So far I have looked at the Apple TV, Google TV, Boxee Box, WD TV Live Hub, Roku XD S and now I will look at the Xbox 360. The original Xbox was introduced in 2001 and the Xbox 360 in 2005. For this analysis, I used what is known as the Xbox 360 S for “slimline”, which became available in 2010. The Xbox 360 uses “Xenos” graphics from AMD, optimized for the game console. Many see the Xbox 360 as the best console out there, but the question is, how does it do as an entertainment DMA?

Video Content

The Xbox 360 can view video in many different ways, including buying and renting movies, TV shows and music videos. Those can be streamed or downloaded using the Video Marketplace and I could choose from 480p SD or 1080p HD resolutions, so there isn’t any question of what you are actually buying. When you buy movies from Zune, you get the rights to stream and download to the PC, Zune Player, and Windows Phone 7.

Zune TV and movies looked great. I was very impressed with the compelling backgrounds even while browsing for movies… a really immersive experience. This is very distinguished versus the other DMAs I used.

With an Xbox Live Gold account at $59.99 per year, I got ESPN and Netflix. My cable company, Time Warner, doesn’t support pass through ESPN3, so I don’t get access to live sports. ESPN clips looked really good and the experience with avatars and multiple “windows” was, again, immersive. Netflix looked the best I had seen on any of the DMAs I have tested so far.

I also streamed video from other sources, including networked Windows PCs via DLNA, Windows PC via Media Center, and external USB storage. The Xbox 360 handled UPnP and DLNA quite well and very fast, too. I had some CODEC issues streaming without Media Center; like a lack of audio playing back iPhone 4 video. When I pulled the same content from Media Center, the video would playback. I can only assume that my Media Center PC was recoding the video into a format the Xbox recognized.

The Xbox also comes with an integrated DVD player to play standard DVD movies.

Audio Content

The Xbox provided music in a few different ways. First, I could stream music via Last.fm and it looked absolutely fantastic on the display. Cover art was blended with iconography that redefined the music experience and turned it into a video show.

Users can also purchase a Zune Pass for one year at $149. This gets you one year of unlimited music downloads to PC, Xbox, and Windows Phone 7, and 10 songs per month to keep forever, even if you cancel. Like Last.fm, Zune Pass music also had these beautiful and artistic backgrounds.

Like video, Xbox 360 played audio from networked Windows PCs via DLNA, Windows PC via Media Center, and local USB storage. I recommend doing it over Media Center as the Xbox 360 interface is attractive, fast, and pulls over all of the cover art.

Photo Content

Unfortunately, there is no service to pull in pictures from Flickr or Picasa like all of the other DMAs. BUT, it DID provide iPhone and digital camera connectivity via one of its five USB ports.

The other way to see your pictures is similar to music and videos, via networked PC, Media Center or USB storage. I recommend doing it through Media Center because it is fast and looks great.

Game Content

As you would expect in gaming, the Xbox 360 rules infinitely over all the other DMAs I’ve tested. There are 2,732 games as of January 23, 2011. This includes some of the most popular game titles ever, including titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops, which Activision announced had grossed over $1B in less than two months.

Games can be purchased and demoed through the Games Marketplace.

Also, gamers can chat through audio or text while playing each other by purchasing one of numerous accessories.

Communications and Social Media

The Xbox 360 has many different ways to communicate with each other. Users can use text-chat using the optional Chatpad on Facebook and Twitter.

Users can also voice chat over Xbox Live using an optional wireless or wired headset.

Video chat (Video Kinect) is enabled with the optional Kinect peripheral and an Xbox Live subscription.

Networking

Like the other DMAs, the Xbox 360 S provides hard-line Ethernet and built-in WiFi “n”.

Home Connectivity

The Xbox 360 fit into my home environment better than anything I have tested so far. The UPnP and DLNA capabilities gave access to all my networked PCs and very reliably and consistently. I didn’t try to max out external content storage, but there are 5 USB ports, more than some PCs. As I outlined above, I could even “play” pictures off of my iPhone 4 and certain digital cameras.

Out of the box, my Xbox 360 S comes standard with composite video support and HDMI-out with the purchase of a standard HDMI cable. Component connections are an optional cable purchase.

Simplicity

The Xbox 360 provides a lot of different usage models spanning from hard core games to videos to music. It isn’t nearly as simple as the Apple TV but I find it much easier than the Google TV. The start page could be intimidating at first, but once you get used to the horizontal user interface, the easier it gets. The Xbox 360 controller gets some getting used to as it’s unlike any other living room controller around.

Using the Kinect controller, I could actually control my media using voice commands and hand gestures. This IS the way of the future for all consoles and TVs and I am amazed how usable Microsoft made this feature.

The Xbox 360 is by far the largest DMA I had ever tested, but then again it does a whole lot more than others. It was also the loudest, but given its spinning DVD drive and hard drive, it makes sense. It wasn’t distracting however. I have owned two previous Xbox units and the noise suppression work on the Xbox 360 S was nothing short of amazing.

Price

The range of price really depends on how you want to use your Xbox. If media streaming is your primary usage model, I recommend the $199 for a 4GB model. If your main usage model is media purchase and download, I would recommend the 250GB model at $299. The more storage, the more music and movies you can buy and download. This makes you less reliant on immediate network speed. There are bundles of the 4GB and 250GB models with Kinect, a savings of about $50. Services on the Xbox are pricey, particularly if you want to get Netflix and streaming audio over Last.fm. Those require an Xbox LIVE Gold membership for an additional $5 per month. A Gold membership also gets you unlimited downloads of game demos.

Conclusion

Using the Xbox 360 S as a living room media device was like watching a big-budget Hollywood movie, while many of the other DMAs were Indie films. Every transition and visual, whether it was for video, music, or games, felt produced and exciting which really separated it from other devices. At $199 for the entry model plus $5 per month for a Gold membership, I could strongly recommend the Xbox 360 S to anyone I knew except perhaps for the complete CE newbie and users wedded to Google Picasa and Pandora in their living room.

Have any comments or questions? Let me know below.

Next up, I will look at the multi-purpose Windows 7 PC and see how it stacks up as a living room device.

Pat Moorhead is Corporate Vice President and Corporate Marketing Fellow and a Member of the Office of Strategy at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.

See all Pat’s bio here or past blogs here.

Follow @PatrickMoorhead on Twitter.

Roku was one of the first commercially successful media streaming boxes out there.  I owned the first one and was pretty impressed with the then unknown Netflix video service.  The video and quality of the service was impressive, albeit SD.  The Roku XD S is HD with 1080p output and adds music, photo, audio, news, sports and even social media services to the game.  It is the first DMA I have tested that DIDN’T offer local networked PC content.

Video

The Roku XD S offers a variety of video services.  Most notable is the inclusion of Netflix, Amazon VOD, vimeo, AND Hulu Plus.  So far, I haven’t seen this number and variety of applications on any other device.  As notable is the absence of YouTube video. Odd, yes?

The video quality looked really good, especially the HD channels, although it is not made clear if I am really looking at 1080p resolution or not.  There isn’t any way to tell on Netflix or Amazon VOD.  It’s just called “HD” and that’s it.  I don’t know about you, but I want to know what I am getting, either 480p, 720p, or 1080p. That way I know if the image I’m watching is the director’s vision or the result of a lower resolution.

I didn’t experience any stutters on any video, even though the unit doesn’t have a hard drive.  This is the first device where I didn’t experience any video hiccups.  Services like Netflix and Amazon were pre-buffered in the on board memory before playback.

