Our friends at Dell sent over their new Inspiron Zino HD PC and I must say that this little Inspiron really inspired me.  This box has the potential to be a great solution as a small form factor (SFF) HTPC as well as a very capable desktop computer for those that have limited work spaces. I would like to apologize in advance for the length of this particular blog post, but I wanted to make sure I provided an accurate write up.

Per my usual comments, this is not intended to be an official review of the device, but more of an overview of the platform and features offered, mixed with a little user feedback.  Let me dive into some of the specifications first and then share a little on my experience with this computer.

Size
The first thing I noticed when I pulled the Inspiron Zino HD out of the box was small size.  Measuring  a mere 7  3/4 inches on each side and only 3 1/2 inches tall (approximately), this is a really small PC.  I snapped a couple of pictures to give you some references for comparison (see below).  After removing the protective packaging, it was very pleasing to the eye.  The overall shape, fit and finish are beautiful –not something I often say about a PC.  The unit has a mirror black piano finish.  

As you can see, it is similar in size to a baseball cap–now that is pretty small.  I also snapped a picture of it sitting next to the Lian Li C39 chassis (a low profile HTPC chassis).

Specs
Dell is offering the Inspiron Zino HD PC with multiple configurable options so customers have the ability to personalize the platform to a specific need or budget.  The particular unit sent to me was configured with the following specifications:

Performance 
At the heart of this little beast is the AMD RS780G chipset and the AMD Athlon™ X2 3250e processor.  Combined, these two pieces of technology deliver a very compelling experience in both processing and graphics power.  Capable of handling excellent HD playback (when combined with an HD monitor), online streamed content and more, this unit delivers a great entertainment experience.  While I did not run any benchmark utilities, I was impressed by the variety of applications and content the platform supported. 

Do note though, none of my testing was done under rigorous lab conditions with repeated and averaged test results nor am I showing pretty graphs and charts.  My testing was strictly limited to putting it in a real world environment and observing the results.  See the User Experience section below for more details.  I would also like to point out that this unit is not intended to be a high performance gaming system but neither is it an entry level nettop type platform.  This is a solid performing, mainstream PC that offers a full PC experience for a variety of uses.

Optional Configurations
As mentioned above, this unit is configurable with many upgrade options.  For example, you want a larger HDD? You can get up to a 1TB HDD installed.  Higher end graphics? Yep, order an ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 GPU and you have one powerful little work horse.  Here is a list of upgrade options:

CPU: Up to an AMD Athlon™ Neo X2 6850e processor
Graphics: Optional ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 GPU
Memory: Up to 8GB of DDR2 800
HDD: Up to 1TB
ODD: DVD or Blu-ray drive option available
Wireless: Optional 802.11 b, g, or n
Colors: 9 color lid options to choose from (see below)
OS Options:
Windows® Vista Home Basic 32bit
Windows® 7 Home Premium 64Bit
Windows® 7 Professional 64Bit
Windows® 7 Ultimate 64Bit

Pricing and Availability
According to my friends at Dell, the Inspiron Zino HD will start at $229 for the base configuration (AMD Athlon™ 2650e processor, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 8X DVD drive, Windows Vista Basic). Yes, you read that correctly, $229! This is an incredible starting price point for such a capable system in such a small form factor. Dell also told me that the unit will be available both online and through retail outlets.  Units are available online today from Dell but expect a month or two (typical retail stocking times) before systems will be available on store shelves.  Prices are in USD, see your local Dell.com site for regional pricing.

User Experience
My initial goal was to test this as a great, small form factor HTPC.  As such, I spent a good deal of time testing the box in a home theater environment. And it did most things very well.

From the moment I opened up the packaging, and powered it up, the process was smooth and user friendly.  The device immediately went through the set up process without any hiccups.  I was able to easily set up the user accounts and Media Center.  Once everything was completed, I decided to install additional software to open up the experience a little, like Hulu’s Desktop application and Arcsoft’s Total Media Theater. 

I wanted to test Blu-ray playback but since my unit did not have a Blu-ray player installed, I was unable to test that functionality. 

Playing Content-
Once all that was done, the fun really began. I first played a couple of different DVDs to evaluate playback quality.  I was not disappointed.  With a handful of DVDs, some more intensive than others, the system played them all back smoothly without dropping frames thanks in part to AMD’s UVD hardware acceleration technology.   

Next I loaded up some Hulu content via both the Hulu website and their Desktop application.  With the latest Flash player from Adobe, the system did pretty well.  I played content from both Hulu’s website and using their Hulu DT application. Both versions played very well. In addition to the Hulu content, I tried the new Internet TV functions integrated into Media Center. After updating the flash player plug in for Media Center, again, content played back smooth and without issues.   Not wanting to limit the experience to Hulu or Media Center, I also tried content directly from ABC’s website, again smooth playback.  Lastly, I tried content from YouTube with great success as well.  Now this mix certainly does not reflect all the different websites and content that exists, but I think it does provide some idea of what you might expect.

When placing your order, it should be noted that the current version of Flash player does not take advantage of the hardware acceleration via the graphics chip. Therefore, flash playback is very CPU intensive and the more robust or faster the processor, the smoother the playback (assuming you are not limited by your internet connection).  Likewise, if a future version of Adobe’s Flash player supports hardware acceleration, playback of Flash content should be even better.

Thanks to my coworkers in Canada, I managed to get my hands on a new USB TV Tuner (based upon the ATI Theater™ HD 750 tuner) and connect it to the Zino HD.  Windows® 7 immediately recognized the tuner and installed the appropriate drivers.  After a quick set up in Media Center, I was able to watch live and DVR local broadcast content in HD (using my HD capable monitor) without any issues.  Playback of both live and recorded TV content was clear, smooth and stutter free.  Signal strength was good but of course that is highly dependent on terrain, distance from towers, etc. but needless to say, it was a pleasant experience with the ATI Theater HD 750- based TV tuner and the Zino HD combination.    

Now, I did run into a stuttering issue playing back recorded TV over the wireless N network. However, I don’t believe this to be an issue with the Dell hardware because when I watch the same content live or recorded locally on the HDD it plays back just fine. Likewise, if I pause the streamed recorded TV content being played back, it will play fine for a while before it starts stuttering again.  Therefore, this would appear to be something limiting on my wireless network.  Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to debug the issue at the time of this posting.

Integrated Wireless-
The integrated wireless N adapter worked exceptionally well. I had full bars and it worked even better than my USB wireless N adapter that I normally use for my bedroom HTPC. The Windows® 7 Home Group functionality makes adding systems and sharing content very easy. With a couple of quick clicks, I was able to see the media on my main HTPC without issue. Movies streamed from my main HTPC played back very well– again no dropped frames and the picture quality looked excellent. Likewise, music and pictures were also easily streamed from the main HTPC to the Inspiron Zino HD without issue.  Therefore, other than the minor issue with recorded TV content, streaming over the network was very solid and smooth.

Storing CDs to drive-
I also decided to load some music content on the local drive so I popped in a couple of CDs to see how well the system was able to convert music in different formats. The results were quick and again, local and remote content played back smoothly.  Speaking of storage, the device does have 2 eSATA ports so external storage can be easily added if you run out of space on the HDD.

Power Draw-
After bringing the unit back to work, I connected it up to a Kill-A-Watt meter to see how the power draw was going to be on this machine.  Now, power draw did vary as expected based upon different use cases (DVD, streaming internet content, etc.).  At idle (staring at the desktop), the system was using a mere 29W.  When I streamed content from Hulu (via Hulu DT), the system was drawing about 40W while DVD playback was about 37W.  With such low power operation, no high speed fans were necessary to keep this unit cool, bringing me to my next topic — noise levels.

Noise Level-
While I did not have a noise meter handy, it is worth noting that under all these circumstances, the box remained very quiet.  Even in the quietest of rooms, the system is only barely perceptible.  In most cases, I needed to put my ear within a few inches of the PC to hear it.  I even left it on overnight in my bedroom and it was only noticeable if you were listening for it.  Dell did an excellent job of keeping this PC almost silent.

For me, this computer makes for an excellent small form factor HTPC.  However I think it would be equally at home for college students in a dorm room for example that have little desk space and need a system to function both as a PC and an entertainment device.  Likewise, this could make for a great kitchen PC, where you might want to have a PC nearby when cooking, looking up web recipes, and more.  This unit could also function as a kid’s PC where you might not need high end gaming performance but want something small and quiet. 

I am hoping to get my hands on the version that has the Blu-ray drive and the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 GPU in the near future.  If I do, I will certainly post a blog on that one as well so stay tuned.

There is so much more I would have like to have covered but I think I have rambled on enough.  To our friends at Dell, I say congratulations on a job well done.  To our AMD@Home blog readers, this is quite a capable little device that was whisper quiet with low power requirements. It was able to handle just about everything I could throw at it without issue. Even at the base configuration, to have such an elegantly designed, HD capable machine available at for $229 from Dell is astounding. It would be hard to build a similar machine yourself at that price.  I think I know what is going on my Christmas list — now I just need to worry if I have been good enough this year.

Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

In 2003, the future of x86 and its future compatibility with today’s applications was at risk. The x86 ISA had a built-in limit of 4GB of addressable DRAM and manipulated data in 32-bit increments. Without an evolutionary path, x86 would become a bottleneck in future applications that demanded more memory and the ability to manipulate more complex data. It was with that knowledge that AMD designed the now industry-standard 64-bit, AMD64 instruction set which gave x86 a new life for the day when 32-bit computing wouldn’t be enough.

The future has come. We live in an era where a movie can occupy over 10GB of storage, many games perform better when you have more than 2GB of DRAM, and PCs perform medical research on their break time using four cores and 8GB of DRAM at high utilization. Today systems with 4GB and more memory are common, ready to tackle rich media, heavy multi-tasking, and amazing games.

Now is the era for which AMD designed AMD64, a path forward for a multi-core future which retained compatibility with 32-bit applications and operating systems while defining a new evolutionary path for a 64-bit future.

So here it is. The two for one deal that makes buying Windows 7 an easy choice. Microsoft Windows 7 from Home Premium through Ultimate ship with both the 64-Bit and legacy 32-bit versions in the box.

It’s like two operating systems for the price of one, allowing you to choose when you are ready for a 64-bit operating system with included 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 versions. The 64-bit version helps you break the 4GB DRAM barrier, and includes a native 64-bit Kernel that embraces the capabilities and native instruction set of today’s microprocessors. Windows 7’s 64-bit version warps you into the future, one that AMD has been preparing for since the beginning of the Millennium and began on April 22nd, 2003:

Major operating systems such as Windows and Linux are expected to migrate to the AMD64 platform from their x86 legacy…

The AMD64 platform benefits customers by providing investment protection while removing barriers to the next level of computing. AMD64 processors provide full application performance with native execution of 32- and 64-bit code. Customers can employ AMD64 processors in an entirely 32-bit environment, in a mixed environment such as a 64-bit operating system and a mix of 32- and 64-bit applications, or in homogeneous 64-bit environments. With the AMD64 platform, users can enjoy the technical superiority of 64-bit computing without sacrificing legacy x86 application compatibility or performance…

Applications that do not immediately benefit from a port to 64-bits do not need to be ported, and will run at full performance in AMD64 processor-driven environments. A large number of applications and usage scenarios, however, are likely to benefit from an AMD64 processor-driven environment over a legacy x86 environment.

The kind of applications most likely to benefit may include those that:

• Need large memory addressing and push total system memory requirements above 4GB, such as those with large datasets (financial and scientific modeling applications), and host-based desktop applications (to run multiple instances simultaneously without reducing performance);

• Must manage a large number of concurrent users or application threads, such as large scale thin-client solutions, large databases, and data warehouse applications for solutions in customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and digital rights management (DRM) systems;

• Require real-time encryption and decryption for enhanced security, including e commerce and protection of private or classified data;

• Require mathematical precision and floating-point performance including modeling, simulation, statistics and financial analysis, imaging/video/signal processing, physics, medical research, telecommunications, encryption, and compression;

• Require large, high-power database performance including decision support, searching and indexing, document and content management, and voice recognition;

• Require the x86 compatibility or the economies of scale of x86, but the large memory addressing capabilities of 64-bit computing, including many high performance computing (HPC) cluster applications;

• Provide digital content creation capabilities such as computer aided design, manufacturing and engineering (CAD, CAM, and CAE), digital music production and video editing, and real-time media streaming solutions;

• Require maximum performance for realistic and cinematic consumer experiences including computer games, digital video, and real-time collaboration; and

• Migrate capabilities previously available on 64-bit workstations to the business, consumer, and hobbyist desktop, including 3D modeling, rendering, animation, simulation, and software development…

AMD will continue to provide customers with technology that is useful today and deliver cumulative benefits in the future. By protecting customer investments, simplifying platform migration, and removing barriers to future innovation, AMD64 processor technology clears a path for the future of computing..

From “The AMD64 Computing Platform – Your Link the Future of Computing” Published April 22, 2003. Christian Zdebel & Simon Solotko.

Just as I believed that AMD64 would prepare us for challenges many years into the future, I believe that open, parallel computing, innovations in display technology, and evolutionary computing environments are among today’s links to the future. For now, I plan on enjoying 64-Bit, computing on Windows 7, made possible by AMD64 technology.

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

This is the first in a three part series. Read on. –>>

Setting up Fusion Media Explorer Explorer to view photos of Facebook friends.

Wesley, we have written about Fusion Media Explorer but I understand we have some new features including integration with Facebook. How does that work? It’s simple really. Facebook provides software tools that help integrate it into other applications. We have used these tools to add a really cool new feature to Fusion Media Explorer, the ability to see and navigate the photos from your friend’s Facebook pages as well as an easy to use Facebook upload feature.

So we can see photos from all of our friends without navigating to each one? Yes, and you can do a lot more. Since you now have access to all of your friend’s pictures at once, you can do some pretty neat things. You can sort all pictures by date or name. So you can have James’ pictures show up next to John’s, or see everyone’s September’s pictures next to October’s. We also allow for searching on top of that. If you only want to see pictures from birthday parties, it can be as simple as typing that into our search box. If I know that Selena goes to Hawaii every year with my other friends Tristan, Chris, and Lisa, I can now see all of her Hawaii pictures from all her albums in total. All I have to do is use the sort drop-down and select to order by date, then type in “Selena” in the search box. Now I can see every picture in a nice timeline. Or I can see all the Hawaii pictures from all my friends, including Selena, Tristan, Chris and Lisa, by simply searching for the word “Hawaii” in the search box. I just couldn’t do that before.

