Posts tagged with MSI Media Live Diva
How To: Guide for the Assembly of an HTPC
Posted by Jay Taylor in 10:18 AM
(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)
Loading ...Building your own AMD technology-based HTPC, where do you start?
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.
For this video, I chose the Lian Li C39 for the video build. I wanted something low profile yet still able to support a full ATX PSU and have the additional ability to upgrade further as needed. However, there are many chassis options available to meet many different needs and budgets.
Optical and Hard Disk Drive Installation
As you can see from video, installing Optical drives and Hard Drives are pretty easy. You will likely need to adjust the optical drives position so that it properly aligns with the eject button on the chassis. Also note that HDDs can create a lot of noise and vibration while spinning. The rubber grommets will help isolate vibration and keep your HTPC quiet. It is also worth mentioning that some HDDs are more suited for HTPC use than others. See my earlier blog on Industry Changes to learn more.
Power Supply Unit (PSU) Installation
With this chassis, I chose to install the PSU after setting up the drives so that I would have more room to get to the drive bay. Other chassis may follow a different order depending on how it’s laid out. Note that for an HTPC, you typically don’t need a high wattage supply so look for one that is quiet and stable rather than high wattage which can create more noise. Typically, anything over 350W should be OK for most HTPC configurations, however, this is somewhat dependent on just how many different devices you are installing.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Turning It Up to 11!
Posted by Jay Taylor in 7:11 PM
Getting More Out of Your Maui System.
Previously, I wrote a blog on What AMD offers the HTPC customer. It covered the MSI Media Live Diva platform (MSI 7411), which is produced in accordance with the AMD HTPC motherboard specification that we affectionately call “Maui.” I discussed the audio and video capabilities of the platform and some of the features that make it a little more unique in the HTPC space.
Today, I would like to offer a little more insight to this platform and show you just how much this platform can be customized. AMD, D2Audio and MSI worked hard to deliver a unique solution to the market. However, the work did not stop just because the platform was released. We have continued to innovate on this platform and we are quickly approaching the next phase of this solution.
One of the unique properties of the D2Audio designed chip is that it is programmable. Therefore, the firmware (f/w) of the audio cards can be updated to add new features and functionality. In some respects, this is similar to how a motherboard BIOS can be updated to add new CPU support or additional functionality. With respect to the D2Audio chip, it can be customized to overcome the weakness of a given speaker, customized frequency response curves, customized crossover frequencies, etc.
Well, D2Audio has taken the next step and is bringing some of this programmability to life to help enable our System Integrator partners to take full advantage of many features of the D2Audio DAE-3 chip. At the time of this posting, it has yet to be determined how to make some of these things available to the DIY user, but it is under discussion. What I am hoping you take away from this blog is just how powerful and robust this unique platform is and how much it can be customized to meet a user’s needs.
In this particular case, words won’t quite do it justice so I am including some screen shots of a D2Audio tool called Audio CanvasTM. Audio CanvasTM is an application that has the “buttons and knobs” that control the programmability features of the D2Audio chip.
Now, enough talk; let’s take a deeper look inside the “Maui” platform’s audio features enabled by Audio CanvasTM. Below is a view of the Audio CanvasTM control panel. It represents the signal flow of audio though the DAE-3 chip and the control blocks that can be optimized. (Click on images to enlarge)
Audio Canvas Control Panel
As you can see from the picture above, with the control panel there are tonal adjustments, 5 band parametric EQ, Matrix Switcher, High Pass and Low Pass crossover filters, Channel Router, Master Volume, Loudness, Compressor and individual channel volume. It should be noted that many of the controls you see here are available on each channel independently. Therefore, you can adjust each audio output (Left, Right, Center, etc.) independently of the others. All of this happens in real time; no need to recompile- make a change and you hear it immediately from the speakers (assuming you have content playing back as you make adjustments). Here is a closer view of some of these controls.