The TV connection is made by HDMI or composite, and for the cost of the extra cabling, component video.  I think the component cable should be thrown in, but at the impressive $99 you get what you get.

As described earlier, the Roku doesn’t support UPnP or DLNA for networked content.  Why care? Well, it means if you have content on any home PC, tablet, networked storage, or smartphone, you cannot get access to that video.  You would need to upload it to a cloud based service.  As there is no YouTube access, that could be tough for some.  I did upload some light videos to Picasa and played them back successfully.

Audio

The Roku XD S offers many services, notably: Pandora, MP3tunes, and TuneIn Radio.

Like video, the Roku doesn’t support networked PC music either.  To play my music, I needed to get an account with MP3Tunes.com, pay $4.95 per month, and then upload my music.  That $4.95 also gets you web, tablet, and smartphone access.  It is a very cool service and I recommend you try it, the free 2GB package, BUT with UPnP I would have this and wouldn’t need another service.

Photos

The following popular photo services are offered: Picasa, Flickr, Facebook photos, and SmugMug.

Web

The Roku XD S does not have a browser and therefore does not support the web.  Why care?  It’s individual, but for me it meant it was impossible, or at least not easy, to get my ESPN scores, WeatherBug, Twitter, Facebook, or web games.  I say this in the living room usage context.  I didn’t feel as shorted as there were apps for most of my preferred content.

Games

The Roku XD S does not provide any games.

Communications

The Roku XD S does not support text chat, voice chat, or video chat.

Social Media

Facebook photo’s “like” feature is supported.  That’s about it there.

Home Connectivity

As the Roku XD S doesn’t support UPnP or DLNA, options are limited.  It is virtually fire walled from all other content residing in the home.

Simplicity

I was shocked at how responsive and simple the Roku was.  The interface is all brand iconic for the services themselves.  Some users will love that, some users won’t. Given that local content off the PC isn’t supported, this was definitely the way to go.

The interface is the fastest and most responsive I have tried yet.  This makes a world of difference to me and it will make me use it even more.  It’s not the most attractive like with the XBOX 360, but it is as attractive as it needs to be.

Service authorization requires access to a web browser.  On one hand this is a pain, but on the other hand Roku has made this as straightforward as possible in most cases. You just go to the service URL and add a “/Roku”.  For example, you authorize Amazon VOD by going to amazon.com/Roku. Plug in the key and in about 5 seconds, the service is operable on the Roku with all your settings.  I had Netflix, Amazon, Picasa, Pandora, Facebook, and MediaFly up in about 25 minutes.

The remote is simple and I liked the feel of it.  The home button came in handy but I sometimes got confused with what looked to me like two “back” buttons.  I would like to see a smartphone remote.  Searching for movies, music, and RSS is a pain without a virtual keyboard. Also, in my five person household remotes walk away daily and I don’t want to be stuck without one.

Price

At $99 the Roku XD S is very affordable.

Conclusion

The Roku XD S is a pretty awesome living room DMA for media streaming from services, but not for content from networked PCs.  It was the biggest pleasant surprise of the bunch.  It is fast, simple, videos look good, no crashes so far, and has all the streaming services that many would want.  I can recommend it to a novice in living room devices.  At $99 you really cannot go wrong.  If streaming is what you want without access to home content, go for it.  If 1080p VUDU and access to networked PC content is what you must have, then no.

Have a comment or question?  Let me know below.

Next up, I will take a look at the XBOX 360.  Most of you know it as a kick butt game console, but how does it do in the context of a living room media adapter? I will show you.

Pat Moorhead is Corporate Vice President and Corporate Marketing Fellow and a Member of the Office of Strategy at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.

See all Pat’s bio here or past blogs here.

Follow @PatrickMoorhead on Twitter.

Western Digital has had a lot of experience in the digital media adapter (DMA) space and it’s apparent it has invested that know how into the Live Hub. The Live Hub is very interesting in that it is the first one I have looked at with onboard storage and legacy video out ports. In fact, it has a ton of storage, one terabyte! I guess I should have expected that from Western Digital. The storage enables movie purchases from Blockbuster, downloadable rentals, and the ability to have local personal content, so less worrying about home network OR broadband issues.

Storage

As I said above, the Live Hub comes with a 1 TB drive and therefore can load a ton of videos, photos, and music on the drive which must be copied over a network. It does not act like a standard USB drive, a slight drawback, but comes with an easy program to automatically mount a Windows drive. I could even set it to synch with another network drive. The system would also let me synch external USB storage and even network drives with the unit’s internal hard drive. Very cool, although the kind of functionality expected from WD.

Video

WD’s Live Hub offers a lot of video options. Not as many as the Boxee Box, the Swiss army knife of video, but close. The Live Hub offers video services from AccuWeather, BlockBuster, MediaFly video RSS, Netflix, and YouTube. Video RSS allows you to access virtually any video feed that publishes RSS, which is most.

The Live Hub played most local video I threw at it with some exceptions, some major ones. I had some audio synchronization issues with some 1080p files from a camcorder, MTS, and movie trailers downloaded off web sites. These were in standard formats, not exotic ones. Looking through the WD forums, I am not the only one with the issue. I cannot imagine this issue not being fixed with a future firmware patch.

I wanted better quality of on-line video. It seemed regardless of which on-line service I used, the quality wasn’t where I wanted it to be. Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube, it didn’t matter. On YouTube, it was like I was using the SD feed, not the HD feed. It could possibly have been my cable operator and bandwidth switching, I don’t know, but I tried it at all times of the day with the same result. The exception was BlockBuster which is a download and play service. Its video looked really good.

Blockbuster video was a very unique experience. Most services are streaming. Blockbuster is download and play. That, in a sense, helps buffer network congestion at peak times. Most interestingly is that it let me pick where I wanted to download content. I added an external USB hard drive and it was going to let me save it there… that really got my propeller whirring about the possibilities here of portable, DRM-encrypted content. The video looked great, too.

One thing I really appreciated was the proper handling of VOB menus. When I do pay to have horse shows videotaped, I get a DVD in this file format.

The Live Hub had the most complete array of video outputs of any DMA I have used. It had HDMI, component, and composite. You might say every TV has HDMI, which is close to the truth, but how many are there and are they filled?  Many TVs I have seen sold in the previous few years have 2 HDMI ports, one filled with a set top box and one with a Blu-ray player. That’s why component video is important. Also in a media room where you have a projector with just ONE HDMI cable input.

Finally, unlike all the DMAs I have explored so far, because I had a local hard drive, I didn’t need the Internet or a PC to access video, albeit needing the PC to get the content on the device.

Music and Audio

The device handled my favorite streaming site, Pandora, so I was very happy. Live Hub also comes with Live365 Radio and of course with MediaFly RSS, it can pick audio as well.

Local music and audio off a networked PC was handled like Google TV and Boxee, via UPnP. Just authorize your music folder to be shared, have your PC on, and Live Hub automatically detects it. Unlike the Apple TV, I didn’t have to have my media player open as I was streaming from the PC.

As with video, with my audio on the local hard drive I didn’t need access to network bandwidth or a PC to get to music.

Photo

Live Hub supports Flickr photo online services. Given that I use Picasa by Google, this didn’t help me a whole lot but to those who use Flickr it does.

Photos on a networked PC were handled like local music, via UPnP. Local photos on the Live TV Hub didn’t require a PC or bandwidth.

Games

Games are not available on the WD Live TV Hub.

Web

There is no “browser” and therefore no support for the “web”. Why does this matter?  It depends on each person’s preferred content. For me, it meant no Picasa photos, no Amazon VOD, no games, no CNN, and no ESPN scores.

