Media Center PC... LCD TV... Computer Monitor...

[Alphathree33]

I currently have a beefy PC with a nice dual-core CPU, 2 gigs of RAM, a PCI-express video card with DVI out, and lots of hard drive space.

I'm buying a nice big LCD TV that is going NEAR the computer... close enough that I could run some cables to it.

What I want to do:

1) Be able to stream videos from my computer (stuff I download, DVDs, etc.) to the LCD to watch on the couch
2) Be able to stream stuff from my cable line TO my computer to be recorded, or to watch on my computer

I'm confused about how Vista Media Center and a TV Tuner will help me do this.

Most of the stuff out there seems to assume a "single monitor" set up, where your TV doubles as your monitor.

I don't want this. If I'm surfing the internet or playing games, I want to sit AT MY COMPUTER. If I'm watching TV or DVDs, I want to sit ON MY COUCH (and watch my LCD).

Is there a hardware/software combo out there that will let me do both of these things without buying a second PC?

 

[MrPickins]

Let me be the first to say "wrong forum."

I'd think you should have little problem with that kind of setup if you set the tv to clone the pc screen, then run your programs normally. You would have to have the pc moinitor set at the TV's native res for best quality, I'd assume.

 

[Alphathree33]

Originally posted by: MrPickins
Let me be the first to say "wrong forum."

I'd think you should have little problem with that kind of setup if you set the tv to clone the pc screen, then run your programs normally. You would have to have the pc moinitor set at the TV's native res for best quality, I'd assume.

So my computer monitor would get its output from my video card...

... and the LCD would get its output from... the TV Tuner? Does the TV Tuner have an output port?

... and then I would tell the TV Tuner to... output the same signal that my video card is outputting?

 

[tasmanian]

Text

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: Alphathree33

Originally posted by: MrPickins
Let me be the first to say "wrong forum."

I'd think you should have little problem with that kind of setup if you set the tv to clone the pc screen, then run your programs normally. You would have to have the pc moinitor set at the TV's native res for best quality, I'd assume.

So my computer monitor would get its output from my video card...

... and the LCD would get its output from... the TV Tuner? Does the TV Tuner have an output port?

... and then I would tell the TV Tuner to... output the same signal that my video card is outputting?

Does your video card have dual output? Unless it's a cheapo model it should.

Connect the monitor to one output, and the tv to another. The tv tuner shouldn't have an output, all it does is receive signals as input.

 

[imported_LoKe]

TV tuner gets the feed from the cable line, computer processes it and it goes out the video card.

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Text

:laugh:

 

[Alphathree33]

My video card has dual DVI out...

Are you saying I can configure it to actually do *separate* displays (monitor & TV), rather than the typical "dual monitor" setup where one screen is a desktop extension?

 

[tasmanian]

Originally posted by: Alphathree33
My video card has dual DVI out...

Are you saying I can configure it to actually do *separate* displays (monitor & TV), rather than the typical "dual monitor" setup where one screen is a desktop extension?

You can turn tv monitor off or turn it on. So yes.

 

[Alphathree33]

Originally posted by: tasmanian

Originally posted by: Alphathree33
My video card has dual DVI out...

Are you saying I can configure it to actually do *separate* displays (monitor & TV), rather than the typical "dual monitor" setup where one screen is a desktop extension?

You can turn tv monitor off or turn it on. So yes.

But what if I "just want to watch TV" on my TV... in this setup, I am necessarily involving the computer now as well...

So to "just watch TV", would I have to

1) Go to my PC
2) Start up the Media Center console
3) Get my remote
4) Mess with the Media Center console to get it to start streaming TV rather than my desktop?

 

[tasmanian]

Originally posted by: Alphathree33

Originally posted by: tasmanian

Originally posted by: Alphathree33
My video card has dual DVI out...

Are you saying I can configure it to actually do *separate* displays (monitor & TV), rather than the typical "dual monitor" setup where one screen is a desktop extension?

You can turn tv monitor off or turn it on. So yes.

But what if I "just want to watch TV" on my TV... in this setup, I am necessarily involving the computer now as well...

So to "just watch TV", would I have to

1) Go to my PC
2) Start up the Media Center console
3) Get my remote
4) Mess with the Media Center console to get it to start streaming TV rather than my desktop?

What video card do you have?

If you want to watch tv you just turn the channel off video. Or you can disable the tv monitor and switch the tv channel off video.

 

[Alphathree33]

Originally posted by: tasmanian

Originally posted by: Alphathree33

Originally posted by: tasmanian

Originally posted by: Alphathree33
My video card has dual DVI out...

Are you saying I can configure it to actually do *separate* displays (monitor & TV), rather than the typical "dual monitor" setup where one screen is a desktop extension?

You can turn tv monitor off or turn it on. So yes.

But what if I "just want to watch TV" on my TV... in this setup, I am necessarily involving the computer now as well...

So to "just watch TV", would I have to

1) Go to my PC
2) Start up the Media Center console
3) Get my remote
4) Mess with the Media Center console to get it to start streaming TV rather than my desktop?

