out between now and the end of the year, Can I hold out that long with my ageing overclocked 98000gtx?
Samsung S27A950 $500
A 1080p 120hz 3D monitor, not sure about this though it is hugely popular - in fact it is sold out everywhere. No nvidia 3D though it makes use of AMD's variant AMD HD3D. Not too fussed about the 3D aspect though 120hz is definitely where it is at in regards to gaming.
As per usual, my current unused PC hardware will be integrated into my HTPC bringing it up to a gaming spec system. (once I remove the current overclocking profile) Will post some unboxing pics when I get this delivered.
Xbox RROD Project - Cheap way to buy an XBOX 360?
I recently just bought 2 RROD Xbox 360's off Ebay after doing a bit of research on common Xbox 360 RROD problems. I must admit, I quite enjoy getting my hands dirty with this sort of thing and being a long time PC builder, this exercise was quite easy.
Upon initial inspection of the console, the previous owner had attempted an xclamp fix and had got thermal paste absolutely everywhere. It took a while to clean all this off and re-apply some Artic Silver.
After turning the console for the first time I got the error code 0031 which appears to be a Southbridge Issue. Undeterred by this, I tried pushing down on the Southbridge chip and then powering up again - which unbelievably actually worked, green lights to be had all round! I applied some pressure on the chip with a clamp and then gave the Hot air gun a spin for a while. Now the Xbox 360 boots without issue and works for long periods without a single fail.
Sometimes you get lucky, some fixes take no time at all.
The last thing I need to do is fix the fan as it sounds like an Aircraft carrier at full throttle:
Xbox 360 fixed RROD loud fans
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot4OCRDh77g
If you are going to try and do this yourself, be aware that there are quite a few bricked 360's for sale which are usually due to a failed attempted at patching a 360's DVD firmware.
[phpbay]xbox 360 RROD, 8, "", ""[/phpbay]
List of Xbox 360 RROD error codes and how to determine what error you have can be found HERE>
Broadcom Crystal HD in Australia
The Broadcom Crystal HD Hardware decoder comes as a PCI Express Mini Card that enables support for H.264 and VC-1 video compression like the playback of Blu-ray discs and streaming 1080p high definition multimedia content. It is designed to reduce CPU utilization and allows for full HD real-time decoding support for mobile platform solutions and it is also the perfect solution for small form factor HTPC's running compatible software like the mighty XBMC. There are solutions for Windows, Linux or OSX platforms.
The Windows driver binary and Linux source code for the driver and library can be found at the Broadcom web site. For OSX, the binaries and source codecan be found at google code. Users in the USA can purchase the Crystal HD mini PCIE card from Logic Supply for $69 though Ebay appears like the only solution for those outside the USA.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkhIZqOePps
[phpbay]Broadcom HD, 6, "", ""[/phpbay]
Denon AVR 790 Unboxing and setup
Recently purchased this little beauty, The Denon AVR 790 as an upgrade for my aging Pioneer.
It is interesting to note as per this AVS forum post from user Batpig that:
Q. What is the difference between the three-digit models (e.g. AVR 790) and the four-digit models (e.g. AVR 1910)?
A: Essentially, NOTHING. Denon puts out two parallel receiver lineups, with four-digit and three-digit model numbers. The four-digit models are generally sold by high end stereo shops and custom installers, and the three-digit models are the "consumer" version sold in retail outlets like Circuit City and Fry's.
However, there is ZERO difference in terms of power, specs, sound quality, build quality, etc. between the two lines. Denon has been doing this for years, it is exactly analagous to the Yamaha HTR and RX-V parallel receiver lines.
Batpig also has a very handy DENON-TO-ENGLISH DICTIONARY Setup Guide and FAQ. Definitely worth checking out as he has put a significant amount of effort into helping with the Denon setup process.
The Quick Specs
The AVR-790 features the latest high resolution audio decoders, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and is one of the first to include Dolby Pro Logic IIz, which provides front height channel effects for an incredibly expansive front soundstage.
The video section features the latest Video Reference Series processor from Anchor Bay Technologies, providing analog-to-digital video deinterlacing and upconversion to HD, with both component and HDMI outputs, and features 1080p 24Hz/60Hz HDMI pass-through, allowing a single HDMI cable run to your HDTV.