Social Media

The Live TV Hub supports Facebook, but not very efficiently. I got to see two entries on my 60″ TV. If anyone out there knows how to increase this, let me know. Also, because there isn’t a QWERTY keyboard, “commenting” is harder than texting on a cellphone in the 90s. Links to websites cannot be displayed, either….

Communications

Chat, instant messaging or video chat is not available.

Networking

Like the Apple TV, Google TV, and Boxee, the WD TV Live Hub supports 100 Mbps hard wired Ethernet and WiFi N.

Simplicity

Setting up the WD TV Live Hub was relatively straightforward for the online services. To enable the hard drive sharing capability from the PC, I had to run a program which mounted the drive without having to go through Windows networking. It worked and was simple. Getting content on the Hub was a very different story. While I like the ability to just copy files over the network, I would have also liked to do a first time copy via USB at 480 Mbps. I have gigabit routers but unfortunately my home cabling is CAT 5e, maxed at 100 Mbps. It took me almost a day to fill up the drive from my PC.

Things got easier when I did get the content on the drive. WD has built a very attractive user interface (UI) called Mochi, very straightforward and upscale. The only issue I had was with the speed of drilling into folders. It crawled when I would click into a local or networked folder. Much slower than the other devices.

One UI feature I’d like to see added is a smartphone controller app. Every device has had this so far. It would make logging in, adding RSS feeds, finding the right YouTube feeds, etc. all the easier.

Home Connectivity

With HDMI, component, and composite video out, the Live Hub was very connectable to virtually any TV. Also, USB, network, and networked PC storage was very connectable and synchronized in an incredible variety of ways.

Most impressive is that the Live Hub is officially DLNA certified to the latest 1.5 level. That’s nice to know given it should stream content to other DLNA devices.

Price

The Western Digital Live TV Hub can be purchased for $199 which, remember, includes a 1TB hard drive, which is worth around $100.

Conclusion

The WD Live TV Hub is the box for sophisticated users who see value in the on-board storage of their content. The Live TV Hub has some incredible features like 1TB of on-board storage for content which eliminates the multiple failure points that could bring down other DMAs, namely the cable network, cable modem, router, and network. The storage capability with mounted network drives and synchronization and indexing of all other storage was awesome as well. It’s flat out the only device that allows for saving DRM-encrypted onto other storage devices, in this case via Blockbuster. It’s the only device I have tested so far that is DLNA certified as well.

I’d like to better understand why basic video streaming didn’t look as good as the other units I tested. I hope it was just my unit and not others. I’d also like to see a fix for the issue where some 1080p content had audio synch issues. The Mochi interface was simple and sexy, but at times was very laggy for me. I don’t know if this was inherent to the UI or content indexing, but it definitely had lag when clicking into folders. Finally, I would really like to see a smartphone-based controller to specifically help with text entry.

Next up, I will take a look at the Roku XD S.

Pat Moorhead is Corporate Vice President and Corporate Marketing Fellow and a Member of the Office of Strategy at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.

See all Pat’s bio here or past blogs here.

Follow @PatrickMoorhead on Twitter.

The Boxee Box by D-Link has one of the most unique designs I have seen in a long time.  It looks like something that should be in 2001: A Space Odyssey rising from the sand, not something you would expect to see in a living room.

Here are my thoughts in key areas:

Video content

Let me be very clear- the Boxee Box is the Swiss Army knife of video.  You want TV, movies, web video, RSS video, social media outlet videos and videos from your PC?  Boxee will most likely have it.  You can watch it now, you can watch it later, and you can share with friends. Sounds like Green Eggs and Ham, yes? J

Boxee has many “TV” channels built-in: Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, FX, History Channel, MTV, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, PBS, PBS Kids, Speed, Spike TV, The WB, TNT, TV Land, and VH1.

It also has, albeit limited, “movie” channels: Like EZ Takes, Indie Movies, MUBI, OpenFilm, YouTube Movies.  Netflix and Vudu are supposed to be supported at “end of 2010″, according to the Boxee website.  I would like to see Amazon VOD supported.

You can also get access to what I would consider “web” channels: YouTube via YouTube Leanback and Hulu via video aggregation.  Also supported are video streams from AccuWeather, Revision 3, Fancast, Crackle, Engadget, MLB.tv, Wired, TED, The Onion, NBA.com, blip.tv, Showtime podcasts, NHL Gamecenter, and NY Times.com.

If that’s not enough content, you can also stream via RSS video feeds.  Boxee has 600 feeds cataloged including HBO Films, TED Talks, and Diggnation.  You can also search or browse from the on-screen directory, which is split into multiple genres.

I also streamed videos from my Twitter and Facebook streams.  I added the accounts and the videos showed up in the “Friends” section.

One of the most impressive things I appreciated from Boxee was its ability to stream from my PC at very high definition.  Boxee supports a dizzying array of video formats: Adobe Flash 10.1, FLV/On2 VP6 (FLV/FV4/M4V), H.264 AVC (TS/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MP4), VC-1 (TS/AVI/MKV/WMV), MPEG-1 (DAT/MPG/MPEG), MPEG-2 (MPG/MPEG/VOB/TS/TP/ISO/IFO), MPEG-4 (MP4/AVI/MOV), DivX 3/4/5/6 (AVI/MKV), Xvid (AVI/MKV), and WMV9 (WMV/ASF/DVR-MS).   While not even shown in Boxee’s list, I did get 3GP (cellphone) files to play.

Finally I want to talk about video search.  All of the video feeds that Boxee has access to are indexed, so if you want to find “Dexter”, type in “Dexter” and you get access to the Dexter videos.  It would be nice if it also indexed my home videos….

Music and audio content

Boxee does music and audio too, but not nearly as comprehensive as video.  Online audio is supported by services such as Pandora and Radiotime.  There is no support for Slacker currently and I couldn’t get it to work via the “Boxee Web” app.

Boxee has an RSS app to listen to some popular shows and Podcasts.

Music and audio from the PC are also supported.  It works very similarly to the way Google TV does, via UPnP, a fancy acronym for a sharing standard between devices.  On Boxee, go to “Files”, select “Music”, and then add the PC and folder you want it taken from.  It pulled over some but not all of my cover art.  I need to look into that.  Like video, Boxee supports an exhaustive list of audio formats: MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AIF/AIFF, AC3/AAC, OGG, FLAC, DTS, and Dolby Digital/Dolby True HD.

Photo Content

Flickr is supported, but I really wish Google Picasa was.  I’d pay big money, at least $1.99.

From the PC, Boxee supports JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and TIFF formats.  It shares PC audio exactly the way music is shared and adds some different effects for slide shows.

Games content

Games aren’t supposed to work on Boxee but I had to at least try.  I went to UnlimitedWebGames.com and could actually load some games, but they were very slow or hard to play.  For the fun of it, I went to Onlive.com but couldn’t sign in.  I would be interested to see some living room games like “You Don’t Know Jack” playable on Boxee.

Web

Web access was a very interesting experience on Boxee.  It uses an app called the “Boxee Browser”.  I used the mini QWERTY keyboard on the back of the remote.  I found it useful to access content that none of the other channels, feeds, etc. provided.  I tried things like basic “search” and hit some news and social media sites.

My experience was very mixed.  The default search engine is Bing and it defaults to video search. That makes some things easier on one hand but harder on others.  For example, if you are looking for “ESPN”, you get a listing of ESPN videos, not a web listing.  I had to click the “Web” tab on Bing then I got what I wanted.

I’d really like to be able to scale fonts.  On sites like ESPN.com, all I get is a content band down the middle and blank spots on the side.  This is like what you would get on a PC with a large monitor. The difference is on a PC you can quickly and easily change text size and magnification.