I know a lot of people have been looking forward to this feature and its’ great to see it in action. In addition, the latest version of Fusion Media Explorer has a refined, 3D interface for browsing your photo, video, and music library and it looks stunning.

 Browsing music and video with many useful views with Fusion Media Explorer

If you want to download Fusion Media Explorer with Facebook integration, you can get it here.  Another tool is Fusion Utility for Mobility which is designed to extend your laptop’s battery life. Wesley, how can Fusion Utility for Mobility save battery life? Computers are really smart, but they can’t read our minds. We use our laptops in many different environments and with different applications. It is more of a Swiss Army Knife than a Samurai sword. Fusion Utility for Mobility makes it easier to turn off the stuff you don’t need for the task at hand. If you are on an airplane and you want to watch a movie, you probably don’t need Windows Update trying to find an internet connection. It’s the same with a Power Point presentation. Do you really need to defragment your hard drive at the same time? These are simple choices that are obvious to you and me but aren’t to your PC. This tool from AMD helps take some of that control and puts it back in your hands.

With Fusion Utility for Mobility, you can help maximize your battery life just by using the tool to shut down functionality you don’t need at the time. It’s easy to use and you can download it here. Extending these capabilities, we also provide Fusion Utility for Desktop which allows you to increase performance and save energy.

Tell me how Fusion Utility for Desktops is different from the Mobile utility? Fusion Utility for Desktops is geared for performance and power savings. With supported hardware we can really boost the muscle of a machine. We can improve the performance of your processor and graphics card on top of shutting down what you’re not using to create a lean, mean workhorse. This enables games to run faster. Songs can rip quicker. Video can encode in less time. When you’re done, it is just as easy to bring your system back to a normal state. It saves time, power, wear and tear.

How do profiles work with Fusion Utility for Desktops? Profiles are either task oriented, like surf the web; or mode-specific, like max performance. Included with the application you will find some of the most popular tasks and mode profiles. If they don’t suit your need you can always create your own. Profiles are simple to create and use. Just check what you want to turn on or off, and you’re done.

Usage Profile Configuration with AMD Fusion Utility for Desktops.

Thanks Wesley. You can download the Fusion Utility for Desktop here. I am using Fusion Utility for Desktops to control my settings for gaming and general use and I think it’s very useful!

If you haven’t thought of it already, you can also go and download the brand new ATI Catalyst 9.10 display drivers for Windows 7. The ATI Catalyst drivers are designed to help you get the most from ATI Radeon graphics, and there is a great blog on the new ATI Catalyst 9.10 drivers here.

And if you are reading all of this and thinking you need a new PC running Windows 7, I suggest you visit a retail shop and check out the new notebooks touting Vision technology from AMD, and AMD-based desktops at retail or online. Or if you need a holiday do-it-yourself project, you may want to build a custom desktop or a home theater PC, and we have great videos that can help you through the process.

This is the second in a three part series.

<<– Read Part 1 of the series So You’ve Got Windows 7, Now What?

* These utilities may disable security/antivirus software, or adversely affect your system. Review accompanying documentation carefully before installing.

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied

Back in June, I wrote a brief blog on some interesting developments from Microsoft, Hulu and YouTube.  I covered how each of these vendors had released news and/or applications to bring more content to the HTPC in new and exciting ways.  At that point in time, Microsoft’s announcement of Netflix integration into Media Center was strictly limited to Windows Vista®.  However, I had suggested that they would include this integration into Windows® 7 by launch time.  Well, I am happy to say that Microsoft released an update for Windows 7 in the past couple of days that now adds Netflix.  However, Microsoft did not stop with just the Netflix integration; the update includes support for the Adobe Flash player and even more mainstream content from content providers like CBS, NBC, PBS and others, offering both current  shows like ‘How I Met Your Mother’, ‘Dateline’ and ’60 Minutes’ to  classic shows like ‘Star Trek’, ‘Twilight Zone’, ‘MacGyver’ and more. 

If you have not seen this yet, Hack 7MC has a nice overview on the new features added to Windows 7.

You can also find a discussion on these new changes at The Green Button

While some may raise concerns regarding viewing quality of the content, I think this change should be viewed from a larger perspective.  This change puts the framework in place for delivery of real and interesting content on Windows 7 capable PCs.  I have spent some time over the past couple of nights checking out the content and while it is not HD quality, it was certainly better than low resolution web video I have seen on other sites.  I’m hopeful that the visual quality of the material will be improved upon as time moves forward; it is the framework that I find really exciting.

As I stated previously, these are exciting times for the HTPC.  The role of PC technology in the home is constantly changing for the better.  The industry is rapidly changing, bringing more content to the consumer in ever easier ways to navigate and enjoy.

Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

For those of you that have been following along our AMD@Home blog, you know I have written multiple blogs on HTPC topics such as why you might want one and the cool things you can do with it.  I have even covered how I am using one at home for my family’s TV viewing needs. 

For this entry, I’m adding a little flair to the blog series by taking your through the videos for the assembly of an HTPC and show how easy it is to put one together.  There are a total of 9 videos in this series — most are only a couple of minutes long so it should make for easy viewing.

One of the main advantages of building your own system is that you are in control not only of the cost, but also the features and functions.  You get to choose exactly what components will go into the build and a sense of pride when the job is complete.

The video series highlights the basic steps needed to assemble an HTPC.  It is not necessary to follow the steps in the exact order — these are just a guideline to the assembly process.  The steps and order may be specific to the chassis you are using. 

To keep me and AMD out of trouble (and to keep our lawyers happy), I need to toss in the disclaimer…With any DIY build, you should ensure that you are properly grounded and building in an anti static environment so as not to damage any components.  You should wear the appropriate safety gear and it is always best that trained professionals do the building.  With that said, let’s take a look at the videos.

Intro/Chassis

For this video, I chose the Lian Li C39 for the video build. I wanted something low profile yet still able to support a full ATX PSU and have the additional ability to upgrade further as needed.  However, there are many chassis options available to meet many different needs and budgets.

Optical and Hard Disk Drive Installation

As you can see from video, installing Optical drives and Hard Drives are pretty easy.  You will likely need to adjust the optical drives position so that it properly aligns with the eject button on the chassis.  Also note that HDDs can create a lot of noise and vibration while spinning.  The rubber grommets will help isolate vibration and keep your HTPC quiet.  It is also worth mentioning that some HDDs are more suited for HTPC use than others.  See my earlier blog on Industry Changes to learn more.

Power Supply Unit (PSU) Installation

With this chassis, I chose to install the PSU after setting up the drives so that I would have more room to get to the drive bay.  Other chassis may follow a different order depending on how it’s laid out.  Note that for an HTPC, you typically don’t need a high wattage supply so look for one that is quiet and stable rather than high wattage which can create more noise.  Typically, anything over 350W should be OK for most HTPC configurations, however, this is somewhat dependent on just how many different devices you are installing.

Motherboard Installation

As you can see here, I waited to install the motherboard until the other components were set up.   Be careful not to scratch the bottom of the motherboard on the board standoffs/mounts.  This could cause shorting or stability issues. 

TIP: If the board standoffs on the chassis do not provide enough support in critical parts of the board where you might be applying pressure (installing memory, cables, etc.), get some electrical tape and roll it up (like a sleeping bag) until it is about the thickness of the standoffs.  Then using another piece of electrical tape, tape it down to the chassis in the areas where you want extra support.  Since the electrical tape is non conductive, it will provide support without creating a short against the motherboard.

Cable/Wiring 

Consult your motherboard documentation for the exact layout of the pin headers and wiring. While I did not take all the time necessary for the video, I can’t say this enough:  It is important that you wrap up and tie off any unused  cables.  Use zip ties (zip strips) or other non metallic material to get those cables out of the way.  They are not expensive so be generous when applying those zip ties. Not only will this make the inside of your chassis look better, it will greatly aid in allowing air to circulate through the chassis more effectively.   Bad airflow leading to overheating components is a common cause for system stability issues.  Tie Off Those Cables!

Audio Installation

Some boards use integrated audio so you may not need to follow this step.  Refer to your motherboard manufacturer to determine how the audio on your system will be set up and connected.

You will also note that because the board I am using supports integrated video, I did not need to install a discrete graphics card.

TV Tuner Installation

As you can see here, there are a lot of different TV tuner options for your HTPC. If you are installing a TV tuner in your HTPC, find one that best meets your needs and budget.  For North American builders, it is also important to know whether you are looking for an over-the-air solution, clearQAM solution or digital cable card solution.  For those in regions outside North America, you will need to determine if you need a tuner that supports DVB-T, DVB-S or other regional formats.

Memory Installation

Most motherboards will offer a dual channel memory configuration with 4 slots.  While gaming PCs or high end workstations might benefit from installing the memory in the slots nearest the CPU, HTPCs are not high demanding memory implementations.  Therefore, it probably won’t make much difference which slots you choose to install the memory in.  However, refer to your motherboard’s manual for the recommended procedure.

CPU/Heatsink Installation

One of the final steps in this build was to install the CPU and Heatsink.  Our CPU sockets are often referred to as ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) sockets.  This means it should require no force to install the CPU.  The CPU should just drop into the socket once the lever is raised.  If you have to apply any pressure to install the CPU…STOP.  This means that there is a problem somewhere. Perhaps the pins are not properly aligned with the socket holes, the socket lever is not raised or some other issue has occurred.  

With the assembly complete, you are just about ready to power up and start installing the operating system, drivers and applications.  Soon you will be on your way to enjoying your new HTPC and all the functions and features it offers.  Again, if you would prefer a pre built system, you might want to read through my Build or Buy blog post.

You can find these and other AMD related videos on our AMD Unprocessed Channel on Youtube.

 Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

The fundamental language or instruction set of an x86 central processor evolves slowly, balancing new features and compatibility. Today, applications are generally written and compiled directly for the CPUs low level instructions.

ATI Stream technology from AMD is a set of AMD technologies that allow the hundreds of parallel Stream cores to accelerate general purpose applications. It embraces open, standards-based approaches to accelerated, highly parallel processing on ATI Radeon^TM HD general purpose GPUs. This technology is well suited to operations performed on massive data sets undergoing rapid and consistent processing. The applications have the potential to transform how we use computers.

Unlike an x86 processor, a GPU employs a software interface allowing it to evolve rapidly while retaining compatibility. Improvements in performance can be delivered by software drivers that take better advantage of the underlying hardware, and allow applications to have a predictable interface to such hardware. With the addition of standards-based interfaces, a GPU is now able to serve the dual purpose of specialized graphics processing and accelerated computation.

AMD is developing general purpose GPUs and the software technology that translates these standardized interfaces into fast, efficient, parallel code. Innovation in the underlying silicon and low level instruction sets can continue while maintaining code stability through an abstraction layer. AMD supports both Microsoft’s DirectX 11 featuring DirectCompute and now OpenCL.

Developed in an open standards committee with representatives from major industry vendors, OpenCL gives users what they have been demanding: a cross-vendor, non-proprietary solution for accelerating their applications on their CPU and GPU cores.

ATI Stream technology can excel in applications where the underlying data is a representation of physical reality. An abundance of visual information. The interaction of forces of nature. Physical representations in space and time. With ATI Stream, OpenCL, and DirectCompute we now have new tools to face the ultimate challenge, the one that useful and “intelligent” machines must learn to face – how to deal with reality.

For more on the introduction of the ATI Stream SDK 2.0 with OpenCL support check out Nigel Dessau’s new blog.

If you are interested in learning how OpenCL works, read on for Part 2, where Ben Sander and I discuss the power of ATI Stream technology and the elegant, standards-based interface now available with OpenCL for GPU. We explore the relationship between, OpenCL, AMD’s traditional support for industry standards, and the new ATI Stream SDK v 2.0.

Read On -> Dealing With Reality | The Introduction | ATI Stream Technology and OpenCL | Part 2

Be sure to check out Simon’s ongoing series on The Digital Nexus.

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

As stated in the first part of this blog series, I have seen different sites put together a list of potential HTPC hardware for budgets under $1000 USD.  While many of these sites are showcasing some nice systems, I think there are multiple ways to approach this project.  As such, I put together my own list for a potential HTPC build while offering some options to hit different price points — entry level, mainstream/mid level and higher end systems — each less than $1000 USD.   In part one, I covered the basic entry level system.  It served as a starting point for a system that could be easily upgraded.  This time, I want to look at some upgrades we can do to the entry level system to enhance the features/functions of the HTPC that make it more of a mainstream system.

So what can you expect from a mainstream HTPC build?  It should be able to easily handle all the same tasks as the entry level build and more.  With the mainstream system, we can add Blu-ray playback, transcoding content for portable devices, streaming content to other devices (other PCs, extenders, etc.) and TV tuning functionality. 

I would like to point out, these are just guideposts to provide a frame of reference for feature sets, functions and price points.  Some features may be more important than others to you as the reader.  Therefore, you may want to consider changing individual components to better meet your needs.  I am listing some optional equipment for your consideration.  I have tried to note component choices that are unchanged from the entry build and those that are upgrades.

Motherboard (Unchanged)
Like before, at the heart of any HTPC platform is the motherboard and critical to the motherboard is the chipset. So, starting with the Gigabyte GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H board from last time, this board has a host of features that make for a good HTPC system.  Being uATX, it can be put into a reasonably sized chassis (think ~VCR size). It is based upon the AMD RS785G chipset so it has great video performance and supports HD resolutions (including Blu-ray), when combined with an HD monitor. The UVD-2 support along with the powerful integrated graphics and 128MB of sideport memory provide smooth video playback. The HDMI output offers easy connectivity to your HD TV. All-in-all, this makes for a good solution for the HTPC. 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H $94.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128399&Tpk=GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H

CPU (Upgrade)
As stated earlier, processing power plays an important role in an HTPC. Depending on what it is you want to do with your HTPC, you may need more speed in your CPU or you may need more cores in your CPU.  To improve the system responsiveness in transcoding as well as to deliver more horsepower to the system so it can handle multiple video streams to other devices on the network, I opted for the AMD Phenom^TM II X3 705e triple-core processor.  This is a nice balance between frequency and core count, yet still a low power processor at 65W.

