Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player - a HTPC replacement??

[anm]

sure! i rarely get out of delhi/ ncr. Maybe I will land in hyd/ chennai/ blr some day.

regards

I should be doing the thanking buddy. Saved quite a bit of money thanks to info provided by you. Lunch/dinner on me when we meet up...

 

[thevortex]

I have been going through this wonderful thread - thanks to Venkat's link elsewhere. Its been a treasure trove of information.

My 2 rupees on an external DAC powered system (source DVD player or WDTV) versus a HTPC is very simple. For an inveterate tinkerer, nothing satisfies like the HTPC. For the people who want to setup a one stop solution nothing comes close to the 'finality' of the source with external DAC.

I love to tinker, play with, upgrade, revise and do all such meaningless stuff. So, a HTPC it is for me. The PC has a software component, so unless you love keeping up with software versions, troubleshooting from time to time, waiting for the PC to boot up and down, this may not be for you.

For the record though, my lowly Athlon X2 powered PC boots up in less than 20 seconds and shuts down within that time as well. Not bad, really.

And if there is one thing that I emphatically agree with Moser it is that with the PC as your platform (source plus DAC) you can get a far higher level of sound quality than any entry level to medium range CD player - provided your speakers are good enough to show the difference.

cPlay is the future!!

 

[thevortex]

Moser - how are those AVI's? Have you played with them yet? Eagerly awaiting your feedback.

 

[moserw]

Moser - how are those AVI's? Have you played with them yet? Eagerly awaiting your feedback.

They're coming tomorrow. I'm going to have a busy weekend I guess. Don't know about running them in, etc. Will post my views/thoughts ASAP.

 

[reju]

moserw, did you get the VAT refund???

 

[moserw]

moserw, did you get the VAT refund???

Yup. I was not aware of it, but my cousin was. Thanks for sharing...

 

[illusion]

moserw, did you get the VAT refund???

I am planning to get the WD TV shipped from USA . Can I claim a Vat refund ?

 

[reju]

Which seller is shipping WD TV to India?
What about shipping costs + customs duties?

It will be any day cheaper to buy in India.

To answer your question, NO there is no VAT system in US. So NO refund of any kind.

 

[illusion]

Which seller is shipping WD TV to India?
What about shipping costs + customs duties?

It will be any day cheaper to buy in India.

To answer your question, NO there is no VAT system in US. So NO refund of any kind.

Woops wrong words. I was thinking of having it shipped to my sister in US and my friend will be getting it from there or atleast that is what I hope. Can my frnd claim a vat refund at the airport ?

 

[Sumit]

Hi People!!

I am writing this post from the Laptop which is temporarily connected to my NAD pre/power.

Now, why I am telling you this:

I was contemplating since sometime about buying a NMT like Tvix / Mvix etc. I had almost bought a Tvix. Someone was coming from states and I had asked him to get me Tvix 6500. He had to cancel his visit because of recession. And, my NMT laid to rest. In the meanwhile I started following this thread in the background. I am so impressed with widespread knowledge I have gained with thread regarding NMT / HTPC. In particluar, I am impressed with Moser's knowledge of HTPC. Kudos to you for same.

Since, I already have a laptop( workhorse) and desktop (sitting idle most of the time), I decided to try HTPC for starters.

As I said earlier, that I am writing this post as I am listening to music sourcing from my Laptop. The laptop is connected from the headphone jack with a 3.5mm to twin RCA to the NAD Pre vide 5m bandridge cable. I must say the quality is not bad at allconsidering that I am using the stock realtek card that comes with Lenovo S10.

Anyways, I am going to use my desktop for HTPC services. The config as follows:
1. The cabinet is old-compaq vertical ones.
2. AMD athlon 64 X2 5200+
3. Motherboard Asus M2A-VM
4. 2Gb 667mz RAM
5. MSI NVidia 8600GT Graphics Controller
6. Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse
7. Viewsonic 19" widescreen Monitor connected to CPU via DVI cable
8. Two optical drives: Asus and Samsung DVD writers


After reading this thread, I can come to conclusion that I have a reasonable machine for a HTPC. The only part missing is the sound card. I can understand that Asus is highly acclaimed. I am not sure how much is the right amount of money to be spent on the sound card considering my HT equipment ( can be seen on my signature below)

Firstly,I dont want to use an external DAC. I shall be connecting the sound card Via RCA to the NAD pre. Hence, the sound card should have a RCA.
Secondly, I want to connect the sound card to the AVR digitally Coax or S/PDIF. Hence, optical/coax is must.