One other thing I couldn’t figure out is why I couldn’t sign into sites like Slacker, Facebook, and Twitter.  I was able to enter user name and password, but wasn’t able to hit the “enter” button.  Maybe I was doing something wrong, but it just wouldn’t work for me.

My Boxee web experience made me appreciate the GoogleTV one all that much more.

Social Media

Even without native social media applications, there is a lot of social media integration.  Users can publish what they are watching with a note to Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Friendfeed and Google Buzz. Boxee even has their own social media network for users to share content and experiences.

As I outlined in “video”, if you connect your Boxee and Twitter and Facebook account, you can watch videos your friends posted.

Communications

Boxee does not natively support VOIP, chat or videophone.

Networking

My unit supported 100 Mbps wired ethernet and WiFi “n”.  It also supports some impressive networking options.  I could tweak proxies, enable web server, enable Windows file sharing, SMB client and VPN! More than many will ever need, but there if you do.

Simplicity

I found Boxee Box very difficult at first, but after using it a while, it got a lot easier.  The Boxee interface and apps took a while to learn.

I really appreciated the double-sided remote which on one side provided a simple three button experience.  Flip it over and you have a QWERTY keyboard, all in a remote shorter than the Apple TV’s.

I also really liked integrated video search capabilities.  I wish I had started there when I got started as it would have made it easier for me.  Essentially all the videos that are aggregated by Boxee are searchable, regardless of what way they need to be accessed.  As I said earlier, I wished it indexed my local PC content as well.

Home Connectivity

Home connectivity was similar to the Google TV.  I already talked above about gaining access to the PC’s photos and video. Theoretically, if a home peripheral supports UPnP or DLNA, Boxee should be able to pull from it.  It supports SAMBA, too.

I was VERY happy to see that adding an external USB hard drive “just worked”, unlike the Google TV.  And hard drives can be NTFS format, too.

Price

The Boxee Box by D-Link can be purchased for $199 at Amazon and a few other on-line stores.  I have heard some people say that they were able to cancel their cable TV service by using this device.  Funny, I found episodes of my favorite shows for free that I bought on iTunes.  Hmmmm…….

Conclusion

I see the Boxee Box by D-Link as video heaven for an advanced user who doesn’t want to connect a PC to their TV.  You can have 1080p-quality video, almost any way you like, particularly when Netflix and VUDU are added.  It’s immensely broad set of video formats make it great for local videos off the PC, too.  Flash 10.1 support opens Boxee up to the Flash-web world, which as many know is the broadest web video format around.  At $199, if you like the shows that are aggregated, you could potentially cut the cable TV cord.  For me to cut the cable TV tie, I would need to have access to Amazon VOD and access to live sport events.

Next up, I will look at the Western Digital TV Live Hub.

Pat Moorhead is Corporate Vice President and Corporate Marketing Fellow and a Member of the Office of Strategy at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.

See all Pat’s bio here or past blogs here.

Follow @PatrickMoorhead on Twitter.

Video Content

On paper, the GTV has a lot of video options: TV through the STB, Internet video, video apps, and video from a home PC. Preinstalled, GTV offers Amazon VOD, Netflix, NBA TV, YouTube, and Google Picasa.

Quality for the most part was good, especially local 1080p content from a PC.  Like the Apple TV, I did experience hiccups where I am guessing my cable company was choking from too many users and bandwidth became limited.  Amazon VOD stalled a few times on a movie then reset to a very low resolution experience.

With the Logitech Media Player application, I could find video on many PCs via UPNP/DLNA, but I couldn’t get it to do rendering on the PC if a video format wasn’t available on the GTV.  In fact, I couldn’t find the Logitech GTV on the certified DLNA device list.  Logitech states that “video” is beta and it acted like it.  I couldn’t get a whole lot of formats to run on it.

One of the bright video spots was Flash and HTML5 video.  Outside those sites blocking GTV, like Hulu, flash video ran pretty well.

I didn’t setup the TV functionality because the biggest value comes today with a Dish network DVR.  If used with my Time Warner Cable box, I still need two interfaces to control the DVR.  Engadget has a nice description of that here.

Music Content

The Logitech GTV offered Napster, Pandora, Last.fm, and Logitech Media Player as integrated music services. Given the GTV comes with a browser, you can theoretically go to any web site and stream music.

Playing music from my Windows PC was really easy.  It doesn’t require any specific media player like Apple TV does and none need to be open on the PC either.

Photo Content

The Logitech GTV offered Flickr, Google Picasa (via Gallery), MobileMe, and Logitech Media Player.  Like music, you can theoretically go to any web site and stream pictures.

As a Picasa user, I appreciated the whimsical Gallery presentation, which automatically updated photos as I uploaded them to Picasa from a PC.

Games

The GTV isn’t designed to play them but it doesn’t mean that they couldn’t in the future.  If my Nexus One can play games, there’s no technical reason they shouldn’t play on the big screen.  Of course, there is a lot of work that is required to make it work on a significantly larger screen at a decent, non-blocky resolution.

Web

The GTV comes with a fully integrated browser which gives access to just about any type of content. Having had a PC connected to my TV for years I was skeptical at first at why full web in a group environment makes sense.  The trick is finding, picking, and saving the right websites.  That’s not for a novice.

Search is integrated and I found it really valuable when looking for something the family wanted to see, particularly video.

To make all this search and web surfing easier, the GTV comes with a full sized QWERTY keyboard with an integrated track pad.  A bit odd sitting in the living room, but I guess if you are going full text input and voice C&C isn’t perfected, then a full size keyboard is the best.  Logitech does offer a smaller, optional QWERTY keyboard (seen below) and smartphone software to control the GTV.

Social Media

If you can do web, then obviously you can do Twitter, FaceBook, Buzz, and Bebo.  Strange as it sounds, over Thanksgiving break I sat in a room and “surfed” Facebook with 7 other people.  These text and image filled sites looked good on my 60” HDTV at 1920×1080 resolution.  I think it would be tough though, on a much smaller TV.

Communications

With its web browser, I could chat using apps that are integrated into the browser like G-Chat, but not using apps that need installed like Pidgin. I don’t know too many people who would want to chat on a TV, but then again I didn’t expect to be Facebooking with 7 people over Thanksgiving.

With the optional video camera and a Logitech Vid account, you can do HD video calls with others using the Logitech Vid account and a PC or another GTV.   Honestly, I don’t know anyone who has a Vid account and I only do Skype video calls, so I didn’t try it out.  I don’t think I am outside the norm on this and I hope that Skype can get integrated quickly.  You can see a demo of it here.  Let me know if you really want to see this in action.

Networking

Like the Apple TV, the GTV offers 100 Mbps wired Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

Simplicity

The Logitech GTV was a bit more difficult to setup than the Apple TV, but then again, it does more. My unit may be an anomaly but it froze at first boot. I rebooted, the splash screen lit up, but then waited a half hour to download a mandatory software update. Things got easier once I got though initialization and got to enter my Google ID.

The full size keyboard added of course to the functionality but I longed for a simple remote to do simple tasks. I didn’t want to reach for the full sized keyboard to increase volume on YouTube. You can add any Logitech device that uses their unifying receiver technology, although the GTV optimized options are limited at this point.

Remote software is available for iOS and Android platforms. They are very feature rich but not as simple as the Apple TV virtual remote on the iPhone.  But then again, the GTV does a whole lot more.

Home Connectivity

There are many ways to plug the GTV into the rest of your house.