Audyssey’s advanced MultEQ room acoustic measurement and correction system analyzes the speakers and the listening room and automatically corrects the response for the smoothest, most natural tonal balance.
Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ are provided to ensure rich, natural tonal quality at any volume level, and with no annoying volume jumps during commercial interruptions.
On to the unpacking:
Unpacking with the help of my eldest!Awesome Remote DadSome of the AVR-790 contentsBye Bye Pioneer - you have done well.
My old Pioneer Receiver, never failed and has been fantastic.
Connecting everything up
Plugging in my HTPC, TV and Wii. Everything is pretty straight forward at this stage. Just one HDMI cable to the TV.
Almost done!
The Denon Audyssey Setup Microphone
The automatic calibration using the Audyssey Setup Microphone is simply amazing - especially if you have not witnessed anything like it before. The official Audyssey FAQ can be found here.
Here is a screen of the setup taking place:
Audyssey calibration in progressAll done, testing some HD audio.
I thought my old Pioneer was good but never realised how under utilised my Subsonic speakers were until testing some HD music and the Batman Blu-ray. I raised the volume for the Bike scene in The Dark Knight and was completely blown away by the sound quality. No distortions with the volume up and the surround separation from the Main listening position 1 was spot on. I pushed it to the point the woofer was blowing the curtains and vibrating the roof but then dropped the volume - kids bedtime 🙂
The sound is as precise as I was after and it is also excellent for stereo and even standard mp3's. The Denon upscales all analogue sources to 1080p which was a straightforward process and works well for the wii console I have connected. Denon dropped last years Faroudja scaling method in favor of Anchor Bay and proprietary video processing chips - and it shows. The pulldown Jitter I was experiencing seems to also been eliminated.
Great stuff.
The Denon AVR 790 gets a big 9.5 out of 10 from me.
[phpbay]Denon, 7, "", ""[/phpbay]
HTPC Setup
Finally got round to finishing my HTPC room with a nice bargain entertainment unit from Dare Gallery. Had a few issues with trying to get the HDMI cable into the HTPC - was a bit too short though finally managed to squeeze the damn thing in.
Here are some pics of the destruction in action:
Now to cut into the wall.... Again!
Cables everywhere.
Looks like fun dad
Making a mess
Thanks for our new cubby house dad!
Almost done - testing HTPC with a JJJ x264 rip of Lily Allen.
DVD Test - Yes its Bob the builder.
All Done! The PC HDMI cable was a pain - Too short.
Microsoft Surface Parody
This is one of the funniest parodies I've seen in a while.
Who needs an iphone, when you can have a big assed table!
Just recently fixed a computer for someone that was doing my head in for a couple of hours.
The system was based on an m2npv-vm Asus motherboard with an onboard Soundmax High Definition audio chip. The problem? Windows xp was not detecting any sound devices, regardless how may times different revisions of the soundmax driver package was installed. I tried various fixes - all producing no sound. Again a massive Google search was undertaken with numerous results - A heap of users with the same issue.
The fix: (quoted from above links and laid out for easy readability)
From Device Manager (be sure to select View/Show hidden devices), find the 'ISAPNP Read Data Port' device from the System Devices list. (Of note: once I successfully repaired this problem, this device no longer appears.)
Right click the ISAPNP device, and select "Update Driver"
Select "Install from a list or specific location"
Select "Don't search. I will choose the driver to install."
The step I left out on prior trials: UNSELECT "Show Compatible Hardware"
Be sure that "(Standard System Devices)" is selected under Manufacturer.
Under Model, scroll down until you see "Plug and Play Software Device Enumerator". Select this item, and select "Next>".
You will receive some frightening error message that you should probably disregard.
Complete the installation of the driver. You will see your device list magically change before your eyes. The other PNP devices will mysteriously become enabled and active. If not, restart.
I couldn't find the original source to this fix but "Cheers Mate!" you saved me a reformat. The PC was recently loaded with an older version of the Nokia PC suite, this may of been the culprit in this case.