The images above show the tonal control response curve (left) and the 5 band parametric EQ response curve (right). On the Tonal control panel, there are 4 knobs used to control the frequency response and gain (volume) for the bass and treble frequencies. Rotating the knobs will change the frequency response and graph below the knobs. On the parametric EQ graph, there are 5 bands that can be adjusted for both gain (center green dot) and bandwidth (pair of green dots). Furthermore, the EQ has a summation effect where the bands can be added to increase the gain by setting the centering point on each band to the same frequency. This would allow you to boost the bass response in one channel, for example, or filter out a bad frequency that might be distorting. You could also use these controls in conjunction with your speaker’s response curves (contact your speaker manufacturer) to optimize the audio outputs to your speakers. Likewise, if you have a mixed set of speakers (for example, different surround sound speakers from your main left and right), you could adjust the audio outputs on a per speaker basis. Response curves shown are not necessarily recommended settings but purely an example to show some range of control available.
In the image above, you see how to set High Pass and Low Pass crossover filters. The panel provides control for the type of filter, in this case a Butterworth Filter, but there are Bessel and Linkwitz-Riley filter options as well. There are also settings for both the slope and the cut off frequency. The shaded blue area represents the frequencies being filtered out. By using both a low and high pass crossover filter it is possible to create a band pass filter if so desired.
The image above shows how the router can be used to remap the channel outputs. This is useful if you wanted to do a multi-zone environment where instead of 5.1 speakers in one room, you might have 3.1 in one room and 2 more speakers in another room.
Above is the Compressor/Limiter. This is useful when you have content that was encoded at different volume and/or gain settings. With the compressor, you can set a threshold and then automatically increase or decrease gain based upon the threshold setting and the ratio. Factors such as the attack and release are used to determine how fast it should ramp and release the gain.
Lastly, there are three different points in the control panel (next to the EQ buttons, LP buttons, and independent volume buttons) where you can open up a VU/Level meter to monitor the signal level at each point to ensure that you have the appropriate headroom as you make adjustments.
As you can see, the Audio CanvasTM application is more of a tool for engineers, system integrators and/or audio enthusiast and not something for the everyday user. However, what this represents is just how much control an individual can exert over their audio environment when using the MSI platform with the D2Audio chip on board. Furthermore, this new firmware enables the hooks necessary for programmers to develop their own user interface to control the audio experience. As mentioned in the earlier blog, the audio characteristics offered on this platform are certainly impressive on their own- combine such performance with such programmability and you have the makings of a very unique solution indeed. It is just another one of those things that set this platform apart from other HTPC solutions on the market.
Till next time, Happy Trails!
Jay Taylor is a Senior Developer Relations Engineer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
What Does AMD Offer the HTPC Customer?
Posted by Jay Taylor in 5:28 PM
It’s all about the hardware!
Perhaps by now, the idea of an HTPC has caught your eye – but what is AMD doing to help things along? This is a fun topic for me, one of my key roles here at AMD is to help define and enable cool new platforms. I get to work with both AMD customers to understand their needs and key AMD partners/industry leaders to enable those new platforms. One of the more recent projects I have worked on is our AMD LIVE! Home Cinema platform, affectionately known as “Maui”.
With this Maui platform, I had the pleasure of working with Intersil’s D2Audio team and MSI to define a unique platform that targets the HTPC space. The goal here was to develop a specification for a platform that focused on the needs of the HTPC space. We wanted to define a platform that would not only deliver an outstanding HD experience, but make it easy to set up and use.
Maui, in reality is the specification MSI used to develop their MSI Media Live Diva platform. What is unique about this platform is that it was purpose built for a specific application.
At the heart of the MSI Media Live Diva platform is our own AMD RS780M chipset. This chipset is a great solution for playing back HD Video content. I am not saying that just because I work here, but because the 780 family chipset supports full HD resolutions including 1080p, 1080i and 720p. It is capable of playing back Blu Ray discs, stutter free. You can even play DirectX 10-level games. To further enhance the video capabilities of this platform, MSI added 128MB of dedicated sideport memory. If you want, here is more information on the 780 series of AMD chipsets.
Now, I know some people are probably thinking, “So, it has great video capabilities, there are other platforms that do that as well.” While this is true, there is more to this platform that just great video…it also has great audio. This is not your typical PC level audio, I am talking about true, AVR class audio. Furthermore, the audio is scalable to meet your needs. MSI offers both a 5-channel amplifier version and/or a 7-channel pre-amplifier version.