CPU: AMD Phenom^TM II X3 705e triple-core processor $129.00
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4695460&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE

CPU Cooler (Optional Upgrade)
This one can be a little harder to address. When buying an AMD Processor In a Box (PIB) product, the heatsink will generally come with the CPU purchase in a nice box. These can be very effective and quiet coolers for most HTPC tasks.  However, there are some solutions out there designed for quiet operation.  Some are low profile while others are passive (no fan) solutions.  Therefore, in addition to the stock cooler, I am providing some optional cooling solutions for those that are interested.  However, I am not adding these into the overall pricing since the stock cooler is great for most HTPC builds.

Scythe Mini Ninja is a nice cooler with a quiet design. However, it may not fit in all chassis designs. $35.99 
http://www.directron.com/scmnj1100.html

Noiselimit Silent Flux Media Cooler is another nice option. It too is a quiet design with a low profile. $39.99
http://www.directron.com/3100003.html

Memory (Unchanged)
Now for memory. There are not a lot of optimizations a memory vendor can do for an HTPC type scenario. Unlike video games applications or other mainstream desktop applications, HTPCs don’t need the fastest memory available. Likewise, they don’t necessarily need huge amounts of memory to provide great performance. I have found that 2GB is a pretty good amount of memory to start with for an HTPC. Rule of thumb is to get as much as possible  of the fastest memory that fits within your budget.  For cost effectiveness, brand recognition and performance, I chose to go with memory from Kingston for this build.

Memory: Kingston 2GB Kit (2×1GB) of DDR3 1066 $46.49 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134492

Note: It is a good idea to check with your board manufacturer for compatible memory.  It should also be pointed out that if you are using a 32 bit operating system, anything over 4GBs will not be recognized by the system (actually about 3.5GB will be seen by the OS).

Audio (Included)
One thing I did not mention last time was the audio solution.  Depending on your audio requirements, the motherboard has multiple options to handle audio.  Audio can be run over HDMI to your AVR or TV or alternatively, you can pass the audio over the optical SPDIF port controlled by the the Realtek codec on board (RT889 chip). 

HDD (Upgrade)
Vendors like Seagate, Samsung, Western Digital, and Hitachi also offer a variety of products for the PC space. Like AMD, they have some products that target the lower power environment.  Seagate’s Pipeline HD series, Western Digital’s Green series, Samsung’s EcoGreen and Hitachi’s Cinemastar series drives are optimized for low power and quiet operation.  These drives typically have fluid bearings, improved firmware and thermals that make them well suited for HTPC applications.  Like memory, more storage is usually a good thing for an HTPC.   

For this system, I opted to go with a larger drive to allow more room for storage of content. However, one option to consider is having a multi drive system.  For example, 1 drive for the OS + applications and 1 drive for content storage (shows, pictures, music, etc). In that case, 1 smaller drive and 1 larger drive might better serve your needs.

HDD: Samsung Eco Green 1TB Green HDD $79.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152173

Optical Disk Drive (ODD) (Upgrade)
Selecting an optical drive can be a little challenging because it is often hard to tell the advantages of one over another. I have used a variety of drives over the years — some more reliable than others and some quieter than others. However, for me when it comes to the HTPC discussion, it boils down to DVD vs. Blu-ray. With the format war over and Blu-ray drive prices coming down, it does make for a nice upgrade to the HTPC. 

ODD: Lite-On Blu-ray ROM (OEM version) $59.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106325

Note: Drive listed is the OEM version. It may or may not ship with Blu-ray playback software Retail versions typically ship with additional software.  However, I am listing some optional Blu-ray software below that has worked well for me.

Chassis (Upgrade)
In an earlier blog, I covered some of the different chassis solutions on the market. Selecting a chassis really depends on personal tastes, budget, room decor, etc. The criteria I used below included a combination of price and functionality, yet still fitting the overall HTPC look and feel. In this case, I am listing a couple of options that can be nice choices for an HTPC.  However, adjust your choice and budget based upon your own goals.

The nMedia chassis has a nice feature set supporting multiple HDDs, full ATX PSU, good airflow and full size card support.

 nMedia H1000b $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811204030

The Antec chassis is a low profile solution that supports a pretty small footprint.  It offers an integrated PSU, front panel display and remote control and adjustable speed chassis fans.  However, note that being low profile, it may not work with your CPU cooler.  Be sure to check the dimensions of your preferred cooler to ensure compatibility with this chassis. 

Antec uFusion Remote 350 $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129046

Power Supply Unit (PSU) (Optional Upgrade)
In the previous blog, I mentioned that Power Supplies are an important part of an HTPC build.  The Antec chassis I used this time also included a 350W PSU which is pretty good for most HTPC configurations using this chassis.  However, the other chassis does support a standard ATX type PSU, which greatly opens up the option for selecting quiet, reliable supplies.

For the mainstream build with the nMedia chassis, I opted for the Corsair 450VX.  This is one of the more quiet PSUs I have had the pleasure of working with on previous HTPC builds. 

Corsair 450VX PSU $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

TV Tuner (Optional Upgrade)
Now, to me this is a really nice addition to an HTPC. There are some that will argue that TV tuners provide no real value since you can find just about anything online.  For some, this may be true, but others find a great deal of value in a TV Tuner card. In fact, some people (like myself) install multiple tuners so they can watch/record multiple shows at one time.  Being able to combine broadcast TV with online TV content is somewhat of a best of both worlds approach.  Likewise, some tuners not only support ATSC content (Digital OTA broadcasts) but also support Clear QAM content from cable companies.  Therefore, you may want to consider adding a TV Tuner to your HTPC build. 

As mentioned in an earlier blog, I used this hybrid approach of TV tuners + online content to cancel my satellite service and save money each month.  The TV Tuner provides me with some really nice HD content for free (over the air TV content) and I have the option of using my HTPC as a DVR as well. For everything else, I just go online. 

For this build I opted for the TV Wonder 650 card from Diamond Multimedia.  There is also a retail version of this unit that comes with additional hardware and software for just a little more money.  It is nice to have but not required, since the OEM units will work just fine as well. I should also point out that the tuner listed is a combo tuner which means it has 2 fully functional tuners integrated into the design and both can operate at the same time. You can opt for a Hybrid tuner which also has two tuners, but only one can be active at a time. This can save you a little money if budgets are tight.  I am using two of the ATI branded version of this card and it works great. 

TV Tuner: Diamond TV Wonder 650 $84.99 (OEM Version)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815306018

Now, the unit does come with a remote, but I recommend using the standard MCE remote below along with the media center software from Microsoft.  It makes things very simple to set up and use. 

Note: Make sure you purchase the appropriate tuner card interface (PCI or PCIe®) to match the available slot on your motherboard.

Remote Control (Unchanged)
The Remote Control is another important piece of your HTPC. I have already posted about this in part 1 and part 2 of the series. Microsoft’s Media Center product that is included with some versions of their operating system does a very nice job of bringing the “10-foot experience” to the PC. While the basic remote is certainly one option, there are some remotes that provide more functionality than the basic remote and are programmable so you may be able to simplify at the same time. Therefore, you might want to read through the series on remote controls to see what options are out there.  However, for the sake of simplicity, I am keeping the same remote option for this build.

Remote: Anywhere Media Center Remote with IR receiver $22.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16880121001

Keyboard/Mouse (Unchanged)
Similar to remotes, keyboards are another important part of your HTPC solution. See part 1 of the Remote Control series for more info on keyboard options. For this build, I kept the choice of the Logitech keyboard/mouse Bluetooth solution for both range and functionality. Having both keyboard and mouse functionality out of the same device makes it easy to use. 

Keyboard: Logitech Mediaboard Pro $69.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16879212011

Operating System (Unchanged)
There are many different options here and many people will have their own opinion of what operating system to use.  With Microsoft® Windows® 7 just around the corner (October 22nd expected release date), it is probably worthwhile to wait and use that as everything I have seen with Windows 7 looks to be very impressive for both general PC duties in addition to HTPC duties.  (A Windows 7 capable PC configuration will be required.)   Linux® is another very viable option and very cost effective. However, you might need more experience with setting up and configuring a Linux based system to get everything working to your liking.

Blue-ray Software (Optional)
Microsoft’s media player included with their OS works great for standard DVD playback.  However, it is not capable of playing back Blue-ray discs.  As such, additional software is needed.  As mentioned above, some Blu-ray drives will ship with the necessary s/w for Blu-ray playback and like many drive s/w bundles, it may or may not work well for you.  I have found some Blu-ray playback s/w that has worked pretty well for me.

Arcsoft Total Media Theater
http://www.arcsoft.com/estore/software_title.asp?ProductCode=TMT3P

Cyberlink Power DVD
http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdvd/overview_en_US.html

Conclusion
OK, that covers most of the components you will need for the mainstream system.  The total cost of the hardware listed above starts at $688.42 USD + operating system.  I did not include the playback s/w nor the optional coolers in the cost because as mentioned some ODD drives come bundled with playback s/w and the stock cooler works well for most HTPC builds. 

Overall, you can see that by increasing the budget about $250, we can greatly increase the functionality and features of the HTPC by adding Blu-ray playback, Live TV playback via a TV tuner, DVR functionality, better CPU horsepower for streaming and transcoding, etc. and a more aesthetically appealing chassis.  Still well below the $1000.00 USD and we get a very functional HTPC that can probably handle just about anything you throw at it.  If your budget is somewhere between the entry build and the mainstream system, this should give you an idea of different upgrade options to get more features that fit within your budget.

Note, I am listing prices in US dollars found online as of the day this was written. These are not the only sources for hardware and there are plenty of choices on where to purchase.  Likewise, this does not reflect shipping, rebates, bundle deals, etc. or online retailers for readers in other countries.  So do your homework to get the best deals when you purchase and you may be able to get even better prices than what’s listed here.  

For those that would rather purchase a pre configured HTPC, see my “Build or Buy?” blog posting.

So, as you can see, building a mainstream HTPC does cost more, but you also get more functionality.  Again, don’t look at this blog as a hard requirement but more of a sign post to help you along the way.  If there are functions that are more/less important to you, feel free to swap out a more suitable part for your needs and budget.

 Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

So, you’ve got this fancy new HTPC, but how do you use it?  Well, I thought we would take a look at the various options for controlling your HTPC.  I am splitting this post into a two part series covering both keyboard and mice, plus wand style solutions.  In the first post of this series, I covered a few options for keyboards and mice.  This time, I will spend a little time covering the wand style remotes.  Like previous posts on technology, products covered are limited to what I had immediately available — not intended to cover all the different options out there. Likewise, this is not intended to be a review of all the different solutions, just an introduction to a few available products. 

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a few of these different solutions for testing thanks to our technology partners.  As such, I brought these devices home for a brief period so I could see how my family liked them. I know, I said I should never use my family as beta testers, but this seemed a little different and I felt it would be more useful to provide their feedback in addition to mine to provide a wider cross section of user experiences. More about their responses later on. 

The ultimate goal of the HTPC for me is that I would never have need of a keyboard or mouse and that I could do everything with a remote in hand.  As covered in the “What Can an HTPC Do?” series (part 1 and part 2), I showed you a lot of what you can do with just a remote in hand.  So, it made a lot of sense to try out a few different wand style remotes and see how well they get along with Windows® Media Center.
 
Technology
Similar to technology used for wireless keyboards, wand style remotes leverage infrared (IR), radio frequency (RF) and Bluetooth (BT) based technologies.  The difference can impact cost, reliability, line of sight, distance, and other factors.  IR solutions are typically the cheapest solutions to implement and the most common.  However, RF and BT technologies are starting to show up more in remote controls as well.  

Some remotes have integrated cursor control via a track ball or gyro (like a Wii controller). Now, I personally feel that the integrated solution is a really nice feature that eliminates the need for a separate mouse, but if most of your time is spent inside applications like Media Center, then this may be less important.  

Other features found in some remotes are touch screens and rechargeable batteries.  These can be a nice touch (no pun intended) as the screens can make some functions easier to use.  The recharging station is often handy and can save the consumer the hassle of changing batteries and can also be more convenient.  This is especially true when the remote has a screen on it as well since that screen can drain the battery pretty quickly.  Not all remotes offer recharging stations so be sure to check the package before making your purchase if that is important to you.

Some vendors will include software applications and drivers with their remotes.  Some of these applications can be useful for media playback, programming hotkeys and buttons, etc. These may also automatically check for version updates for you, but this can also happen at less than ideal times.  However, you often have control over when these updates should or should not take place.  So, let’s look at a few different solutions (in no particular order). 

nMedia PC
One of the first RF remotes I tried was the remote with the nMedia PC RF keyboard and remote combo package.   

This has almost a pistol grip type feel.  If feels very solid in construction with a rubberized coating. It offers a host of buttons for different operations along with an integrated track ball for cursor control.  The array of buttons can be a little daunting as your fingers navigate their way around the remote, but with practice you will quickly learn where the most used buttons are located and be using them without looking.  Using the trackball can take a little practice, especially if you are more familiar using a full size mouse in a desktop environment, but again it does not take long to get accustomed to the trackball.  As mentioned, cursor control can add a nice touch when you leave the Media Center environment and have to navigate the desktop screen — having that trackball available can really add value.  The included USB RF receiver is nice and eliminates the need for line of sight. There is an option to bundle the keyboard with a remote as well so this option can be a great, cost effective solution for those on a tight budget.

Microsoft
Another interesting solution comes from Microsoft. Microsoft has a basic IR Media Center remote control with a USB receiver.  This has a very comfortable feel in the hand.  Most of the buttons are large and easy to find.  Microsoft also used back lighting on some of the more commonly used buttons (Play, Pause, FF, Rew, etc.) so they are easier to find in low light situations.  However, they only light up after an initial button press and then stay lit for about 5 seconds or so.  It has a clearly labeled “Green Button” so you can quickly launch Media Center or return to the main menu if already in Media Center.  The quick access Guide button will pull up your EPG with ease (assuming you have a TV tuner installed), and the channel up/down and volume up/down all work as you would expect from a typical wand style remote.  It also has the IR receiver (via USB connection) on an extended cable so you can easily route the receiver to just about any location (within reason).

While it does not offer cursor control, there is a 3rd party application that you can install that is supposed to provide that type of functionality, though I did not try it at the time of this posting.  

Gyration
Gyration offers a couple of remote control solutions for the HTPC.  They initially offered their Media Center Remote product, but are now offering a second remote called the Air Music Remote.  The difference between the two remotes is that the Air Music Remote offers an LCD screen that can be used to navigate to music options.  They both use 2.4Ghz RF technology so line of sight is not an issue. Range seems to be pretty good as well, though admittedly, my couch is only about 12 feet from the remote.  I would recommend using a USB extension cable to get the USB receiver out from behind the metal chassis — it does help improve the responsiveness of the remote. 