It has 2 USB 2.0 ports for external storage and the optional camera.  Storage was flaky for me in that it had a hard time recognizing devices at times.

The IR blaster allows you to control virtually any piece of CE equipment near the GTV which is helpful in that it eliminates multiple remotes.

While not DLNA certified, I did get basic viewing capability of my PC’s content which I covered previously.

Price

The Logitech Revue with Google TV is priced at $299.99 and includes the unit, a full-sized wireless keyboard with touchpad, an HDMI cable and an IR blaster. The optional video camera for videophone is an additional $149.99. This is triple the price of the Apple TV but then again offers many incremental features, namely full access to the Internet and most of your PCs content without the need to be tied to a single vendor.

Conclusion

The Logitech Revue with Google TV has very advanced capabilities over and above a simple Internet media streaming device. It provides a full Internet browser, apps (with a promise for more) apps, CE command and control, more content options, optional video chat, and access to my PCs content.

As I used the GTV I felt like I was using a Nexus One smartphone at launch. The “N1” was the first Android smartphone.  That sounds strange I am sure given the N1 is a smartphone and the GTV is a DMA. The GTV like the N1 had so much potential but with a ways to go. I’d like to see a simpler setup, a “simple mode”, many more apps, much broader video codec support, and broader set top box support. Like I thought with the N1, I believe the GTV WILL add many of these things.

If you like to explore or tinker I’d recommend checking out a GTV. If you are a consumer whose CE devices still have a clock blinking, I’d hold on a bit until it gets simpler. If you have any questions or comments on the GTV let me know below.

In part 4 I will look at Boxee, one of the most highly discussed DMA’s in a long time.

Pat Moorhead is Corporate Vice President and Corporate Marketing Fellow and a Member of the Office of Strategy at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.

See all Pat’s bio here or past blogs here.

Follow @PatrickMoorhead on Twitter.

The Apple TV was announced on September 1, 2010 and is actually the second generation of Apple TV devices.  I am one of the few and the proud who actually bought the first version Apple TV.  The 2^nd generation Apple TV is a tiny device at less than 1” high and less than 4” wide and deep, almost portable. So let’s drill down…

Video Content

The Apple TV’s primary use case is to rent movies from iTunes and stream them to your HDTV, which it does pretty well. Apple also offers those with Netflix accounts the ability to stream movies. The Netflix interface is the latest generation meaning you don’t have to choose the movies on a PC, you can actually do it from the Apple TV.  That’s nice.

I could also stream movies from my PC that I bought from iTunes as long as I had “Home Sharing” enabled on the PC’s iTunes, the PC was up and running, and on the same network.  I also could stream home movies I took on digital video cameras as long as they complied with Apple TV’s narrow video specifications.  In many cases I needed to recode video using a package like Cyberlink MediaEspresso.

One of the biggest issues I experienced with Apple TV was video lags.  I had it connected over 100 Mbit wired network to my cable modem but during prime-time, I had my rental stop numerous times because of network congestion.  This was a deal breaker for my family.

Apple TV will also play YouTube content.  Even with the remote without a keypad, it was easy to type.  I will get to iPod/iPhone remotes later.  Videos looked great as they use the HD stream if possible, BUT I couldn’t get to my own videos without searching on myself.  Very, very annoying.

One final note on video… the Apple TV video peaks at 720p on H.264 and 640×480 for MP4 video.  I noticed the lack of video quality, but I am very picky on video.  The MP4 video resolution is even below DVD resolution (720×480) which is disappointing.  Many wasted pixels on my 1920×1080 HDTV.

Music content

I played music from my “home-shared” PC running iTunes.  My playlists were there just as they were in iTunes on my PC.  The album art showed up consistently and was very responsive. I am not much of an audiophile, so I won’t comment on the quality.  It sounded just fine to me.

Of note, a user MUST have a PC available to play any music.  This was disappointing, given the number of robust streaming services available from Pandora to Slacker to Last.FM. As we will see in other DMA’s the Apple TV is the ONLY device that didn’t offer the capability.

Photo Content

Apple TV connects to photos on the PC the same way it streams music from the home PC.  Choose first on the PC which photos you want shared on iTunes.  Responsiveness was very, very fast and looked very professional with the built-in transitions and optional music.

One thing I’d like to see changed is the ability to choose folders.  I was looking at 10s of thousands of photos at a time and it was very hard to find the pictures and albums I wanted.  If anyone out there knows how to change this, please let me know.

The Apple TV also supports online photos with Apple’s own MobileMe service and Flickr.  Unfortunately for me, a Google Picasa user, I didn’t have that choice.

Game content

There are no games available on the Apple TV.  It would be cool if I could run the iPad games……

Web

As there isn’t an integrated browser, the web is not available on the Apple TV.  For me that means no Picasa and no Pandora, my preferred web photo and web music services.

Social Media

There is no integration of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, etc., on the Apple TV.  I personally don’t need to do that now on a 60” HDTV but I am sure some users do.

Networking

The Apple TV supports up to 100 Mbps hard-line network connection and 802.11n Wi-Fi.  That’s more than enough bandwidth as long as your cable or DSL service isn’t throttling you which I illustrated before in renting videos.

Simplicity

Hands down the Apple TV is the simplest streaming device I have used.  I entered my Apple ID, downloaded a software patch and I was renting movies. I opened up iTunes on my PC and I was immediately accessing my music.  Apple TV even detected the max resolution and frequency and preset that for me, albeit only 720p.  Not all DMAs do that.

One HDMI cable is all you need and all the choice you get for connectivity.  That’s limiting for legacy TVs but as simple as it gets.

The remote is very simple given it only has a few directional buttons. It’s also very sleek and looks like it belongs in the living room.

Connectivity to Other Devices

Apple got a lot of attention when they announced the AirPlay for video feature.  If you have an iPhone, iPod, or iPad with iOS 4.2, you can stream the video almost instantaneously to your Apple TV.  It worked for me on iTunes purchased or rented movies and YouTube videos.  Unfortunately, videos I took with my iPhone do not stream.  That’s a real disappointment given it would save me so much time and hassle to watch my videos if AirPlay streamed my locally captured videos.  I am hoping this gets fixed soon.

One really awesome feature is the iOS remotes.  If you have an iPod, iPhone or iPad, you can basically control the Apple TV.  It comes in handy when entering text as you just uses your iOS mobile device to enter text.  Additionally, when looking for content to play off a PC, you can see the art on the iOS mobile device itself which makes it infinitely easier.  I love this feature.  Just download the free “Remote” app from the App Store and you are good to go.

Price

At $99 the Apple TV is one of the least expensive digital media adapters on the market.  That is, of course, if you don’t count TVs and Blu-ray players that are integrated with services like Netflix, Pandora, and Picassa.

Conclusion

The second generation Apple TV is one of the simplest, least expensive digital media adapters on the market today. It is optimized for the Apple world of iTunes movies, iTunes music, and iTunes and MobileMe pictures.  My only challenge, a major one, was hiccups in streaming movies off of iTunes and Netflix.  I don’t know if that’s my cable company’s issues,  that Apple TV has limited on-board storage, or a combination of both.  I didn’t have hiccups on the first generation Apple TV that had a hard drive. I don’t have hiccups renting from Time Warner Cable on my set-top box with a hard drive.

If you have chosen the Google world of Picasa photos, Amazon VOD, and Amazon music, or even the Microsoft world of Zune and Windows Media Player, the device isn’t optimized for you and I wouldn’t recommend it.

At $99, Apple TV does make a difference to the industry, particularly rental video. Renting a movie on my cable box is a frustrating and time consuming experience, particularly looking for the right movie.  Apple TV simplifies that.  Can you make a bad decision at $99?  Probably not.