5.1 Channel x 100W Amplified Card (MS-4140)
7.1 Channel Pre-Amplifier Card (MS4141)
Yep, that’s right, true AVR class audio in either an amplified or pre amplified format!
So let’s talk about that for a moment. Key factors in overall audio quality are Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). The higher the SNR and the lower the THD, the better the audio will sound at both low and high volumes (not that any of us listen to our music loud or anything). The audio capabilities of this system are much better than typical PC audio solutions and on par with mainstream AVRs from leading consumer electronics vendors, and I’m not just talking about the low-end AVRs, but their more expensive brothers.
The 5 channel amp card (yes, that is really an amplifier) has a SNR > 105dB and a THD+N factor of < 0.1%. This allows you to connect up to your home stereo speakers directly without needing an expensive amplifier just to get good audio.
Now, that is great if you don’t have a nice amp, but what about the person that has already invested $$ in a nice amplifier? Well, the 7 channel pre amp card has an SNR > 112dB and THD+N factor of < 0.01%. It is capable of driving a very high quality audio signal directly to your amplifier via the multichannel inputs on your AVR.
What about ease of use?
Previously, most HTPC products were based upon traditional, off the shelf PC motherboards. While this is generally not an issue, many of these PC motherboards have legacy PC connections that are just not useful in an HTPC environment. For example, most boards still have PS-2 Keyboard and Mouse connections, some have serial ports and/or parallel printer ports. Many still use 3.5mm audio jacks for their audio connections. These connectors add little value in the Audio/Video (AV) centric environment, which is where the HTPC sits. Now, legacy PC motherboards have gotten a little better over time, they are still not always easy to integrate into your home entertainment stack.
The MSI Media Live Diva on the other hand, has a much more AV centric design. Looking at the back panel for example, you will notice that those legacy PC connections have been replaced by more AV centric connections.
For video connectivity, you have Component Video, VGA and HDMI allowing for connectivity to just about any HDTV screen. For audio, as mentioned, you can drive directly to your speakers or connect to an AVR using standard, RCA cables. No need to find special adapters or expensive cables to try and connect to your other equipment.
Here are just a few thoughts from both reviewers and customers on this platform:
“Overall, I can definitely recommend this platform as Windows Vista media PC platform. It will blow away almost anything else except for perhaps custom gaming machines, and it will be easier to use than most alternatives…Sound quality with this amplifier and motherboard are top notch.” – William Wong, Electronic Design
“For under $1000, System Builders should be able to put together a system that accomplishes everything the AMD Maui PC can do and then some. The platform proves to be an excellent path to a dual purpose system, which could wind up in living rooms and conference rooms alike.” – Frank Ohlhorst, Channel Insider
“Just wanted to pop my head in and say I’ve heard this setup at D2Audio’s offices with some high-end speakers…Absolutely beautiful sound, even at high volumes. And if you want to know my reference, it’s a pair of DT BP 2002s hooked to an Integra 5.9.” – Chris Morley, Morley Digital
“I just built a system with the 5.1 amp card, it will be replacing my Panasonic XR57. I’m still playing around with it, but so far it’s at least equal to the performance of that unit…What really surprised me is how dead quiet this thing is with no signal playing, no hiss, pops, crackles, nothing. Would have never thought this was possible within the confines of a PC.” – Nick Billeci
“I am very excited about this build, it is currently slated to replace the following components
Integra DTR 7.4 $1200
Toshiba HDA30 HDDVD player $250
Sony BDP300 Bluray $400
Pretty impressive that a sub 200 dollar mobo and amp card can deliver performance rivaling that of the components listed… I am thrilled so far with the results.” – Mark G.
“My initial impression on the quality is “absolutely phenomenal”, both audio and video. This was definitely worth the wait. In fact, I am ordering another one next week.” – William H.
These are just a few of the reviews and comments we have received about this platform, I have personally received similar comments from other reviewer and customers from around the globe. Therefore, as you can see, the MSI Media Live Diva platform really was designed to bring you a powerful HD audio and video experience. If you are interested in getting your hands on one of these platforms, check with your preferred online or local retailer or your preferred system integrator. In fact, next time we will talk more on this topic and discuss the pros/cons of building vs. buying an HTPC.
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.