Unfortunately, I did not have access to the Air Music remote to give it a try but I am currently using the Media Center remote.  The Gyration remote works very well for Media Center navigation and operation.  What makes the remote interesting for me is the integrated cursor control.  It does take some getting used to, but once you do, it works very nicely.  The “Green Button” along with navigation control works well inside Media Center and by adding cursor control, so I can easily exit Media Center, open a browser window and quickly navigate my bookmarked sites. I can watch Internet streaming TV content without ever picking up a keyboard.  Buttons are large enough to find easily by touch without being either too obtrusive or too small.  It is programmable so you can set it up to power up/down other devices and gain some limited functional control over those other devices.  Overall, I am pleased with the operation of the remote and I use it regularly for my HTPC.

Logitech
Logitech has some great products as well, two of which are nice remote controls for HTPC user.  The Logitech Harmony One^TM and the Logitech Harmony 1100^TM are programmable remotes for all your devices.  Like the Microsoft solution above, the Logitech solutions listed leverage IR technology. Both Harmony remotes come with recharging stands to keep the batteries fresh.  The Harmony 1100 can go through a charge within a few days so having the charging station nearby is great for keeping it handy and keeping it charged.

The Harmony One is a great remote and very flexible.  One of the biggest features on the Harmony remotes is their programmability. If you are like many users, you may have multiple devices under your TV — perhaps a stereo amplifier, DVD player, HTPC and other devices.  The Harmony One offers the ability to connect to a PC and sync up with downloaded command codes for different devices along with customized icons.  While universal remotes are commonplace, the difference here is that you have the option to customize buttons.  The Harmony One has “hard buttons” and “soft buttons” and you can program each of these buttons to specific functions if you wish.  For example, you can change the function of the Menu hard button to act as the “Green Button” to launch Media Center.  Likewise, you could program the Exit hard button to act as a “MCE back button”.  Furthermore, you can program and label the soft buttons to various functions as well and then operate those soft buttons via a touch screen.  This really drives a level of flexibility not found on many other remotes. 

The Harmony 1100 is somewhat of the “uber” remote.  It too provides a level of flexibility and programmability found in other Harmony devices.  However, it has fewer hard buttons and does most of its magic through programmable soft buttons operated via a touch screen.  Like many Harmony remotes, it provides extensive 1 button action to turn on multiple devices and set up the devices for a specific operation.  For example, you can set up a remote soft button as a “play DVD” that will turn on your TV, select the appropriate input, turn on your DVD player and start playback of the DVD.  This makes for a very easy to operate remote.  Like the Harmony One, it also has the basic up/down/left/right navigation hard buttons for easy Media Center operation.  Included are volume up/down and channel up/down as well.  The Harmony remotes can also be used to access the various functions of your other devices as well.  For example, screen layout, PiP, Picture swap, etc. can all be programmed to soft buttons.  These are incredibly flexible remote solutions.

To me, the real strength of the Harmony remotes is when you have multiple boxes to control and you want full access to control all those other devices with an easy to use remote.  It may take you a few times through the Remote Set up process on your PC to get everything exactly as you want it, but once you do, it is a really nice solution.  It is important to note though that if your HTPC chassis does not have an IR sensor, you will need to pick up one (i.e. USB IR receiver) so the remote will work with your HTPC.   

User Experience
Like the keyboard blog I posted, it is difficult to write in depth about the full user experience and functionality of all these remotes in a single post so I will be brief.  Each one of these products could easily deserve its own post, therefore, I would suggest that you read some in depth reviews and go to the product pages to get a list of the full functionality offered by each of these products as well as to learn what other solutions are out there that might best meet your needs.

User experiences of these solutions differ from one unit to the next and also from one person to the next.  Everyone in my family quickly adapted to all the different remotes.  However, each also found their favorites.  I found the Gyration remote to provide enough functionality to power up/down other devices along with easy navigation both inside and outside Media Center.  While not as programmable as the Logitech products, the integrated mouse functionality was great. Others in the family really liked the one button ease of use of the Harmony products.  Their flexibility to be able to operate so many things and the touch screen functionality was pretty impressive.  For those on a tighter budget both the Microsoft Media Center remote and the nMedia combo solutions offer great value and functionality.  I don’t think there is any one, right solution as each of these solutions should work equally well.  It just depends on what your needs might be to determine which remote works best for you.  If you have some feedback about this blog or have some info you would like to share on your favorite HTPC keyboard solution, please feel free to leave a comment.

 Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied

From the Ancient Egyptian Poem The Thunder | Perfect Mind

ATI Eyefinity is a new technology from AMD that transforms the relationship of the PC and the display. It opens the door to entirely new avenues for home computing and simplifies the deployment of many commercial solutions. In the existing home computing paradigm, one user employs one PC with one workspace spanning one or two monitors. In the age of ATI Eyefinity, the paradigm evolves.

A computer of the future with a combination of entertainment, video productivity, and internet applications spanning multiple monitors.

There are at least three new use models availed or expanded by ATI Eyefinity. They modify the single-session | single person | single screen paradigm of old. The first I call Immersive, Panoramic Computing. Many displays for one person. The second and third I call Crowd Computing. Many displays for many people.

Immersive, Panoramic Personal Computing

The first model is single-session | single-person | multi-screen. One user surrounded with many displays creating an immersive reality or information environment. One user can enjoy information or visual simulations or real-time experiences, which were previously possible only with high-end workstations or simulators. Commercial or technical applications include simulation, design and analysis; equities trading, graphic design, intelligence analysis, and more. Consumer applications include gaming, advanced productivity, and impressing your friends.

In this video technology demonstration, ATI Eyefinity multi-monitor technology is driving an immersive, panoramic gaming experience. AMD’s Lauren Larose is playing Tom Clancy’s Hawks at an amazing 5760x2400 resolution spanning six monitors employing the Display Port 1.1 interface.

This video from the launch showces ATI Eyefinity with a combination of 3,6,and a whopping 24 display wall. You can see how multiple displays can bring people together and encourage collaboration and shared entertainment, which brings us to the next model.

Crowd Computing

The second model is single-session | multi-person | multi-screen. Many users enjoying the experience provided by a single computer with the added benefit of multiple-displays. For example, one user enjoying dual monitor productivity, and a second user or group of users enjoying a movie or game on a third or fourth screen. The central premise of this model is that it is a single session, one person is “driving” the visual environment -- one keyboard, one mouse -- kind of like a PC experience DJ who can launch applications for many to see. Adding the ability of each screen to have its own I/O and support for a separate user session, you arrive at the third model…

A computer of the future with panoramic 3D gaming, multiple video playback, and access to “cloud-based” resources on the internet on multiple displays.

In prior entries I have employed the term “digital nexus” or “central home computer” to describe the multi-session | multi-person | multi-screen  model. This model requires a multi-session operating system, one aware of multiple inputs and multiple users, which can map a separate set of inputs (keyboard, mice, remotes, game controllers) to each user and each screen. Imagine the possibilities of a fully configurable I/O environment where a computer can support many keyboards, mice, and free-motion controllers. Dad can be in the den playing Tom Clancy’s Hawks (against his son) while his daughter is doing homework in her room and mom is managing finances in the office, all on the same, centrally managed PC. You can think of this model as multiple, simultaneous instances of single-session | single-person | single screen.  The central computer would be capable of juggling multiple user sessions, multiple screens, and multiple input / output peripherals throughout the home.

I believe that we are on an inevitable path toward Crowd Computing. Many people, computing together, using many screens in many rooms with uniform and easy access to their user-settings, information, applications and powerful compute resources. The multi-monitor capability provided by ATI Eyefinity is an important piece of the puzzle, a powerful display adapter which can extend the computer to multiple separate displays in multiple positions or nearby locations.

In the meantime, the immersive, panoramic views offered by ATI Eyefinity will impress with panaramic, immersive, multi-screen 3D graphics, video and information. I believe ATI Eyefinity has a bright future. It’s the kind of innovation that encourages re-thinking the potential of a single computer. If you are looking for new directions for the PC, I would keep watch on ATI Eyefinity.

This is the fourth in a multi-part series.

<<-- Click Here For Prior Entry

More information on ATI Eyefinity is available on the ATI Eyefinity technology page.

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

I have seen different sites put together a list of potential HTPC hardware for budgets under $1000 USD.  While many of these sites are showcasing some nice systems, I think there are multiple ways to approach this project.  As such, I put together my own list for a potential HTPC build while offering some options to hit different price points — entry level, mainstream/mid level and higher end systems — each less than $1000 USD. So here’s the first part of the series: The Entry Level Build.

For me, there are two things that drive my decision process when making a component selection for an HTPC; product performance/features and cost. I want technology that will offer good performance, aimed at the HTPC space, yet will not “break the bank”.  As I outlined in my previous blogs, the HTPC does not require the absolute highest performance products, nor should it be about buying the cheapest products. What the HTPC needs is a combination of more balanced products that offer good performance and low power draw — all within a reasonable budget. I have seen too many individuals less that satisfied with their HTPCs because they bought the absolute highest performance products on the market and their HTPC was just too loud.  Similarly, I have seen many others buy the cheapest products they could find only to realize their HTPC could not handle the tasks they desired.

So what can you expect from an entry level HTPC build?  An entry level system can handle many of your standard HTPC duties. It should be able to offer smooth HD playback without dropping frames. It should handle most streamed online content (think Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, etc.).  It should be able to drive HD resolutions (1080p, 720p) and do a decent job of upscaling standard DVDs.  It should be able to play most mainstream games at lower resolutions (1024 x 768, 800 x 600, etc.) and still look good.  However, check with the game manufacturer for complete system requirements. 

Motherboard
At the heart of any HTPC platform is the motherboard and critical to the motherboard is the chipset. For this entry level budget HTPC build, I opted for the Gigabyte GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H. This board has a host of features that make for a good HTPC system.  Being uATX, it can be put into a reasonably sized chassis (think ~VCR size). It is based upon the AMD RS785 chipset so it has great video performance and supports HD Resolutions (including Blu-ray), when combined with an HD monitor. The UVD-2 support is really useful for hardware acceleration of video related content.  The powerful integrated graphics eliminates the need for a discrete card (saving power and money). The HDMI output offers easy connectivity to your HD TV. All-in-all, this makes for a good solution for the HTPC. 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H $94.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128399&Tpk=GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H

CPU
Processing power plays an important role in an HTPC. Depending on what it is you want to do with your HTPC, you may need more speed in your CPU or you may need more cores in your CPU. For example, if you will be using your HTPC to do a lot of transcoding, a CPU with more cores will offer you better performance. However, some applications may benefit from higher frequencies. You should really look at all the applications you are going to be using with your HTPC and determine if those applications would benefit from more cores or higher frequencies. In any case, you will still want low power CPUs for their superior thermal performance.  The processor I selected for this entry build is the AMD Athlon^TM II X2 240 dual-core processor.  It is a dual core, low power processor that offers a great performance for the price. 

CPU: AMD Athlon^TM II X2 240 dual-core processor $60.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688

CPU Cooler
This one can be a little harder to address. When buying an AMD Processor In a Box (PIB) product, the heatsink will generally come with the CPU purchase in a nice box. These can be very effective and quiet coolers for most HTPC tasks.

Memory
Now for memory. There are not a lot of optimizations a memory vendor can do for an HTPC type scenario. Unlike video games applications or other mainstream desktop applications, HTPCs don’t need the fastest memory available. Likewise, they don’t necessarily need huge amounts of memory to provide great performance. I have found that 2GB is a pretty good amount of memory to start with for an HTPC. Rule of thumb is to get as much of the fastest memory that fits within your budget.  For cost effectiveness, brand recognition and performance, I chose to go with memory from Kingston for this build.

Memory: Kingston 2GB Kit (2×1GB) of DDR3 1066 $43.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134492

Note: if you are using a 32 bit operating system, anything over 4GBs will not be recognized by the system (actually about 3.5GB will be seen by the OS).

HDD
Vendors like Seagate, Western Digital, and Hitachi also offer a variety of products for the PC space. Like AMD, they have some products that target this lower power environment.  Seagate’s Pipeline HD series, Western Digital’s Green series, and Hitachi’s Cinemastar series drives are optimized for low power and quiet operation.  These drives typically have fluid bearings, improved firmware and thermals that make them more suited for HTPC applications.  Like memory, more storage is usually a good thing for an HTPC.  If you plan on doing a lot of recording of TV, storing movies, music, etc. then again, purchasing as much storage as your budget allows is probably a good thing.  For this build I chose the Western Digital 500GB Green drive.

HDD: Western Digital 500GB Green HDD $54.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358

Optical Disk Drive (ODD)
Selecting an optical drive can be a little challenging because it is often hard to tell the advantages of one over another. I have used a variety of drives over the years — some more reliable than others and some quieter than others. However, for me when it comes to the HTPC discussion, it boils down to DVD vs. Blu-ray. With the HD DVD / Blu-ray format war over, it does make the decision a little easier, but you still really need to look at what you are planning to do and how much you want to budget for the ODD. Upscaled DVD content can look very good on an HDTV. In my opinion, the clarity of Blu-ray really starts to show up at screen sizes larger than 50 inches. At 50 inches and below, upscaled DVD can look very nice and can save the consumer some money.  Therefore, to keep costs within an entry level price point, I opted for a standard DVD. 

ODD: Lite-On DVD ROM $17.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106274

Chassis
In an earlier blog, I covered some of the different chassis solutions on the market. Selecting a chassis really depends on personal tastes, budget, room decor, etc. The criteria I used below included a combination of price and functionality, yet still fitting the overall HTPC look and feel. However, adjust your budget based upon your own goals.

Chassis: HEC SECC 7K09 $54.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121027

Power Supply
Included in Chassis for this build.  PSU selection is an important topic and we will talk more about this in upcoming blog.

Remote Control
The Remote Control is another important piece of your HTPC. I have already posted part 1 of the 2 part series on remote controls and I am currently working on the second part of that series. Microsoft’s Media Center product that is included with some versions of their operating system does a very nice job of bringing the “10-foot experience” to the PC. They make it very easy to access things like live and recorded TV (assuming you have a TV tuner installed), music, photos and more with just a remote. In fact, I have my HTPC set up so that I rarely (if ever) need to pick up a keyboard. As such, I think every HTPC user should add a remote to their configuration. Some higher-end remotes can be very expensive while offering more functionality, but may not be required for many of the basic functions of the HTPC. For a budget solution, I opted for the basic IR-based Media Center remote from Anywhere.

