Video Card for HTPC

[teknologikal]

Hey Folks. So I am working on a small project and trying to eliminate one of my HTPCs. Long story short, I have one HTPC for the living and one HTPC for the Bedroom and office. The HTPC for the bedroom\office uses a single video card with an HDMI splitter. Works perfectly btw.

Here is what I am trying to do: I moved all my equipment to one closet and have everything connected with super long HDMI cables. What I want to do is eliminate the bedroom\office HTPC. And use the main HTPC for ALL the TVs, living room and the bedroom\office TVs.

What I need is a good video card! Up to $200. 3D capable. I am not a gamer so just good video quality, but nothing too crazy. Just something where I can watch very high quality movies. Dual HDMI or......

Questions:
1. Is it better to do Dual HDMI (which kind of limits my options) or may be get a good card that has one HDMI and one DP and use a DP to HDMI adapter? Not sure if that's done or not. I know DP also carries sound, but I need some input since I've never done it that way
2. Since I've never actually set things up this way, I am assuming that as long as I "Duplicate Displays", I should not get them extended as if I have dual monitors next to each other, right?

 

[ViRGE]

Your description is a bit confusing. As you wanting the bedroom TV to display the exact same screen as the living room TV? That's easy enough to do, I just want to make sure we're clear.

Anyhow, right now for HTPCs it's hard to pass up a GTX 960. It's a bit overpowered, but as far as video cards go it's the only one with both full hardware HEVC decode and HDMI 2.0 support. You should get some very good mileage out of that.

1) Either is fine. The standard DP->HDMI adapter is a passive device anyhow, so it's not really any different than a host video card having two HDMI ports.

2) Yes.

 

[teknologikal]

Thanks for the reply

So to make things simple, I am eliminating my bedroom htpc. I will have just one htpc for the whole house. One video signal will go to the living room TV and the other video signal will go to the bedroom\office TVs. (one hdmi cable with a splitter). 99% of the time I will watch one TV at a time. I am not too worried sending the video\audio to two TVs at the same time. My concern was from reading some posts about hdmi and dp not working together at the same time with video\audio being sent on each port. I've done a million duplicate displays, but they were dp+dvi, dp+vga, dvi+vga, but never hdmi+dp. I just want to make sure they will work as you described. So yes, I want the same signal on all TVs from this video card. Audio as well. I don't even care if I could do it at the same time, as long as I can do it one at a time. Again, I don't see any issues, but I read some people had issues with type of set up, or may be a similar type of set up

My other options is to get another hdmi splitter. A good one. And just split the signal to the living room and the bedroom TVs. The problem here is that I am already splitting the signal (from my old htpc) on the bedroom\office hdmi cable. And I read that cascading hdmi splitters would be troublesome. I already have these wired up so I don't want to redo that part.

So what do you think would be the optimal option here? I would love to get a good card, send the same signal to all the TVs and forget about it.

Thank you!

 

[Lorne]

This?
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10113&cs_id=1011307&p_id=10250&seq=1&format=2

An old NV 8200 can do 1080 fine if your just watching video, No gaming of course.

 

[teknologikal]

As I wrote above, I don't mind splitting the signal. The issue is that I already have it split from a prior set up. The htpc going to the bedroom is also split and goes to the office. That works really well, but that htpc is going away. Its just going to be one computer for the whole house. So I could use the HDMI splitter, but as I read in a number of places, cascading or daisy chaining HDMI splitters is not recommended

 

[poofyhairguy]

So what do you think would be the optimal option here?

For what you are wanting to do the HDMI splitter army is the only option. In Windows only one device can be the default for sound. You are going to have handshake problems with the splitters, no way around it unless you want to use analogue audio and run two sets of cables.

The optimal optimal option is what you don't want- multiple HTPCs. Then each can have their own content on each TV that is completely different (something splitters can't do). You use the server to tie together the actual media libraries between the HTPCs. This is how I have done it for years. Oh and you can later add a bedroom HTPC setup for the cost of the box.

What is the issue with the multiple HTPC option? Cost? You will spend more on HDMI cables and splitters. Some issue with seeing the HTPC? A Chromebox/NUC can be taped on the back of a TV as it is so thin and light. I would love to know why you ran down this particular rabbit hole.

 

[teknologikal]

=) No, issue is not cost at all. Its simply that I like to keep things simple and minimal. There is nothing wrong with having 1 htpc (its connected back to my NAS for all my media). I love this type of a minimal set up. I am a systems admin so I know a few things about setting up networks. Just not too familiar with GPUs

So what I watch the HDMI output on one TV (Video\Audio will work) and then turn it off and go to the bedroom and turn that TV on, which is going to be on the DP output, am I only going to get video, but no sound? Even if the HDMI source is turned off?

Would two video cards fix the issues or perhaps one card with two HDMI ports? Or is Windows simply limited to one device for sound and that's it? I wonder if it would switch the default device on its own depending on which port is detected activity!

 

[poofyhairguy]

One work around I can think of is using multiple media programs with multiple GPUs. For example you use JRiver in one room, which then uses the default Windows output which for this example is Card #1. Then in the other room you use something like Kodi that can force its output to a card OTHER THAN the default Windows device, which would be card 2. As long as you closed out of each program so they aren't fighting each other for focus that would work. Maybe use some similiar skin to make it seem very close. You couldn't have a shared library though. Any modern (as is still sold on Newegg) Nvidia GPU would work in the second slot.

I will tell you though, this or any script to switch the inputs is going to be a trouble-shooting nightmare. If your purpose is to avoid complication you are making a setup that is WAY WAY WAY more complicated than any multiple HTPC option. That is why I was asking you your motivation. Personally my goal with HTPCs is simplicity as well, and I got there through a machine at each viewing station that is connected to a unified MySQL library.

 

[teknologikal]

I agree. I just didn't think that using it this way would create a problem. I am thinking it would just be easier, if I do stay with the single htpc setup, to just rerun the bedroom\office hdmi and get a 3, or even 4 way, hdmi splitter, and just split everything at the source. Each TV with its own dedicated hdmi run, but single hdmi port being used on the card

 

[poofyhairguy]

I don't think a splitter is that bad if you can get a big enough one to do it all. Each output would get the full audio and video delivered to that station. I think that is what you want at the end of the day. As long as you don't have runs longer than 50 feet from that splitter you are fine.

The issue is that many of those big HDMI splitters are junk, and will downgrade the audio. So be careful when you are researching what to buy.

 

[teknologikal]

Of course. A few good ones are costly, but worth every penny. I think I''ll forget whole hdmi+dp split for now. Will just leave the two htpcs. And then will try either the 4 port splitter or may be give this original idea another try. I just don't want to rerun over 75 feet of hdmi cable = ))

 

[poofyhairguy]

Good luck!

 

[teknologikal]

Thank you for the advice!

 

[poofyhairguy]

Any time, I love HTPC stuff. That is my niche.

 

[Denithor]

What about a receiver with multiple HDMI outputs? Then you get premium audio in main room and output the same image/audio to TVs in other areas?