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.  Next, I will take a look at Google TV from Logitech.

Pat Moorhead is Corporate Vice President and Corporate Marketing Fellow and a Member of the Office of Strategy at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.

See all Pat’s bio here or past blogs here.

Follow @PatrickMoorhead on Twitter.

Little known just a few years ago, brands like Netflix and Pandora have become commonplace.  More advanced users appreciate the former but also getting living room access to their own local content and even the Internet. This is a multi-part blog series where I explore the devices, usage models, pros/cons, pricing, and future implications of these DMAs and the industry impact.

None of these concepts are new.  I have been connecting a PC to my TV, with mixed results, for 15 years.  Remember WebTV?  Microsoft digital media adapters have been around for years.  So what do the analysts say?
iSuppli predicts “shipments of Internet-enabled living room devices—a range of products including Internet-enabled television sets, video game consoles and set-top boxes—are forecasted to amount to more than 430 million units in 2014, up from 99.3 million in 2009.” Like all predictions, we must all dive into the “why”.  I hope to extract the “why” or “why not” as we move forward.

I plan on looking at the following devices:

• Apple TV
• Google TV by Logitech
• Boxee Box
• WD TV Live Hub
• Xbox 360
• Networked Blu-ray Player
• Windows PC

I could have added a lot more, but these devices are broad enough to get the real sense of the segmented capabilities.

On these devices I will look at the aspects like:

• Video content
• Music content
• Photo content
• Game content
• Web
• Social Media
• Communications
• Networking
• Simplicity
• Home Connectivity
• Price

In Part 2, I will dive into the Apple TV and provide a rundown on its capabilities, pros/cons and usage models.  If there is anything you would like to know about the device, let me know below.

Pat Moorhead is Corporate Vice President and Corporate Marketing Fellow and a Member of the Office of Strategy at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites, and references to third party trademarks, are provided for convenience and illustrative purposes only. Unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links, and no third party endorsement of AMD or any of its products is implied.

See all Pat’s bio here or past blogs here.

Follow @PatrickMoorhead on Twitter.

It was almost a year ago when Dell first introduced their Inspiron Zino HD (aka Inspiron 400).  As you may recall from my earlier blog, it was an impressive, compact design that worked well as a home theater PC.  Well our friends at Dell sent over their new, updated Inspiron Zino HD PC (a.k.a. Inspiron 410) and they have added some great new features.  Like the original Inspiron Zino HD, this new PC has great potential as an Home Theater PC (HTPC) and many other small form factor duties.

Size
The new Inspiron Zino HD maintains the size and shape of the original Zino HD.  Measuring a mere 7  3/4 inches on each side and only 3 1/2 inches tall (approximately), this is a really small PC.  See my previous blog post for some relative comparison shots to get a sense of the overall size of the Zino HD.

Specifications
Like the original, Dell is offering the new Inspiron Zino HD PC with multiple configurable options so customers have the ability to personalize the platform to a specific need or budget.  Here is the configuration for my review unit:

So, what’s New? 

First up, Dell updated the chipset and processor options.  At heart of this new Zino HD is the AMD RS880M chipset and in my case, the AMD Turion™ II P520 processor (see below for other configuration options).  Leveraging the increased performance of these two upgrades, the system drives an even better experience than the previous generation.  Whether using as an HTPC or everyday computer, the system is more responsive and content plays back smooth in my testing.  For example, one of the challenges with the previous version (Inspiron 400) was that video content (like live TV) would slow down when an overlay menu (like a channel guide) was displayed on screen.  Once the overlay was closed, the video would return to smooth playback. With the increased performance of the newer AMD CPU and GPU, the system is able to provide smooth playback of HD content even while multiple menu overlays are open (i.e. channel guide, show information, etc.).  In my case, I had 3 levels of overlays (channel guide, show info and volume level) on the screen at the same time with live TV in the back and it never stuttered once. I was also able to turn on multiple AMD Avivo^TM video enhancement settings while the overlays were still on the screen without hindering playback performance.  It is important to note that the processor in my test unit is not currently an option for customers in North America.  However, the AMD Athlon II™ X2 P340 should offer similar performance to my test unit.

In addition to the update on both the processor and chipset, Dell upped the ante with some new features/functions. 

One of the more subtle but extremely useful additions is an optional IR sensor on the front of the system (next to the Window 7 sticker) and an RC6-compliant media center remote control. Last November, I purchased the original Inspiron Zino HD as part of Dell’s Black Friday sale for use as an HTPC in my bedroom.  With that unit, adding remote control functionality required using one of the four USB ports, leaving only 3 left for other devices/functions.  With this updated Inspiron Zino HD, that is no longer a concern.  

The media center remote (see picture above of Inspiron Zino HD with Red Lid) is small but still very functional.  It fits comfortably in the hand and commonly used buttons are easily reached with thumb or index finger (depending on how you are holding it).  However, I know some readers may have a preferred remote control and so may not want to use the included remote.  Good news, if your preferred remote uses the RC6 IR command set, it should work with the built in IR sensor on the system.  This gives users the flexibility to use 3^rd party remotes that support the RC6 command set.

In the picture above, you can see the Original Inspiron Zino HD on the left (black lid) and the updated Insprion Zino HD on the right (red lid).  Notice that on the original Zino HD, audio was handled either by HDMI or the 2 channel analog audio port.  However, Dell added an SPDIF port (just below the 2 ch. analog port) so you can drive multichannel, digital audio to an AVR over an optical cable.  Even older AV receivers support SPDIF for digital 5.1-channel audio. If you want 5.1-channel audio but lack HDMI inputs on your receiver you will be happy to have this connector.

Looking at the rear of the unit (on right) a little more, you will notice that Dell also added a larger diameter exhaust vent and fan to help keep the system cool and quiet.  Looking at the inside, you will also notice the fan is thinner, allowing a little more room inside the chassis. 

Optional Configurations
As mentioned above, this unit is configurable with many upgrade options.  For example, you want a larger hard drive? You can get up to a 1TB HDD installed.  Higher end graphics?  Yep, order an ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5450 GPU and you have one powerful little gaming system and enhanced video performance.  Here is a list of upgrade options that are available in North America as I am writing (these may vary depending on your region).

CPU: Up to an AMD Phenom™ II X4 P940 processor
Graphics: Optional ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5450 GPU
Memory: Up to 8GB of DDR2 1333
Remote: Optional IR sensor and Media Center remote control
Wireless: Optional wireless b, g, or n
HDD: Up to 1TB
ODD: DVD and Blu-ray drive options available
Colors: Multiple color lid options to choose from.
OS Options:
Windows® 7 Home Premium 64Bit
Windows® 7 Professional 64Bit

Pricing and Availability
According to my friends at Dell, the new Inspiron Zino HD will start at $299 for the base configuration (AMD Athlon™ II V140, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 8x DVD and Windows 7 Home Premium) in North America.  This is a great starting price for such a capable system with all the new upgrades, packed into the same footprint. The system is already on Dell’s website and taking orders, so it should be pretty easy to get your hands on one. 

User Experience
As I did with the original Zino HD, my goal was to test this as a small form factor HTPC.  As such, I spent a good deal of time testing the box in a home theater environment and running the same tests as performed previously. 

Do note, none of my testing was done under rigorous lab conditions with repeated and averaged test results.  My testing was strictly limited to putting it in a real world environment and observing the results.  

Once again, setup was smooth and user friendly.  I was able to easily set up the user accounts and Media Center.  Upon completion, I installed additional software to open up the experience a little, like Hulu’s Desktop application and Arcsoft’s Total Media Theater. 