Remote: Anywhere Media Center Remote with IR receiver $22.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16880121001

Keyboard/Mouse
Similar to remotes, keyboards are another important part of your HTPC solution. See part 1 of the Remote Control series for more info on keyboard options. For this budget build, I chose the Logitech keyboard/mouse Bluetooth solution for both range and functionality. Having both keyboard and mouse functionality out of the same device makes it easy to use.  You could buy a separate keyboard and mouse as an option, but you would probably be close to this same price anyway.

Keyboard: Logitech Mediaboard Pro $69.99 USD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16879212011

Operating System
There are many different options here and many people will have their own opinion of what operating system to use.  For simplicity, I am suggesting Microsoft’s Windows Vista® Home Premium solution.  However, with Microsoft® Windows® 7 just around the corner, it may be worthwhile to wait and use that instead.  Everything I have seen with Windows 7 looks to be very impressive for both general PC duties in addition to HTPC duties.  (A Windows 7 capable PC configuration will be required.)   Linux® is another very viable option and very cost effective. However, you might need more experience with setting up and configuring a Linux based system to get everything working to your liking.

OS: Windows Vista® Home Premium $99.99 USD (or wait for Windows® 7 Home Premium)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116485

OK, that covers most of the components you will need.  The total cost of the hardware listed above comes to $420.92 USD + $99.99 USD for the operating system.  Not a bad price for everything you are getting.  Prices do not reflect any rebates or discounts that might be available nor does it include shipping costs.  Sometimes you can get bundle deals, free shipping, etc. So do your research to get the best deals when you purchase and you may be able to get even better prices than what’s listed here. 

Note, I am listing prices in US dollars found on Newegg as of the day this was written. They are not the only source and there are plenty of choices on where to purchase.

For those that would rather purchase a pre configured HTPC, see my “Build or Buy?” blog posting.

So, as you can see, building a budget HTPC is not all that expensive plus you can get very robust functionality.  In the next part of this series, we will look at a mainstream, mid level build and bump up some of the functions and features to get a more robust HTPC experience.

Till next time, Happy Trails!
Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

So, you’ve got this fancy new HTPC, but how do you use it?  Well, I thought we would take a look at the various options for controlling your HTPC.  I am splitting this post into a two part series covering both keyboard and mice solutions in the first post while wand style remotes will be featured in the second post.  Like previous posts on technology, products covered are limited to what I had immediately available — not intended to cover all the different options out there. Likewise, this is not intended to be a review of all the different solutions, just an introduction to a few available products. 

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a few of these different solutions for testing thanks to our technology partners.  As such, I brought these devices home for a brief period so I could see how my family liked them. I know, I said I should never use my family as beta testers, but this seemed a little different and I felt it would be more useful to provide their feedback in addition to mine to provide a wider cross section of user experiences. More about their responses later on.

Keyboards and mice come in many different flavors; some are clearly aimed at the desk environment with their cables running to the back of your PC (aka the 2 foot experience).  They provide little value in a living room setting while you are sitting on the couch.  However, with the advent of wireless keyboards, you  are no longer tethered to your PC. 

The ultimate goal of the HTPC for me is that I would never have need of a keyboard or mouse and that I could do everything with a remote in hand.  As covered in the “What Can an HTPC Do?” series (part 1 and part 2), I showed you a lot of what you can do with just a remote in hand.  However, as mentioned, the HTPC is also a fully functional PC and therefore, the addition of a keyboard and mouse opens it up to just about all the things you could do on a traditional PC.  Now, I don’t do my “PC” type activities on my HTPC, but there are a lot of different video websites that I routinely visit for TV content.  Having a keyboard and mouse for searching content on those sites can be useful.  So, let’s discuss some of the technologies and the options available for your HTPC.
 
Technology
First, it is important to understand there are various cordless keyboard technologies on the market.  Some may be infrared (IR) based solutions, while others may be radio frequency (RF) or Bluetooth® (BT) based technologies.  The difference can impact cost, reliability, line of sight, distance, and other factors.  IR solutions are typically the cheapest solutions to implement and work in much the same way as a traditional remote control might work.  Typically, they will have good range but would require direct line of sight to the sensor in order to send the keystrokes (your typing) to your HTPC.  RF on the other hand is usually more common and uses radio waves to send those keystroke.  These can vary in range from 3 feet to 10-15 feet or more but can be impacted by interference from other devices in the home (cordless phones, etc.) or home construction (metals used in the walls, venting, stairway rails, etc). BT keyboards are usually the most expensive solutions, but typically have the longest range and can work well at distances up to 30 feet. 

Some HTPC keyboards integrate cursor control via a mouse pad (like those on laptops), a track ball or other forms into the keyboard design, while others bundle separate mice in the package. Now, I personally feel that the integrated solution is a really nice feature that eliminates the need for a separate mouse.  However, these may not be ideal if you are trying to game on an HTPC.  Integrated cursor control may not have the precision movement or ease of control offered by a separate mouse and therefore may not work as well in a gaming environment. 

Another common feature found in HTPC style keyboards is a rechargeable battery.  This is another nice touch because like any device, these can go through batteries quite often.  Having a recharging deck can save the consumer the hassle of changing batteries and can also be more convenient.  Not all wireless keyboards offer recharging stations so be sure to check the package before making your purchase if that is important to you.

Some vendors will include software applications and drivers with their keyboards.  Some of these applications can be useful for media playback, programming hotkeys, etc.  These may also automatically check for version updates for you, but this can also happen at less than ideal times.  However, you often have control over when these updates should or should not take place.  So, let’s look at a few different solutions (in no particular order). 

Keyboards for HTPC
One of the first RF keyboards I tried was the nMedia PC RF keyboard and remote combo package.   

This is a full size keyboard operating on a 2.4Ghz RF band.  It has an integrated trackball on the right hand side with your left and right click buttons on the left side.  Along the top edge are Internet hot keys and multimedia hot keys for quick access to common functions.  The keyboard has a very nice tactile feel without being loud as you type.  The overall shape has a very comfortable feel in your hands.  Using the trackball can take a little practice, especially if you are more familiar using a full size mouse in a desktop environment.  There is an option to bundle the keyboard with a remote as well (to be discussed in part 2 of this post).  This option can be a great, cost effective solution for those on a tight budget.

Another interesting set of solutions comes from Microsoft. Microsoft has numerous wireless keyboards on the market, but they have some that specifically target Media Center type applications.

The Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000 is another full size keyboard solution that integrates cursor control along with numerous other functions into the keyboard design. It is a popular choice among many HTPC enthusiasts. It uses BT technology so the range is very good.  It is very thin and light and has a rechargeable battery for ease of use. It too is comfortable and quiet when typing. The many built-in hot keys bring a lot of functionality to the finger tips with a single button press.  It comes bundled with a cordless mouse as well giving you a couple of options for controlling the cursor.  Although more expensive than the nMedia solution mentioned above, it is quite a bit less costly than some of the higher end units on the market while delivering a great mid range solution.  While I did not have one of these to test, I have seen it in several stores and found it a very compelling solution. 

Logitech has some great products as well, two of which are nice keyboard solutions for HTPC users.  The Logitech diNovo Edge^TM and the Logitech diNovo Mini^TM are keyboard and mice solutions that provide two very different user experiences.  Like the Microsoft solution above, the Logitech solutions listed leverage BT technology for great range.    

The diNovo Edge^TM is a full size keyboard and mouse solution for the HTPC.  It has back lit keys, integrated mouse pad, touch based volume slider all in a very slim, rechargeable design.  This is probably one of the more sexy solutions I have seen in keyboards for the HTPC space.  The elegant design is both aesthetically pleasing and very functional.  The hot keys make for quick access to commonly used functions.  The battery seems to last a long time on a single charge, but this depends on how often it is used so mileage may vary, so to speak. When not in use, the recharging station also makes for a convenient stand for storage. This falls into the mid to high end type price point, but you can often find it on sale online.  

The diNovo Mini^TM is a much smaller solution that uses a thumb style QWERTY keyboard and also includes a mouse touch pad.  It comes with a charger and it has pretty good life out of a single charge.  One particularly nice feature included in the diNovo Mini is a switch that converts the touch pad into an up/down/left/right select navigation control (like those found on traditional wand style remotes).  This is pretty handy for having one solution that can navigate Windows® Media Center similar to a wand remote as well as operate as a keyboard and mouse solution for general PC duties. It has media control keys along the top for easy playback of your favorite media content along with channel up/down for TV control (assuming you have a TV Tuner in your HTPC).  It also has back lit keys so you can easily find the letters in low light situations.

User Experience
It is difficult to write in depth about the full user experience and functionality of all these keyboards in a single post so I will be brief.  Each one of these products could easily deserve its own post, therefore, I would suggest that you read some in depth reviews and go to the product pages to get a list of the full functionality offered by each of these products as well as to learn what other solutions are out there that might best meet your needs.

User experiences of these solutions differ from one unit to the next and also from one person to the next.  Full size keyboards are easy to adapt to since most people use them daily with their PCs.  Both my wife and I found the larger keyboards very easy to use and comfortable.  Even my kids liked the full size keyboards.  I personally liked all of them, but found the touch pads a little easier to use since it was the same technology used on my laptop.  However, full size keyboards can take up a lot of space on coffee tables or entertainment shelves in your living room and don’t always fit the decor.  

If you are space constricted, the smaller micro size keyboards or the thumb style like the diNovo Mini might be better suited.  While I like the diNovo Mini a lot (its small size while being fully functional was great), I am just not as adept at the thumb style keyboard as my wife and kids.  My daughter is a texting queen and her lightening fast fingers are a blur as she texts people on her phone.  As such, she was able to quickly adapt to the smaller diNovo mini.  She did mention that the keyboard is bigger than that of her phone, but it did not appear to throw her off at all.  Heck, based upon some of her comments, I have to keep an eye on it just to make sure my daughter does not hijack it for her room.

Therefore, if you are comfortable and quick with texting on phones, the thumb style solutions like the diNovo Mini might make for a great solution for you.  However, if you tend to fumble those smaller keyboards like me (I too often send out garbled messages or take forever just to send a two word response), a full size keyboard might be the answer for you.  I only covered a small amount of solutions on the market; there are a lot of options out there to meet the needs of the consumers. 

Next time, we will look at a few of the wand style remote controls to give you an idea of what is available on the market today.  Stay tuned.  If you have some feedback about this blog or have some info you would like to share on your favorite HTPC keyboard solution, please feel free to leave a comment.

Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

The first is to take on more complex tasks enabling a new kind of user experience.

The second is to serve many persons at once. Combined with the first, we now have persons who are sitting, standing and moving while working, interacting, and enjoying.

The first and second could consume many years of exponential improvements in computing capacity while serving humankind in new and compelling ways.

The third is for machines to idly dream of the day when they will divine their own purpose…

- “Inez Drew”

Q: Could you define the hypothetical home central computer?

A: A multi-user computer which supports several users at once, employing a single pool of computational resources and applications, from multiple locations. Applications may be installed once and used by each user. Settings may be set once and used in each location. User profiles can be customized and each user enjoys their own, separate usage session. The full computing experience is available in multiple locations and computing resources are shared by the group.

Q: What are the envisioned characteristics of a central computer versus a personal computer?

A: The personal computer is personal, being for one user at a time, on a single desktop, in one personal session, in one room. The central computer is designed for several users, each on their own screen, running multiple concurrent, but private sessions, anywhere in the home or beyond. Each user would own a session which encapsulates executing applications, each session mapped to a screen, each screen mapped to its input devices such as a pointer or video camera. Common resources including processing capability, software, data, and media and rich interaction would be available to each user.

Q: From a hardware perspective, how would a central computer differ from a personal computer?

A: A central computer requires additional general purpose computation to support multiple users, high peak-usage behavior to support demanding multimedia tasks while supporting multiple users, capability to accelerate and deliver 3D graphics and video to multiple screens, and multi I/O connectivity to support multiple screens and surfaces in multiple locations throughout the home and beyond.

Q: How might a central computer impact today’s digital home?

A: In today’s digital home a network binds together heterogeneous devices, which in turn are connected to screens, using common protocols such as TCP/IP, HTML, UPnP, and many media formats. In the central computing home, a single computer could be connected to many screens with local input devices. The central computer could be configured to see network devices, peripherals, or the web in a way that provides a personalized experience and uniform access on multiple screens. The benefits of centralized management are as described in prior entries in this series.

Q: How would the operating system of a central computer differ from that of a personal computer?

A: A central computer would require an OS with support for multiple concurrent user sessions on multiple screens, and able to manage personal and shared devices and storage. The OS could allow multiple instances of the same application to run in accordance with the license rights of each application. Concurrent user sessions might be fully virtualized for additional robustness. User settings, device connectivity, and web access could be centrally configured and customized for each user. Access could be restricted protecting private data or blocking unwanted or inappropriate content on a user by user basis.

Q: How would the applications of a central computer differ from those of a personal computer?

A: Applications could support environments from the living room to the desktop to the handheld. Imagine applications which provide a different interface depending on the screen size and its associated usage. We could manage our movie rental services while sitting at our desk, then browse and enjoy them while sitting in front of the big screen with an appropriate interface for each. We could install a game once and use it on each screen, in the living room, bedroom, or office. We could configure our and social media software at our desk and enjoy updates and shared photos and video in our living room. The central computer could benefit from standardized living-room appropriate input devices to provide a better interface to big-screen applications.

Q: How is the central computer concept different from a home file or media server?

A: A home server stores, serves and streams files to heterogeneous devices using standard protocols. It does little computing. A central computer could provide all of the compute capability and connectivity required to deliver a complete and powerful experience on each screen without those heterogeneous devices required to play back content on the remote screen. A central computer in this example is not a media server, it is a complete media and productivity experience delivered to each connected screen. Home storage could still benefit from a media server which intelligently and securely stores, archives and shares with the central computer and remote, web-based users.

Q: What are your assumptions about media access and digital rights management?

A: Two models: Local content and web-based content. I personally believe that services which provide online, web based viewing will supplant broadcast models, save for remote locations which lack broadband. Web content may be streamed, rented, or downloaded. Digital terrestrial and Satellite content could provide a good and adequate baseline of broadcast content. The central computer could provide full access to complex and evolving web-based content and be well prepared to support evolving media standards because, like today’s PC’s, it employs the flexibility of software to accomplish these tasks.

Q: Tell us about “uniform access” to content? Why is it important?