What video card do you have?

If you want to watch tv you just turn the channel off video. Or you can disable the tv monitor and switch the tv channel off video.

What do you mean by "channel off video"?

As in, put a splitter on the cable signal, have it go to the TV Tuner AND the TV, and then when I want to watch TV, just disable the TV Tuner...?

 

[thehstrybean]

Logitech Harmony

 

[tasmanian]

The way i watch stuff on my tv is I have a video cord going into my tv. My video card recognizes that its a second monitor. Then i turn the duel monitor option on and i can use my tv as a monitor. However to get the tv to show my computers screen it has to be on the correct video channel. So to watch regular tv i just change it to the cable channel.

 

[Aikouka]

Sighs... here's how I *could* do it with my media PC.

Just hook both of them up and turn on the mode for the video card to create two separate displays/desktops. They will be conjoined as in you can drag stuff from one to the other, but when it comes to maximizing and such, they will maximize in the respective panes. Problem is, most full-screen apps will only go full-screen on the main desktop. This method does not require using the same resolution on both monitors.

Personally, my second PC is just hooked up to my TV and only my TV.

EDIT: I also use a wireless keyboard and mouse for controlling that PC since AMD/ATi still hasn't released working Remote Wonder Vista software.

 

[shocksyde]

1: Obtain computer with tuner card, Media Center program and dual output vid card
2: hook vid card to PC monitor and TV
3: set computer to dual display, clone or individual, who cares
4: Run TV signal into computer via tuner (from your set top box, satellite feed, cable line, etc)
5: Run Media Program, setup accordingly
6: Obtain remote, Logitech Harmony recommended
7: Enjoy

 

[Alphathree33]

Originally posted by: shocksyde
1: Obtain computer with tuner card, Media Center program and dual output vid card
2: hook vid card to PC monitor and TV
3: set computer to dual display, clone or individual, who cares
4: Run TV signal into computer via tuner (from your set top box, satellite feed, cable line, etc)
5: Run Media Program, setup accordingly
6: Obtain remote, Logitech Harmony recommended
7: Enjoy

Thanks... this post basically explains what I've been trying to understand.

A few smaller details:

-- What will the remote talk to, some sort of USB/wireless receiver attached to my computer?
-- Can I get a DVI cable that is maybe 10-15 feet long? I've only ever seen short ones.
-- What kind of connection is on the end of the DVI that attaches to my TV?

So for clarity:

TV Tuner to Cable: COAX / COAX
Video Card to Monitor: DVI/DVI
Video Card to TV: DVI/ ???????????????

 

[Aikouka]

You would go from DVI to HDMI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...tion=dvi+cable&x=0&y=0

 

[shocksyde]

Originally posted by: Alphathree33

-- What will the remote talk to, some sort of USB/wireless receiver attached to my computer?
-- Can I get a DVI cable that is maybe 10-15 feet long? I've only ever seen short ones.
-- What kind of connection is on the end of the DVI that attaches to my TV?

-- The remote will talk to the computer via an IR receiver that comes with remotes. There is also an "IR Blaster" that sends signals to your set top box (if you have one) to change channels that most remotes come with.
-- I am unsure how long they get, but I don't think you'll have a problem finding one that long.
-- My video card has an s-video output, so I use S-Video -> S-Video. Depending on your TV, most would suggest DVI -> HDMI or (if your vid card has it) HDMI -> HDMI. I use S-Video because I still use an old crappy tube TV and don't care about the quality too much.

Good luck!

 

[loup garou]

1) Wrong forum
2) You're asking for trouble with this configuration. MediaCenter does not play nice on a secondary monitor. You're going to have mouse focus issues if you want to use your computer at the same time as using VMC on your TV.

I would either dedicate a computer to VMC or (more desirable, IMO), add the TV tuner to your PC and hook an XBox 360 up to your TV to use as a MediaCenter extender.

 

[dbot]

I just bought a media center PC too and I was confused getting it started. The main thing to get it working is the IR receiver.

There's a little black box that is the IR receiver, plug that in via USB. Then there should be little IR antenna type things that have adhesive on them, they plug into the IR Receiver.

I then ran the TV signal into the computer via COAX.

Start up windows media center and it will have you configure the remote for your cable or satellite box to work with the IR receiver.

After you're done configuring you can start using your PC as a DVR system. I havet actually recorded anything yet because my satellite sucks and verizon won't install fios tv till next week.

 

[Alphathree33]

UPDATE:

1) Bought TV.

2) Hooked up Cable TV via Coax. Worked fine.

3) Hooked up Computer via HDMI-DVI from 2nd port on video card and Component Cables from sound card.

PROBLEM: LG 37" TV takes audio/video from HDMI **OR** audio/video from Component, BUT NOT video from HDMI and audio from Component.

QUESTION: How do I get around this? Is there an adapter that can "combine" my computer's DVI video-out with its Audio-out into a nice, unified HDMI signal?