Playing Content
With the system set up and software loaded, I started in with the typical home theater uses.  I started off trying out DVD playback to evaluate quality.  I tried multiple DVDs and the system played them all back smoothly without dropping frames.  No great surprise here given that DVD playback is fairly easy with today’s CPU and GPU technologies.  Even more so given AMD’s UVD hardware acceleration capabilities built into the AMD RS880M chipset.  What may be less known is that AMD’s Avivo technology allows you to enhance the picture quality – contrast, dynamic color, skin tones, etc.- for enhanced  image quality and a better viewing experience.  As it so happened, I still had the Blu-ray drive from my previous Inspiron Zino HD so I popped that in there to see how well the system could handle Blu-ray content.  Again, results were great, system was able to play back BD content without issue. 

Now, I did not have a multichannel receiver connected so I cannot really comment on the audio capabilities during BD playback.  However, similar to our RS780 chipset, the AMD RS880M chipset is limited to 5.1 DD, DTS compressed audio and therefore would not playback Dolby True HD or DTS Master level audio.  However, Dell does have an answer for that with the option to upgrade the graphics to the Radeon 5450 GPU when placing your order.  This not only gives you the option to 7.1-channel audio but also gives a nice bump in performance on the graphics so you can enjoy 3D gaming on your Insprion Zino HD.

Next I loaded Hulu content via the web and via Hulu’s Desktop application.  Leveraging Adobe’s support of our UVD hardware acceleration, the system handled internet video using Adobe Flash well.  I played content from both Hulu’s website and using their Hulu Desktop application. Both played very well and depending on content playing, the CPU load was anywhere from 50% to 70%.  In addition to the Hulu content, I tried the new Internet TV functions integrated into Media Center. After updating the Microsoft Silverlight player, content played back smooth and without issues.  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.

Since I still had the USB TV Tuner (based upon the ATI Theater™ HD 750 tuner) provided by my colleagues in Canada, I hooked it up to the new Zino HD.  Windows® 7 recognized the tuner, but I did need to download and install the driver from AMD’s website to enable the TV tuner functionality. After running through 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.    

Integrated Wireless
The integrated wireless N adapter was not changed from the unit I had before.  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 and playback most content without issue.

Storing CDs
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. The PC has 2 eSATA ports so external storage can be easily added if you run out of space on the internal hard drive.  For those not familiar with eSATA, this is a high speed drive interface that offers better performance than USB 2.0. Video playback and content access is faster than USB 2.0 and it won’t tie up a USB port.

Power Consumption
After bringing the unit back to work, I connected it up to a Kill-A-Watt power meter to test power consumption.  As expected consumption varied depending on what I was doing – DVD playback, streaming internet content, etc.  Power measurements were in line with the original Zino HD.  At idle (staring at the desktop), the system was using a about 26W which was down just slightly from the previous version. When I streamed content from Hulu, the system was drawing about 42W. DVD playback was about 35W. Compared to the original Dell Zino, I saw no big shift in the power numbers that the unit experienced under the similar workloads. 

Noise Levels

I felt that the original Zino HD was already pretty quiet, and the new Zino HD is as quiet as ever and certainly does not seem audibly different than the previous generation.  This system was very quiet, even when left on for extended periods of time.  I left the unit on overnight and the system was only barely noticeable even when the room was quiet.  In fact, I think my bedroom ceiling fan made more noise than did the Insprion Zino HD.

Conclusion

Like its predecessor the new Dell Zino HD makes for an excellent small form factor and home theater PC.  The addition of the IR sensor and Media Center remote along with the SPDIF audio connector makes this right at home for anyone looking for a compact and capable HTPC.  However I think there are a lot of uses for this great PC.  It would also be suitable for students who want to combine entertainment and productivity in a small space. It would be a great second PC that is versatile enough to fit in almost any room, from the kitchen to the workshop to a home office.  To our friends at Dell, I will say again congratulations on another job well done, I think you made some good choices on the additional features/functions.  To our AMD@Home blog readers, this is quite a capable device that is whisper quiet in a very small form factor. If you are looking for an HTPC to add to your entertainment stack, this could be just the ticket.

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.

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.  

Specs
As you may remember from last time, 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 original unit sent to me was configured with the following specifications:

However, I managed to get my hands on the AMD Athlon™ Neo X2 6850e processor so I was able to swap out the processor and do additional testing. Furthermore, I was offered a chance to swap out my original system for one with the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 GPU and a Blu-ray drive and so as you can imagine, I jumped at the chance. 

Once again, none of my testing was done under rigorous lab conditions, running benchmarks with repeated and averaged test results, nor am I showing pretty graphs and charts. I was more concerned with the testing and observation of this system in a real world environment (See the User Experience section below for more details).  While neither unit is intended to be a high performance gaming system, I was quite surprised by the gaming capabilities of the version with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 GPU.

User Experience
My initial goal was to test the computer as a small form factor HTPC.  As noted last time, it did very well under most conditions.  While I was unable to test every scenario before I swapped out units, I did test a lot of different playback material including online media (like Hulu, Youtube, etc.), DVD playback, music and streaming content over a local area network. The device did most things very well.  However, I received some questions from readers asking how the AMD Athlon Neo X2 6850e processor would add to the experience. You asked, I answer.

Playing Content
The first unit was configured with the AMD Athlon™ X2 3250e processor.  This is a dual-core microprocessor with a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz.  Overall, this was a great configuration for the Inspiron Zino HD.  It was able to handle playback of most of the source content I tried without any issues.  The only source content that seemed to have a slight jitter was The Legend of the Seeker 720p HD content on Hulu’s website.  However, once I enabled hardware acceleration via Adobe’s 10.1 beta release and the ATI Catalyst™ Control Center 9.11 drivers (more on this below), this clip was noticeably smoother. 

Yet when I updated the processor to the AMD Athlon Neo X2 6850e processor (dual-core processor at 1.8 GHz), it was able to run that same 720p clip without hardware acceleration, though hardware acceleration did lower the CPU load. In addition to being able to playback this 720p flash content, media center also felt more responsive when navigating menus and scrolling through screens.  Therefore, the overall experience was improved with the faster processor installed.

Flash Acceleration
At the time of the first blog, Adobe had not yet released their Flash player that enabled hardware acceleration.  However, that changed last week with their beta release of their Flash 10.1 player.  In support of that release, AMD released the 9.11 driver that works in conjunction with the 10.1 Flash player to enable GPU hardware acceleration on some Flash video content.  As such, I wanted to take some time to test this out and provide a little information for you. 

The Inspiron Zino HD tested was configured with the AMD Athlon™ Neo X2 6850e processor, AMD RS780G chipset, and Windows® 7 64-bit connected to a Westinghouse 42” 1080p monitor set to native 1080p resolution.  The tables below show the CPU load and the UVD engine status, where busy reflects that the hardware acceleration is working.

Content: Legend of the Seeker 720p pilot episode in pop out window mode, maximized on 1080p 42” Westinghouse monitor set to native resolution.

Content: The Office (Murder episode) in pop out window mode, maximized on 1080p 42” Westinghouse monitor set to native resolution.

Content: Castle (Love Me Dead episode) in pop out window mode, maximized on 1080p 42” Westinghouse monitor set to native resolution.

As you can see, with the appropriate drivers and the beta Flash player, the Inspiron Zino HD can really take advantage of hardware acceleration making playback of online flash content a very positive experience.  I did find that by maximizing the pop out window and closing the original Hulu window, content playback was all around better.  Now, your mileage may vary, but this should give you an idea of what you might experience on this little system.