Today’s set -top media players and media-enabled game consoles have their own interfaces, their own ways of organizing content, and their own content support limitations. With a central computer, content access could be uniform. If you like a particular media environment, you could run it consistently on each screen in your home. Media compatibility might be limited only by the capabilities of the broad offering of media playback software available. Local content could be stored wherever, on network attached devices for example, but the central PC could provide uniform access and recognize that storage in a uniform fashion.

Q: How does a central computer change the gaming experience?

A: A central computer will be ready to play games and share them throughout the home, unlike today’s consoles and PCs which are bound to a single location. My sense is that gaming is moving quickly to digital content distribution – no need to buy duplicate hardware to run a game on each screen when we can purchase it once and run it on every screen. Also, with a central computer we might have ready access to games rendered remotely, on the web, providing a state of the art gaming experience without state-of-the art gaming hardware. PC games need no longer be bound the desktop – they could be available on every screen, big or small, sitting or standing.

Q: What is the relationship between central computing and cloud computing?

A: A central computer could provide uniform access to the cloud from many rooms in our home. It could provide the ability to ingest and interact with rich content from the web expanding the possibilities for the richness of the experience we enjoy from the cloud. Essentially, powerful web-browsers, media players, and plug-ins could be configured once and extended throughout the home, providing a powerful interface to the web and the resources in the cloud.

Yet, by having a powerful local resource, I could create my own local outpost for “the cloud” – a “home cloud.” I could serve games to my friends far away and play against them simultaneously in more than one room. Receive, store and manipulate information from the cloud from any room knowing that the data is in the same physical location, but easily accessed wherever I am. If I am away from home, I might easily access my information or even applications on my central computer which has been configured once for the task. My data could either be in the cloud or on my central computer. It could always be available.

Q: When do you believe we will see the first central computers? Why?

A: I think we are closer than we think. I believe there are a combination of likely events that will bring us to the verge, and some software and solution development which will then push us over the edge. I believe that the date range for these innovations and solutions is 2010-2015. This will be the subject of future entries. Much of the proof of concept already exists in the homes of today’s enthusiasts who endeavor to bring the worlds of computing, electronics, and entertainment closer together.

This is the third in a multi-part series.

<<– Click Here For Prior Entry  Click Here For Following Entry–>>

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

The fate of the second is tenuous and at risk. It is the centralized group assistant. It resides in our homes and offices, unifying the interfaces and screens therein. It is a repository of everything shared and will offer high intelligence, connectivity, and interactivity without the strict size, power, and ergonomic constraints of our smaller decentralized assistant. It is the “central computer” asserted by Futurists of the 20th century and it is at risk of a priori [before the fact] extinction. A fascination with aggressive, small and highly impendent devices is depleting the intellectual effort needed to advance powerful, shared, stationary ones. The fate of the central computer is in your hands.

- ”Inez Drew”

Inez suggests that we may have a choice, an opportunity to fulfill the promise of a powerful, shared computer that brings into harmony the people, screens, surfaces, and interfaces of our home. The evolution of today’s “desktop PC” into the “central computer” of the future is a high charge. But if it does not occur soon, the desktop PC risks losing its relevance in Darwin’s race to smaller and more nimble devices.

I offer a metaphor for the evolution of the PC. It was invented to make the power of computing useful to the individual. It succeeded. But individuals move around, so it shrank so that it could fit into our pocket or backpack. It developed a powerful wired network. Later, it learned how to speak over the airways so that as we moved from place to place it could retain access to the shared knowledge and social structures of humankind. These portable devices evolved along several paths each filling specific needs – the media player, the smart phone, the laptop – but they are converging and ultimately will converge to a single device, if we are to believe Inez.

The challenge is to undo the digital knot, an ease-of-use chasm created by computing devices which do not share common services, configurations, interfaces, capabilities, or network status. Inez suggests a centralized group assistant which is able to provide a uniform and powerful experience which can be shared within and outside the home. I suggest that the PC is poised to take on this role of the central computer, sooner than we may think. This evolutionary path is not without challenges and dangers, yet I have come to believe, after much thought, that this idea is a catalyst of change.

Will the PC still tethered, sitting watching the evolutionary progress of its portable offspring, have a second successful evolutionary path? That, Inez states, is in our hands. Her hypothesis is that in a future state, a central computer will bind our home together, joining together the technology deployed throughout and the occupants living therein. It will be secure, reliable, connected, powerful, able to rescue the information of our decentralized clients lost in a cafe in Bali. It will be our local outpost for the “cloud” and serve as a powerful but secure shared computing resource cataloging and interconnecting our shared digital memories from the present to the distant past.

Without such a change, I fear the digital home will stagnate while the desktop PC becomes a candidate for the endangered species list. I believe that the evolved PC must evolve into a digital nexus, a centralized group assistant instrumental in simplifying ease of use for our entire home computing and entertainment experience. The data is a flashing red light – the smaller devices are rapidly out-competing the desktop for share of wallet and share of mind. I suggest that a shared objective, a future state which directs our thought, our design and engineering will help speed the transformation before it is too late.

This is the second in a multi-part series.

<< –Click Here For Prior Entry || Click Here For Next Entry–>>

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

-”Inez Drew”

Has the muse told us no more, and no less than exactly what we needed to hear? Seeking out a catalyst of change, let us put aside today’s reality and ask how the ideal digital home should be experienced by ourselves, our families and friends?

In a departure from the “anytime, anywhere” vision of the internet, I suggest we focus on “experienced by anyone with ease”. While I wish to access stored knowledge and entertainment whenever and wherever, I want a daily experience that is simple and fluid, not diluted with the navigation of different technologies, interfaces, and navigational paths. When I enter my home, all applications and information are available on every screen, available to everyone in my home. Our experience – the consistent way in which we interact with stored knowledge, entertainment, social spaces, and applications – is configured once, in one place, accessed and enjoyed in every place. I want a singular compute resource able to power my experience wherever we are, with a consistent connection and navigational path to personal, shared, and web resources. I want to customize my experience so it is different from others, and create capabilities that can be shared with family and friends, broadcast to wherever we are. I wish to maintain privacy while blocking unwanted content and threats, creating an environment that is secure and safe regardless of which room, screen, or interface employed.

Information and Services are Secure and Available

Configuration is Uniform and Ubiquitous

My Experience is Personalized and Portable

A Shared Experience Creates Community Knowledge and Entertainment

Here are concrete examples of the experience that I seek. Any video can be played on any screen. Any application I own needs to be installed only once, configured once, and available to my entire family. We can navigate to information and applications by the same path no matter where we are, independent of device or physical location. If we have a new peripheral such as a printer or drive, I can install it and we can access it, in the same manner, from anywhere. When my child walks up to any screen, they have access only to the subset of data, applications, and the web that we have designated. When I walk into the home, my portable devices and my home devices act as one, fully synchronized. We can play all of our games on every screen, big or small.

Now that we have the technical means to solve usage problems individually, we can focus on how to make them work together in daily life. Easier to setup, share, and extend. Customizing our experiences and extending that experience wherever we are. Yet, the proliferation of devices, software, and web applications has moved in the opposite direction, each device with its own user interface, settings, capabilities – its own experience.

To turn the tide in the digital home may require a breakthrough innovation, or a novel evolutionary turn which tends toward the unification rather than the fragmentation of our everyday experience. Where is our sword? Our catalyst of change? Are they close at hand and close to home, or far from reach?

This is the first in a multi-part series. The second has now been published and you can continue by clicking here –>>

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

Previously, I wrote a blog on What AMD offers the HTPC customer. It covered the MSI Media Live Diva platform (MSI 7411), which is produced in accordance with the AMD HTPC motherboard specification that we affectionately call “Maui.” I discussed the audio and video capabilities of the platform and some of the features that make it a little more unique in the HTPC space.

Today, I would like to offer a little more insight to this platform and show you just how much this platform can be customized. AMD, D2Audio and MSI worked hard to deliver a unique solution to the market. However, the work did not stop just because the platform was released. We have continued to innovate on this platform and we are quickly approaching the next phase of this solution.

One of the unique properties of the D2Audio designed chip is that it is programmable. Therefore, the firmware (f/w) of the audio cards can be updated to add new features and functionality. In some respects, this is similar to how a motherboard BIOS can be updated to add new CPU support or additional functionality.  With respect to the D2Audio chip, it can be customized to overcome the weakness of a given speaker, customized frequency response curves, customized crossover frequencies, etc. 

Well, D2Audio has taken the next step and is bringing some of this programmability to life to help enable our System Integrator partners to take full advantage of many features of the D2Audio DAE-3 chip. At the time of this posting, it has yet to be determined how to make some of these things available to the DIY user, but it is under discussion.  What I am hoping you take away from this blog is just how powerful and robust this unique platform is and how much it can be customized to meet a user’s needs.

In this particular case, words won’t quite do it justice so I am including some screen shots of a D2Audio tool called Audio Canvas^TM.  Audio Canvas^TM is an application that has the “buttons and knobs” that control the programmability features of the D2Audio chip. 

Now, enough talk; let’s take a deeper look inside the “Maui” platform’s audio features enabled by Audio Canvas^TM.  Below is a view of the Audio Canvas^TM control panel. It represents the signal flow of audio though the DAE-3 chip and the control blocks that can be optimized.  (Click on images to enlarge)

Audio Canvas Control Panel

As you can see from the picture above, with the control panel there are tonal adjustments, 5 band parametric EQ, Matrix Switcher, High Pass and Low Pass crossover filters, Channel Router, Master Volume, Loudness, Compressor and individual channel volume. It should be noted that many of the controls you see here are available on each channel independently.  Therefore, you can adjust each audio output (Left, Right, Center, etc.) independently of the others. All of this happens in real time; no need to recompile- make a change and you hear it immediately from the speakers (assuming you have content playing back as you make adjustments). Here is a closer view of some of these controls.

The images above show the tonal control response curve (left) and the 5 band parametric EQ response curve (right).  On the Tonal control panel, there are 4 knobs used to control the frequency response and gain (volume) for the bass and treble frequencies.  Rotating the knobs will change the frequency response and graph below the knobs. On the parametric EQ graph, there are 5 bands that can be adjusted for both gain (center green dot) and bandwidth (pair of green dots).  Furthermore, the EQ has a summation effect where the bands can be added to increase the gain by setting the centering point on each band to the same frequency.  This would allow you to boost the bass response in one channel, for example, or filter out a bad frequency that might be distorting.  You could also use these controls in conjunction with your speaker’s response curves (contact your speaker manufacturer) to optimize the audio outputs to your speakers.  Likewise, if you have a mixed set of speakers (for example, different surround sound speakers from your main left and right), you could adjust the audio outputs on a per speaker basis. Response curves shown are not necessarily recommended settings but purely an example to show some range of control available.

In the image above, you see how to set High Pass and Low Pass crossover filters. The panel provides control for the type of filter, in this case a Butterworth Filter, but there are Bessel and Linkwitz-Riley filter options as well. There are also settings for both the slope and the cut off frequency. The shaded blue area represents the frequencies being filtered out.  By using both a low and high pass crossover filter it is possible to create a band pass filter if so desired.

  The image above shows how the router can be used to remap the channel outputs.  This is useful if you wanted to do a multi-zone environment where instead of 5.1 speakers in one room, you might have 3.1 in one room and 2 more speakers in another room. 

Above is the Compressor/Limiter.  This is useful when you have content that was encoded at different volume and/or gain settings.  With the compressor, you can set a threshold and then automatically increase or decrease gain based upon the threshold setting and the ratio.  Factors such as the attack and release are used to determine how fast it should ramp and release the gain.

Lastly, there are three different points in the control panel (next to the EQ buttons, LP buttons, and independent volume buttons) where you can open up a VU/Level meter to monitor the signal level at each point to ensure that you have the appropriate headroom as you make adjustments.

As you can see, the Audio Canvas^TM application is more of a tool for engineers, system integrators and/or audio enthusiast and not something for the everyday user.  However, what this represents is just how much control an individual can exert over their audio environment when using the MSI platform with the D2Audio chip on board.  Furthermore, this new firmware enables the hooks necessary for programmers to develop their own user interface to control the audio experience.  As mentioned in the earlier blog, the audio characteristics offered on this platform are certainly impressive on their own- combine such performance with such programmability and you have the makings of a very unique solution indeed.  It is just another one of those things that set this platform apart from other HTPC solutions on the market.

Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

One solution being offered by the US Federal Communications Commission is a digital-to-analog converter box that receives over-the-air digital signals with your antenna converts them to analog and sends the signal to your television. This will allow you to watch Digital free-to-air television on an analog TV. In any case, these digital-to-analog converter boxes are primarily intended for standalone TV sets, and may not be well suited for PC use.

It’s not often that we see a huge technological shift that affects each and every American-from those who have never turned on a computer to the most diehard tech enthusiast. For AMD, and in particular, for those with a history in our graphics team, talking about TV encourages us to look back at our own company’s history in changing the way people watch television.  It was 13 years ago, in 1996, that ATI Technologies (now a part of AMD) released the ATI All-In-Wonder^TM, world’s first combination graphics and TV tuner card, giving consumers the ability to play early PC games and watch television on their computer. This paved the way for a series of innovative TV on PC products from AMD that let consumers program and record their favorite TV shows (long before the word TiVo became a household name) and receive free over-the-air TV signals for budget-friendly, high-quality home entertainment.

The newest addition to AMD’s TV-on-PC roster is the just released ATI Theater^TM HD 750 which brings HDTV and digital video recording (DVR) capabilities to desktop and notebook PCs using free-to-air broadcast signals without the need of a converter box. With DTV signals reaching 98% of the US population, anyone can gain access to their favorite hit shows, live sporting events, and a variety of local programming from the major US broadcast networks.  And because we know that watching visually intense shows like Heroes and Lost demands only the best in picture quality, AMD has made further tweaks to the video processing and signal reception technology to help you see clearer, crisper and more vibrant images than any of our previous generation of PCTV products.

AMD has also worked with our technology partners to offer this chip in a variety of form factors that make it easy to add on to existing systems-including: a plug and play USB “stick” that could connect to a laptop computer; a mini PCI Express Card that will fit into a sleek home theater PC in the living room; and the more traditional PCI Express board that fits well in the home computer. For those looking to upgrade to a new laptop or desktop computer with TV tuner capabilities built into the box, stay tuned for anticipated product launches from major manufacturers later this year.

