With new faster processers, bigger hard drives and new larger LCD televisions building a media center computer has become more and more practical. A media center computer can record multiple television shows at one time, can organize all your music and pictures and can also be used as a normal computer. They are definitely very cool. However, before you decide to build your own media center here are ten quick tips...
1. Consider building a machine with a dual core or quad core processor. The multiple processing threads will be very useful when recording multiple programs and watching a program at the same time. A fast multi core processor is a must if you plan on watching and recording hi definition TV.
2. Don't skimp on the RAM. A good media center will have at least 2GB of ram and should probably have up to 4GB. The ram will help keep things moving quickly while you are recording programs.
3. You can never have enough hard drive space. With high definition TV becoming more of a standard you are going to want to consider having large amounts of hard drive space on your machine. I wouldn't build a machine that had less than a terabyte of hard drive space.
4. To increase performance considering using a raid configuration for your hard drives. Using raid zero along with high speed SATA hard drives can help you improve video performance and can prevent recording errors.
5. Get good TV tuner cards with built in hardware encoding. Tuner cards with MPEG hardware encoding will take a load off your processor when they record tv shows, this will help ensure that you won't get any skipping or problems in your recorded output. I use Hauppauge cards in my machine and they work great.
6. Invest in a good decoding program. The software decoder software offered by Nvidia does a good job on my media center. However, I tested four or five different ones before I found one that operated the way I wanted with my hardware configuration. Be prepared to test some different options before you settle on the one that will work best for you.
7. Don't forget to order the remote control. A media center without a remote control is a travesty. These computers are designed to operated while you sit back on your couch. The remotes don't cost that much and they work great.
8. Buy the best video card that you can afford. The better the video card that you have the less chances you have that you will have problems with playback. Before you buy your video card also make sure to check the list of Media Center approved cards. If the card isn't on there you might want to avoid it. Also make sure that you buy a video card that has a high definition output that matches your TV (either DVI or HDMI are the best).
9. Get a good audio card that is capable of feeding source audio to your receiver or your speakers. If you plan on outputting 5.1 or 7.1 data from DVD's you are going to want to make sure that the sound card that you pick has an optical or digital coax output. You might also consider buying a card that will convert all the sounds used on your computer into a 5.1 or 7.1 digital audio feed.
10. Be prepared to play with your configuration and build. Unfortunately, building a media center is not an exact science and there is usually quite a bit of tinkering involved in getting a stable fully functional system. If you aren't comfortable playing with the settings and the drivers to get things to work you might consider buying a prebuilt media center and have someone else do the testing and configuring for you.
I have been running windows XP media center edition for quite a while now and I love it. I have built two different media centers and they have both been a blast. Try it for yourself and see.
At prices that ranged from $499.00 to $599.00 Apple's new iPhone hit the market on June 29th. The launch was without a doubt an incredible success, with lines around the corner all over the United States waiting patiently (sometimes) for the latest and greatest high tech toy. The iPhone however has turned out to be more tool than toy. Apple is now changing the way cell phones and cell phone accessories are being used. And what is Apple turning them into? A powerful media and communications device that can fit in your pocket.
Apple has been positioned as the friend of the people, standing against the corporate might of an unforgiving Microsoft. While this stance is more a marketing campaign than a mission statement, Apple is a strong competitor and is certainly a viable alternative to the traditional PC product. In the 80's the Macintosh stood against the PC, and succeeded in the educational and creative community (the niche markets Apple wanted to begin with). Now the iPhone has will take Apple into the bleeding edge of technology, and it appears they are leading the charge.
Specifically the iPhone is:
Operating System
? OS X
Video
? Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
? Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
Storage
? 4GB or 8GB flash drive1
Camera
? 2.0 megapixels
Audio
? Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
? Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
With a price tag between $499.00 and $599.00 the iPhone isn't cheap. The vast majority of the marketplace will be unable or unwilling to pay this amount for a "phone". As the word gets out however the market will slowly become aware that although this is called an "iPhone", it isn't a phone. This is something new altogether, and from a holistic standpoint the price is right.
Now in a single device you can listen to your favorite song, call your friends, read a web page, send an email, or watch a movie. Yes, watch a movie. Those stats certainly don't read like a phone. But what about the traditional problems that are inherent with traditional PDAs or other wireless Internet devices such as tiny keypads and endless function screens, or the stylus that would never actually input the correct information? All gone. The iPhone is accessed via a touch screen with a virtual keypad that changes depending on the function the user is attempting to access. So it looks like a phone when you are making a call, and it looks like a keyboard when you access the Internet or send an email. The iPhone uses the Safari browser, so current Apple users will already be familiar with the look and feel. Also, don't worry about spelling errors in your email as the iPhone will auto-correct just like you are accustomed too.
Both Jeff Mcritchie & Jon T Norwood are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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