Audio
Another reader question that was asked was about the audio capabilities of the Inspiron Zino HD with multichannel content over HDMI.  I was able to test the multichannel capabilities of the system by connecting it to a Yamaha RXV661 receiver.  After playing several DVDs with multichannel encoded content (Dolby Digital, DTS), 5.1 audio really made the movies explode off the screen.  The system passed the Dolby Digital encoded source to the Yamaha for decoding and playback.  Audio was clear with all five channels working correctly.   The receiver supported two modes of operation: Straight (Dolby Digital decode only) and Pure Direct (Dolby Digital Decode and Yamaha DSP processing).  Both sounded very nice, but the Pure Direct mode seemed to have more punch to it with a warmer  sound.  However, those are really a function of the receiver and not the Dell hardware.

Before I could get more testing completed, I was given the opportunity to trade out the original configuration for one with the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 GPU and a Blu-ray drive.  The rest of the configuration was the same as the previous unit (AMD Athlon™ X2 3250e processor, 2GB RAM, etc.).

I did not bother to go back and re-run all the testing and content that I did with the first unit because if the integrated graphics solution can handle the work load, I think it is safe to say that the higher performing discrete solution can also handle the work load.

Blu-ray Playback
Now that I had a version with the discrete graphics card and a Blu-ray optical drive, I wanted to take it for a test spin.  By default, the unit had Cyberlink’s Power DVD pre loaded so I could playback Blu-ray movies.  Playback was smooth without any frame drops.  Again, thanks to AMD’s UVD technology, CPU load remained low ranging from 20% – 30% during playback.  

Game Play
One of the big advantages of the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 GPU is its ability to play 3D games at some very respectable resolution settings with a fair amount of the “eye candy” turned on.  Now, I could spend an entire blog post on Zino HD game play and the impact of different settings, however, I just want to give you a general overview of performance and what you might expect. 

Command & Conquer 3, Tiberium Wars was the first game I loaded on the system.  I was able to play the game at the max resolution of my Westinghouse panel (1920 x 1080). Game playback at that resolution with the video settings maxed out was playable, but character movement and unit build time was a little sluggish.  However, when I backed down the resolution to 720p and a few of the video enhancement settings, game playback was very smooth and images crisp.   

Next, I loaded Sims 3 so my wife could enjoy a little game time on the Zino HD.  Once again, playback was smooth and images crisp.  My wife did feel that the images were a little too small for her at the higher resolutions and wanted to lower the resolution; however, I had her play a while at the higher setting just to confirm the capabilities of the system.

The only first person shooter I had on hand was Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault — not the most up to date FPS, but it should still give an idea of relative performance.  Once again, I was able to max out both the available resolution (1600 x 1024) and the video enhancement settings and still enjoy smooth game play.  The game did feel just a little more responsive at 1280 x 720, but either resolution was very playable. 

I must admit, it was a little strange playing a PC game on a 42” LCD TV. While not the most advanced gaming rig, it was a capable gaming box at pretty good resolutions with mid to high level video enhancements turned on. Overall, it felt like 720p was the sweet spot for the games I played. If you are a console gamer, then purchasing some console game controls to use with your Inspiron Zino HD could be just the ticket.  Do note that I used the AMD Athlon™ X2 3250e processor during gaming.  If you think you will be doing some gaming with the system, then upgrading to the faster AMD Athlon Neo X2 6850e processor might be advisable just to get a little more punch from the system.

Dual Screen
For kicks, I decided to try connecting up two screens to the system to see how it would handle.  I ran HDMI to the 42” Westinghouse panel and then VGA to a 17” NEC LCD monitor.  The system was able to drive both screens at the 1080p resolution.  I then opened up Windows Media Center on the large screen and started playing back a Blu-ray disc while opening up a web browser on the NEC monitor with Hulu content. Both content sources played back smoothly, without any noticeable issues.  Of course, both audio sources were playing back so it was a little confusing to watch, but it was fun to try out.  Note, at first, I did not get audio working over HDMI, but after disabling the analog audio outputs and rebooting, audio over HDMI did start working.

Power Draw
Once again, I connected the HTPC to a Kill-A-Watt meter to see test the power draw.  As expected, the power draw did vary based upon different use cases (Blu-ray, streaming internet content, gaming, etc.).  At idle (staring at the desktop), the system was using about 36-38W.  During Blu–ray playback, power was about 47-51W while DVD playback was about 46W.  Streamed content from Hulu (via Hulu DT) the power draw was about 45-50W.  Lastly, when I was playing games, power draw was about 54W.

Noise Level
Even with the discrete graphics solution included, like before, the unit remained very quiet.  In most cases, I needed to put my ear within a few inches of the PC to hear it.  Loading games, the noise levels from the optical drive were noticeable, but this is true of most systems.  However, during DVD and Blu-ray playback, the unit remained very quiet.  I would estimate that it was on par or perhaps just slightly louder than the original unit I tested, but again it was a very, very quiet system. I would comfortably say that Dell did an excellent job of keeping this PC almost silent.

Recommended Configurations/Options
One question that was repeatedly asked was what configuration I would recommend.  This is tough to answer because both boxes did things very well.  It really depends on what you plan on using it for and what level of performance you might need to accomplish your tasks.

Based upon my testing, I would suggest going with one of the dual-core processors as they seem to offer the best performance for the money.  There are many applications today that are multithreaded and those can take advantage of a multi core CPU.  It is hard not to suggest upgrading to the AMD Athlon™ Neo X2 6850e processor because it did make the system feel more responsive. However, I was really pleased with the performance of the AMD Athlon X2 3250e processor because it did handle everything pretty well.

As for opting for the discrete graphics upgrade? If you plan on doing any 3D gaming or GPU intensive tasks, then this is a worthwhile upgrade.  The integrated graphics technology of the RS780G chipset can certainly do some gaming, but the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 GPU does provide a much more satisfactory gaming experience.  Furthermore, if you think you might want to upgrade graphics at any point on this system, you should really just do this when ordering.  I don’t think the integrated graphics version has the necessary MXM slot to upgrade later.  I believe this is only available on the unit with the discrete graphics card when you originally place your order.  Lastly, the discrete option supports 7.1 audio (though not Dolby True HD or DTS Master), while the integrated graphics version supports 5.1 audio only.

One other point I would like to mention is the wireless networking support.  After speaking with an AMD colleague, he pointed out that the optional wireless N support is actually a dual band wireless card.  Dell seems to be offering this upgrade option at a very competitive price point.  If you think you will want to add wireless support to your unit at anytime, you may want to consider doing that one up front because it does seem like a very good deal. 

After testing both models now, I feel confident in saying that either of these Dell Inspiron Zino HD units make for a very nice PC that would equally be at home serving as an HTPC or a mainstream PC.   

Again, there is so much more I would have like to have covered but I have taken enough of your time.  These are some great little boxes that provide an excellent PC or HTPC experience.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave a note and I will try to respond. 

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.

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 $249 for the base configuration (AMD Athlon™ 2650e processor, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 8X DVD drive, Windows Vista Basic). Yes, you read that correctly, $249! 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 recently recieved  a version that has the Blu-ray drive and the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 GPU.  Read about how it performed here.

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 $249 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.

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvJmIOdBGCc

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Y546escmU

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnMe02fb0rg

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mluGnDDrKF4

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 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-EyQXtr_ac

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8qzpFRcyXw

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBEjnEJaM-g

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D96j4oM2Ui0

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=piV9-B_5XHQ

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.

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 (2x1GB) 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

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.

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.

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.