What also makes this product unique, is that it is our first TV tuner that is compatible with both digital and analog TV signals from around the globe-so you could potentially take your laptop on a trip to Hong Kong, power it up and be able to pick up the local free-to-air broadcast. AMD is prepared not just for the US digital transition but also for the global digital transition. Planned broadcast transitions include: October 2009 in Denmark, April 2010 in Spain, July 2010 in Estonia, August 2011 in Canada, January 2012 in Hungary and Romania, December 2012 in Bulgaria and Italy, with many more just around the corner.

Ultimately, the ATI Theater HD 750 is all about bringing affordable and high quality TV watching to PC owners everywhere.  Whether you are a college student who needs a less expensive alternative to cable or a condo owner looking for a space friendly way to add a second TV to the house, the ATI Theater HD 750 really does have something for everyone-especially those who don’t want to be left in the dark when their old school rabbit ears won’t cut it anymore.

Shane Parfitt is Product Marketing Manager, PCTV  Group at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

By now you may have already heard some of the exciting news for the HTPC space over the last few weeks. However, in case you had not, let’s spend a little time talking about it here.

Last week Hulu announced a desktop application that allows you to use a standard Media Center type remote to navigate and view content on Hulu’s website. Now, instead of the traditional mouse and keyboard interface in a two-foot environment to navigate the Hulu website (think watching Hulu at your desk on a computer monitor), you can now launch this desktop application while using your Windows® Media Center Edition remote  in a 10-foot environment (think watching Hulu from your couch on your big HD screen). Adding this so called “Lean Back” interface technology is a big step for Hulu in making it easier for consumers to access and watch content in a much more user friendly environment. This experience can even be integrated into Windows Media Center Edition by using something like the MCE Menu Mender application so you can launch the Hulu application from inside Media Center Edition instead of the desktop.

Earlier this week, YouTube announced YouTubeXL. This is another 10 foot UI for YouTube content. While Hulu chose to release an application enabling the 10 foot experience, YouTube chose to launch a website that provides the 10 foot navigation.  In either case, this is great news for consumers that want to enjoy content from their couch instead of sitting and staring at a desktop or laptop computer screen.

But it does not end with Hulu and YouTube. A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft announced that they have teamed up with Netflix to support integration of Netflix functionality into the Windows Vista® Media Center application. While you could always do this via a 3rd Plug In application, what makes this interesting is that Microsoft recognizes the need for easy access to more content and is taking steps to make that happen.  Now, Microsoft has not yet (at the time of this posting) integrated Netflix functionality into the upcoming Windows® 7 platform.  I can’t speak for Microsoft here, but I would expect them to offer this in Windows 7 as well given that they just launched it in Windows Vista.

These are exciting times.  The role of PC technology in the home is constantly changing for the better.  As content owners and distributors integrate more 10-foot user interface (aka Lean Back) technology into their distribution model and as Microsoft further integrates those things into their Media Center application, the usage model and viability of the HTPC type platform increases.  The industry is rapidly changing, bringing more content to the consumer in ever easier ways to navigate and enjoy that content.

So, tell us what you think about these industry changes.  Are you taking advantage of all the content out there? Are you finding it easier to access this content? What do these changes mean to you? Du Yu Hulu?     

Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

My first job at AMD was as a Support Engineer helping customers with our networking products.  Back then, I was dealing primarily with engineers at companies like Cisco, Netgear, and even the federal government that used AMD’s networking chips at the time.  After a while, I took on the role of CPU support engineer and eventually I supervised the whole North America support team.  One thing I quickly learned is that there are a wide variety of support issues out there and no matter how well trained you might be, no one knows everything.  It is important to have variety of resources available when you need that next level of support.

The Internet has become a great resource for getting support, sharing ideas, researching products and so much more.  Forums, blogs, support sites, web review sites, the list goes on and on.  There is almost limitless information out there that can greatly aid you in your endeavors. 

To ensure we are all on the same page, let me provide a brief explanation on terms I am using. 

Forums are community message boards where members can interact, and post questions/answers to other members.  These are typically user to user environments.  They are often organized by topic and in many cases free to join. Some forums may be regional in nature (language, etc.) while others are more international.

Blogs (like this one) are typically limited to a few (or even a single) author writing about various topics. They may be informal experiences or formal guides on a specific topic.  It is usually one way communication but often also allows for comments that may or may not be addressed by the author. 

Support sites are typically the official communication channel back into the manufacturer for any support related issues.  They may include email forms, telephone support numbers, knowledgebases and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) along with product documentation.  Some support sites will also have their own forums dedicated to their products. 

Web Review sites are typically 3rd party sites that independently review products in the market.  These vendors may buy hardware off the shelf and review it or be sent products from the manufacturer for review.  Review sites try to maintain an independent voice when reviewing products to maintain their credibility.

In keeping with the HTPC theme I started, I thought I would share some specific resources that I have found useful in my HTPC travels.

Some of these sites are forums (community gatherings of people with similar interests) while others are blogs (like our own blogs here) written by people that may have some level of expertise in the HTPC arena.  Sites are listed in no particular order and are a mix of Forums and Blogs. 

AVS Forum. One of the premier sites for anything audio/video related and a great resource for the HTPC.

Australia’s XP/Media Center Forum. A great bunch of blokes sharing an interest in the HTPC community in the land of Oz.

AV Forums in the UK. A great forum for HTPC and general computer related topics.

Ian Dixon’s website. A great source and early pioneer for HTPC and Home Server related topics.

Chris Lanier’s blog.  Another one of the pioneers of the HTPC space.

Missing Remote. A general HTPC resource.

HTPC Forums. A small forum community dedicated to all things HTPC related.

The Green Button. Another great resource for Microsoft’s Media Center.

Hack 7MC. Another great resource for Microsoft’s Media Center that is focused on Window’s 7.

Geek Tonic. A great resource for Sage TV related content.

Silent PC Review. 3rd party review site and a great source of info for helping keep your HTPC quiet.

If you are having difficulties with your HTPC, there are plenty of people out there willing to lend a helping hand.  Sometimes, it is just a matter of knowing where to look.

The sites listed above are just a few of the great resources and communities that can help you on your way and only begin to scratch the surface.  If you know of some great HTPC support sites and communities, please leave a comment.  I am sure others would love to hear about new places where knowledge can be shared and gained.

Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

-        Inez Drew

I don’t think that we will need to consciously think about converting video in the far future. I expect that PCs and media players will dynamically recognize, convert, shuttle, and play our media with fantastic, automated ease. Today, however, the process does not have the same fully automated ease but thanks to the ATI Video Converter, it’s getting simpler. The tool is a free part of the ATI Catalyst^TM 9.5 driver designed for PC’s with ATI Radeon^TM HD graphics. To see how to use the tool in media workflow, read on. You can also check out my “how-to” video for the ATI Video Converter.

Most people start with video from a few sources and play it back on just a few devices. We start with something and convert (which I have notated with “→”) to something else compatible with our target use. My most frequent conversions are listed below.

Digital Camcorder → DVD | Portable Media Player |  HDTV

Original 720P HD Video → DVD | Portable Media Player | Digital Media Adapter for HDTV

Windows PC Video → Portable Media Player

And here again, this time with the native formats for each:

Digital Camcorder [Standard definition MPEG2] → DVD [MPEG2] | Portable Media Player [DIVX & H.264]|  Home Theater PC for HDTV [720P or 1080P H.264 or MPEG2]

Original 720P HD [MPEG2 and H.264] → DVD [Standard definition MPEG 2] | Portable Media Player [DIVX & H.264] | Digital Media Adapter for HDTV [720P H.264]

Windows PC Video [Windows Media 9] → Portable Media Player [DIVX & H.264]

With the free ATI Video Converter, I can complete all of these conversions by simply stepping through the tool.*  The ATI Video Converter supports my major conversion tasks and more, supporting these and many other format conversions. Customized settings for portable media players such as the PSP and iPod can be selected directly as an output format.  This list is not comprehensive but shows how the capability of the tool maps to my video conversion tasks:

MPEG2 → 720P H.264, 1080P H.264, DIVX and others

720P MPEG2 → DVD Sized MPEG2, DIVX, 720P H.264, 1080P H.264 and others

Windows Media 9 → DIVX,  DVD Sized MPEG2, DIVX, 720P H.264, 1080P H.264 and others

The tool works quickly and in my own tests on an AMD Phenom^TM II X3 or AMD Phenom^TM II X4 based PC kept more than half of the systems resources free for other tasks. On my PC with AMD Phenom^TM II X4 940 with ATI Radeon^TM HD 4870 graphics I was able to convert a 720P MPEG2 video to iPod H.264 format in about half the full length of the video, and I then converted the content to  H.264 video in about the same time as the length of the video, all in the background while my PC had plenty of resources for other tasks.

AMD is working with independent software makers like Cyberlink to implement ATI Stream technology in their tools. ATI Stream technology is the underlying software technology in the ATI Video Converter which helps to balance the video conversion tasks across the central processor and graphics processor to speed performance and keep more system resources free for multitasking. More on ATI Stream technology and these applications in a future entry.

The ATI Video Converter is included in the new ATI Catalyst drivers version 9.5 which can be downloaded at www.amd.com. Also, be sure to check out Nigel’s new blog on ATI Stream technology. If you are interested in more great software from AMD you can read about Fusion Media Explorer here.

*  Use of the ATI Video Converter requires a system containing an ATI Radeon^TM HD 4600 series or ATI Radeon^TM HD 4800 series graphics card

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

Depending on when you read this, I will either be preparing for, in the middle of or finished with a Webcast about getting started with a Home Theater PC (HTPC) today. If it’s the first two, you can join it in action now.  And if you weren’t able to make it, I hope you’ll catch a replay.  If you’ve ever considered making the move to watching TV via the Internet a more permanent set up, take a look at our Webcast and keep reading.  I’d like to take a few moments to talk about taking the HTPC plunge.  I’ll also provide some details on where you can purchase the equipment needed to start enjoying your own HTPC. 

With the growth of online entertainment content, the HTPC puts the power of your TV experience in your hands, and I believe that it’s simple enough for just about anyone to do.  As I wrote here, my family and I took the plunge a few months ago and so far so good.  We watch what we want, when we want, and how we want to view it.  And because the HTPC can also serve as a Blu-ray/DVD player, DVR, photo library, music/DVD library and radio I’ve managed to clear a lot of clutter and wires out of the family room.

In all fairness, there are minor drawbacks to getting all your content online.  There are a few more steps involved in getting your content and you may not have access to all the same content as you do with cable/satellite.  But, happily, the choice is ours-cable+internet content, or 100% internet content.

Let’s get started …

So now that you’ve done your research and decided that a HTPC is right for you, the next step is finding out how to get content from over the air (OTA) broadcasts and through online content providers (see list here). Next, you’ll need to locate the right HTPC equipment.

For many, a turn-key solution from a system integrator or OEM vendor is the best option. It provides easy access to premium content and is easier to maintain and configure than a DIY system.  For those who may want or need a shortcut, many of the system integrators will come to you and not only install your HTPC, but offer additional services and functions like home automation.  Check out this entry for more details on getting the most from your HTPC from a system integrator (it even talks about setting up Blu-ray to play on your HTPC!). 

You may want to check out the following companies who are offering quality HTPCs with digital TV tuners as part of the package.  (To expand your content I highly recommend a TV tuner, such as the ATI TV Wonder^TM 650 PCIe® combo card.)  Below are valued AMD industry partners and you can bet that they’ll provide you top-notch products and services.

Ace Computer (Home Installer/Consumer Channel)

Aspen Media Products (Home Installer/Consumer Channel)

Colorado vNet (Home Installer/Dealer channel)

Fluid Digital (Home Installer/Consumer Channel)

Maingear Computer (Consumer Channel)

Okoro Media Systems (Home Installer/Consumer Channel)

By the way, for those of you looking for a more advanced DIY (and cordless) HTPC set-up check out my previous entry.  I list out the steps I took to cut the cord so to speak.

The possibilities for your HTPC continue to expand.  Last week, Microsoft announced that Netflix streaming is available through Media Center with Windows Vista®. And software options from AMD and others provide enhanced visual experiences for everything from media library inventory to video conversion.  And with the appropriate playback hardware and software you can use your HTPC to play back all your favorite DVDs and Blu-ray discs with just a click. 

For more tips and tricks on how to get started on your HTPC – or on how to get the most out of your existing set-up – I invite you to browse through the AMD@Home blog.  And if you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section. In fact, I will be giving away ATI TV Wonder TV tuners to three commenters who leave a comment here about today’s Webcast. The winners will be selected at random.*

 Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Eligibility: United States residents, 18 years and older. One (1) entry per person or e-mail address. See Complete “HTPC Webcast TV Tuner Drawing” OFFICIAL RULES for additional rules and details. [insert link to Official Rules here]. Additional restrictions may apply, void where prohibited.

You’re invited to join AMD for a webcast on Wednesday May 27 about the increasingly popular Home Theater PC (HTPC) platform, and how to achieve feature-rich television content directly on your home PCs. I will be discussing many of the issues covered in this blog, and there is opportunity for a Q&A afterwards. Please join AMD and get involved in the discussion. Full details below.

 When: Wednesday, May 27; 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT

Where: http://www.livestream.com/amdunprocessed

In an earlier writing I shared my family’s experience with cutting the cord.   Overall, things are still going smoothly for us.  I have been asked several times how we did it, so I thought I would provide more details on our transition.

I realize that cutting the cord for an HTPC may not be for everyone. There are many different solutions for consuming content (both online and locally based PC content). While some have very attractive price points, they also include challenges that potentially limit the experience.  Limited storage capabilities, limited selection/availability of online content sources and lack of DVD/Optical drive, combined with the additional complexity of another box under the TV, made me realize that these scenarios just did not work for my home.  Here are the steps I took to create a cordless HTPC set up.

1 ) Selecting the right platform
Whether you buy or build, at the heart of any cord free experience is the hardware. Choosing hardware is not always about the most powerful or most expensive solution, it is about the most elegant solution. It needs to meet your expectations and those of the family (assuming there are multiple family members/users of the box). It should to deliver the full entertainment experience, yet be quiet enough for the living room.  It’s critical to evaluate your needs and what you want your box to do. 

I selected the MSI Media Live Diva board that offers great video and audio — an integrated solution that combines the functionality of several components into a single box under the TV.  This scenario provides the simplicity I want for my home. 

For my CPU choice, I went with a low power (65W) AMD Phenom^TM X4 quad-core processor.  Some may say this is overkill for a stand alone device; however I plan on expanding my media entertainment access by adding media extenders in the near future. The quad -core processing will allow me to stream content to other rooms while servicing the main HTPC needs and is still a low power processor.   

2 ) Selecting the right chassis
Previously, I provided several examples of chassis for the HTPC market space and discussed how vendors are developing technology and chassis to meet the market needs. Care should be taken to understand the requirements of the chassis while considering the look and feel that best suits your decor and budget.  Given the subjective nature of beauty, only you can determine which chassis is the right one for you.

3 ) Selecting the right software
Much like the hardware selection, choosing the software interface can make or break the cord free lifestyle. Microsoft® Windows® Media Center is one option, while alternatives include Sage TV, XBMC, Boxee and others. Each offers its own unique approach to delivering that 10-foot experience.  Currently, I am using Windows 7 Media Center (the public beta version), but the other options are certainly viable.

Another important step is loading the up-to-date drivers.  Having the right drivers installed will help ensure that all the devices are functioning normally while providing the performance needed for smooth audio and video playback.

An optional step is installing the desired plug-ins to get the most out of your HTPC.  A list of potential plug-ins was offered in an earlier blog.  

Lastly, I would suggest that once you have the box working as intended, don’t mess with it.  I have seen too many systems fail because the builder did not leave well enough alone. As the saying goes: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

4 ) Increase your bandwidth speed
One of the first things I decided upon was to increase my broadband speed.  Whether it’s DSL, cable, FIOS or some other broadband connection, consuming video can require a fast connection for stutter free playback of video content.  I chose to spend a little more per month on the faster service knowing that it can help me not only offset, but actually save money each month by not having a paid TV service bill (see “Install a TV Tuner” below). I am using a cable modem with a 7Mbps download / 512Kbps upload plan.

5 ) Choosing a remote or wireless keyboard
There are many options to control your box.  Most controls are wireless and operate the box from a distance.  Some use infrared (IR), while others use radio frequency (RF) and still some are starting to use Bluetooth (BT) to operate the HTPC. Generally, they all perform the necessary functions. 

Choosing the right solution depends on the operating environment and how you will be using the HTPC.  A fully functional keyboard and mouse allows the HTPC to be both an entertainment device and a fully functional PC (email, web surfing, etc.).  A remote control with no keyboard/mouse can also be useful.  I am using the Gyration Media Center Remote in our home. I plan to write a blog post about the various options and the features they offer — so stay tuned.   

6 ) Online content
Online content is a big part of cutting the cord. Finding and saving those online content-rich sites is an important step.  Previously, I offered websites/sources of where you can find online TV and movie content.  I recommend that folks bookmark their favorite sites and perhaps set up folders in their browser links bar.  I set up folders according to content type (Network TV, Kid’s Programming, Specialty Channels, News Channels, etc.) and then bookmark the sites in each folder.  This makes it easy to find the site and content that our family likes to watch. 

Note: Some online content providers require the installation of proprietary players. Be sure to have the right playback software installed so you can enjoy the online content of your choice.  

7 ) Install a TV Tuner
To me, the TV tuner is an integral part of the HTPC experience and another one of the strengths of the HTPC.  By combining the online content with the Over the Air (OTA) broadcasts, I really do get the best of both worlds.  Now, not all areas of served with many local broadcast stations, but if you do happen to have a robust OTA market, a TV tuner can really expand your access to content.  Alternatively, some TV tuners can tune in clear QAM channels (unencrypted digital cable content) broadcast by your cable provider. Contact your local cable operator to find out just how many clear QAM channels they provide. In my case, I went with our ATI TV Wonder^TM 650 PCIe® combo card. Paired with a home made antenna, I get great local digital TV reception and no monthly fee.

8 ) Install DVD or Blu-ray drive
Adding a Blu-ray drive into the HTPC integrates one more device and one less box/remote under the TV.  With an integrated drive, when used with a software playback application like Arcsoft’s Total Media Theater or Cyberlink’s Power DVD, you can enjoy DVD and Blu-ray movies without the need for a stand-alone player (don’t forget that an HD monitor is required). It really simplifies the overall usage model and removes the added cost and complexity of a separate player.

9 ) Setting up a network
Given that you are trying to cut the cord, online content is likely to play a major role in your viewing habits.  Unfortunately, the broadband pipe coming into the home may not be in your living room, so you may need to set up a home network to access the content from your HTPC. Now, don’t panic as this is really not as hard as it sounds. 

In my home, I don’t have an Ethernet (wired LAN) port in my living room, so I set up a wireless network to connect to the internet and download/stream content from the web to the HTPC. A wireless 802.11g  (a.k.a. wireless G) network may or may not work well for you depending on how much traffic is routinely on your network.

To ensure I had enough network bandwidth to service all the PCs in my home along with the HTPC, I opted for a D-Link® 655 802.11n router (a.k.a. wireless N). Now, we have plenty of network bandwidth available for the HTPC to stream content from the web without dropping frames.  My new router also supports QoS (Quality of Service) which allows me to set priorities for different types network traffic or give priority to certain devices on the network (like the HTPC). Don’t forget to secure your wireless network during set up.

10 ) Break out the snacks
Once your HTPC is set up correctly, break out the popcorn or your favorite snack, sit back and enjoy all the content from the comfort of your couch.

So there you have it – how I eliminated my paid TV services and moved to an OTA and Online TV model.  While we may not get all the exact same content we had before, we now have access to a wide variety of new content.  And I think it shouldn’t take long for my monthly savings to cover the costs of what I spent to switch to this new entertainment model – although, as they say, your mileage may vary.

If you have an experience to share, please add your own personal story in the box below.
 

Till next time, Happy Trails!

Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

- “Inez Drew”

There are two things to know about me. First, I have a muse, who I call Inez. Second, Inez has seen the future.

I have been enjoying the new beta of the AMD Fusion Media Explorer and thinking about a future where we can explore the digital memories of our distant past. Imagine the digital record potentially available to our descendants, browsing photos a thousand years old, connecting their knowledge of the past and the present to all of human kind. Imagine if we had a window to our past, a camera on thousands of ancestors from our distant past? A living history that showed a personal connection to the people and history of the last thousand years?

With the AMD Fusion Media Explorer I cannot synthesize images of my distant past, but I can enjoy digital memories and browse them in a way which makes me feel like a citizen of the future. The ribbon invokes a “fabric of time” and with it I can view my entire history or probe just a piece of it. I can quickly browse images and preview videos using a thoroughly modern interface that complements the functionality of Windows. I can search for family members or places. Even recall a specific week or a specific day. My friends can share photos on Facebook and I can see them at once without navigating online to each friend and each album, seeing them as an integral part of my own history.

The technology of Fusion Media Explorer is a glimpse into the future. The interface is rendered in 3D using the graphics engine of an ATI graphics processor. This allows images to bend on the ribbon, the use of reflections on the black mirrored surface beneath, and accelerates playback while improving the quality of high definition video. For search of local media, the AMD Fusion Media Explorer integrates the powerful file indexing engine of Windows Vista.

With AMD Fusion Media Explorer I have been able to retrieve memories lost on my hard drive and to better organize them by putting them in a proper place. It gathers my photos and videos and feels like a natural extension of my visual memory, reminiscent of the future proposed by Inez.

Here are images of AMD Fusion Media Explorer navigating my recent past…

Be sure to check out Casey’s introduction to Fusion Media Explorer and the free download. And you can also see my prior blog “Virtual Purgatory on the Path to the Cloud”

Simon Solotko is a Senior Advanced Marketing Manager at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

One of the things that has become very apparent to me over the last year is that my TV viewing habits have completely changed.  In the past, I would either watch TV shows live or DVR them and watch them later that same day or night.  Lately I have found that my wife and I often catch up with our favorite TV shows (Lost, Heroes, The Office, Lie To Me, and 24) on the weekend, when life slows down a bit.  We will either watch them on the DVR in our media room, or we will watch them using Hulu on our Bedroom TV (using a PC).   Occasionally we will even use our Slingbox to stream the shows from our media room to the PC in the bedroom.

Recently however, my bedroom PC has started to show its age, and has become a bit unreliable.  I decided one easy way for me to test out the DV2, was to hook it right to my TV and see what happened. 

I had a DV2 at the house anyway, since I was using one for AMD Fusion Media Explorer testing.  With the DV2’s nice and convenient HDMI port I figured this would be a snap.  I proceeded to run an HDMI cable between my Visio 37” LCD, and the DV2.  Within less than 5 minutes I was up and running.  While I was able to use the DV2’s integrated keyboard and mouse for navigation, I found myself missing the convenience of a wireless keyboard and mouse.  I hooked up my Gyration mouse, and it automatically loaded the driver and I was in business less than a minute later.

In addition to being able to stream content from my favorite TV sites (Hulu, Fancast, Veoh, TV.com, nbc.com, abc.com, etc.),  I was also able to watch my collection of archived movies, and TV shows, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD movies.  I like to save my movies and TV shows in either WMV or DiVX file formats.  Unfortunately, most CE devices won’t play either of these formats.  The nice thing about a PC, like the DV2, is support is only a codec install away.

Another feature I put to quick use, is the Sling Media Player, which comes preinstalled on the DV2.  I have only 1 cable box in my house, (and hoping to get to none when my Time Warner contract runs out), so I use a SlingBox to get premium content from that box to the rest of the house.  I have my DVR setup to automatically record many of the shows listed earlier in the post.  As soon as I clicked on the Sling icon, it found my SlingBox, and after entering my password, I was watching TV in seconds.  It was a very intuitive and seamless experience.

As for the video quality in each of these uses cases are concerned, here if what I found:

Blu-Ray – Excellent.  Looked about as good as my PS3

DiVX/WMV – Very Good.  While not as stunning as Blu-Ray, I was more than happy with the playback

Slingbox – Very Good.  It was as good as I had seen it on any other PC I have tried it on.

Youtube/Hulu – Good.  Youtube playback can only be as good as the content.  The DV2 seemed to play it as well as any other PC I have tried.  As for Hulu, my experience was mixed.  The visual quality was very good, but I did notice an occasional stutter.  My wife didn’t notice it though, so maybe I am just ultra picky.  It was still watchable, but wasn’t quite as smooth as it was on my quad-core “Dragon” platform system.

AMD Fusion Media Explorer – Good. Installing Fusion Media Explorer on the system was really the highlight of the experience for me.  Now I was able to surf the web while I watched TV or movies.  That is what I call “getting it done.”  Give me a 6 pack of Diet Coke and I am good for hours. 

I also really enjoyed the photo, music, and video experiences.  I found it very easy to navigate and find what I was looking for.  The performance of the ribbon isn’t as smooth as it is on higher end systems, but it was still quite usable.  I loved clicking on a song, and having it present music videos to me from Youtube.  I wasted about an hour just doing that. 

All said and done, I was really happy with my experience using the DV2 as a mobile media center.  The other nice thing is I can take it in the car and hand it to the kids in the back seat, and now they are good for hours.  As a standard notebook, the DV2 is great; but I really fell in love with this notebook’s better than expected multimedia capabilities.

Casey Gotcher is Director, Product Marketing at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

My name is Casey Gotcher, and this is my first official blog on AMD’s behalf.  I chose to wait a while, specifically to speak to this particular topic.  We have been working diligently for over a year now on this product, and I am very excited to finally take the wraps off of it publicly.

What is AMD Fusion Media Explorer?

Already convinced?  Get it here.

The AMD Fusion Media Explorer (FME) is a new 3D Immersive Social Media and Digital Media Browser, built and distributed by AMD.  In addition to enabling unique multimedia and social media experiences, FME does a great job of showcasing the power of AMD CPUs and GPUs. This application demonstrates what our platforms are capable of when the software is designed to take full advantage.

AMD Fusion Media Explorer combines a user’s local media items, plus related online content from providers such as, Flickr, YouTube, and Microsoft Live.  In addition, FME has Facebook integration which gives our users even more options for posting or interacting with their favorite photos or friends’ photos.  All of this is managed by an integrated search engine, that makes it very easy to quickly locate what you are looking for.

I like to put the goals of the AMD Fusion Media Explorer into these 3 buckets:

• Explore – Explore your digital media content, from multiple local and online sources, in a quick and easy to use browser.
• Experience – Experience your media in a more exciting 3D, immersive application
• Discover – Discover new related photos, and videos, pertaining to what you are currently looking at or listening to.

Primary Features of Fusion Media Explorer

Photos

• Find and View photos from your local hard drive, removable USB or SD cards, and online sources, such as Flickr, Facebook, and Microsoft Live.

• View related photos and videos from some of these online sources, which pertain to what you are looking at in the main viewing area.  For example, if you are looking at  your photos of Paris, you might also be presented with other users’ photos or videos from the same area.

• Upload your photos to your Facebook or Flickr account with a simple button click.  This is  often much faster and easier than going through the Web UI’s for these services.

Music

• Easily find and listen to your favorite music with our integrated search engine or 3D Ribbon.
• Use our AutoDJ feature to automatically queue up playlists for you from the same genre or artist you are currently listening to.  Click on one song and AutoDJ will take it from there.
• Be presented with related music videos or other clips while you listen.  For example, if you are listening to U2, you will likely be presented with some of their music videos to the right in our related media bar.

Video

• As was the case with Photos and Music, easily find the video, movie, or TV show you are looking for with our integrated search engine or 3D Ribbon.
• See your video collection come to life as FME will actually start playing multiple videos in the ribbon, while you browse, making it easier to find what you are looking for.  The better the performance of the machine, the more videos FME can play simultaneously.
• Watch full screen or send to the integrated Mini player so you can surf the Web while you watch a movie.
• Be presented with related YouTube videos pertaining to the content you are currently watching.  For instance you might see cast interviews, bloopers, and sometimes even full episodes, depending on what FME can find on YouTube that relates to what you are watching.

Some other details to note about FME… It has been developed for our notebook platform technology, “Puma” and desktop platform technology, “Dragon.”  It will be provided free to our customers, via download from www.amd.com, or in some cases may come pre-installed on select AMD-based systems.

Concurrent with the posting of this blog, I am releasing a special build of Fusion Media Explorer for friends and family members.  This will supersede our public beta by a couple of weeks.  If you are interested in giving it a try, you can find it here, www.amd.com/fmepreview or find me on twitter at www.twitter.com/caseygotcher if you need the link or (especially) if you have feedback on the application.

* Internet access is required to take advantage of the online search / retrieval functions.

Casey Gotcher is Director, Product Marketing at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.