Finally, if this is a success then I would want a horizontal cabinet. The one that venkat has is 'delicious'. But, it costs potloads of money here. Nonetheless, lets us finalize the sound card first. Pls pour in your replies especially Moser. Others are welcome too.

A big thank you to all for increasing my knowledge.

Sumit

 

[magma]

sirji

what is the budget?

for9-10k the Asus Essence Xonar STX has few comepetitiors and has all the outputs you want

if budget is slightly less the Xonar series has a younger brother good for 2 channel muisc too ithink its Xonar DX,(possibly jus over half the cost of the above)

 

[moserw]

@Sumit - Two things... First is budget. Second is availability of slots on your motherboard. Check out ASUSTeK Computer Inc. for PCI/PCI Express and even USB. The best yet I've come across is Xonar Essence STX (will cost around 8-9K depending on the market) but it's PCI Express which I think your motherboard has a slot for. Decide based on your budget and h/w.

 

[magma]

soory will ask after research

 

[moserw]

@magma - Actually the DX is recommended for those who don't want headphone usage. Essence is better, but very few would be able to perceive any difference between the both of them. You can go for DX in fact.

 

[magma]

@magma - Actually the DX is recommended for those who don't want headphone usage. Essence is better, but very few would be able to perceive any difference between the both of them. You can go for DX in fact.

wow how did you read my question ?
i thought i editted the post!

anyway thats what i was doing my research on
the Essence STX and DX use the same chip ( i.e UV100)

the D2x used UV 200

the essence Stx and D2x cost the same about 200$
and the DX costs half that

are you recommending the essence, DX or D2x or pure 2.0 music . no headphone reqd
(considering the prices ofcourse)

 

[Sumit]

@Sumit - Two things... First is budget. Second is availability of slots on your motherboard. Check out ASUSTeK Computer Inc. for PCI/PCI Express and even USB. The best yet I've come across is Xonar Essence STX (will cost around 8-9K depending on the market) but it's PCI Express which I think your motherboard has a slot for. Decide based on your budget and h/w.

I think I should be able to spend 5k on the card. Secondly, I have a PCI express slot on my card.
Details as available: 1 x PCI Express x16, 1X PCI Express x1, 2 x PCI
I think 8600GT is on the (X16) slot. Can I use sound ccard on (X 1) PCI ex slot?


As mentioned earlier it shd have a RCA and Coaxial/optical.
I looked at the website of ASUS. The indian website did not have Xonar STX. It did have the DX and D2X. It seems that DX does not have RCA but D2X does. How much does D2X cost?
Suggest the right card for me. Thanks.
Currently I play Audio CD's ( Originals only, thank you) vide my MArantz DVD player. After I get this HTPC thing going, I would have to rip all my CD's to HDD. Am I correct?

Sumit.Asus M2A-VM HDMI: AM2 mATX motherboard | silentpcreview.com

 

[moserw]

I think I should be able to spend 5k on the card. Secondly, I have a PCI express slot on my card.
Details as available: 1 x PCI Express x16, 1X PCI Express x1, 2 x PCI
I think 8600GT is on the (X16) slot. Can I use sound ccard on (X 1) PCI ex slot?


As mentioned earlier it shd have a RCA and Coaxial/optical.
I looked at the website of ASUS. The indian website did not have Xonar STX. It did have the DX and D2X. It seems that DX does not have RCA but D2X does. How much does D2X cost?
Suggest the right card for me. Thanks.
Currently I play Audio CD's ( Originals only, thank you) vide my MArantz DVD player. After I get this HTPC thing going, I would have to rip all my CD's to HDD. Am I correct?

Sumit.Asus M2A-VM HDMI: AM2 mATX motherboard | silentpcreview.com

For 5K the DX makes more sense. I'm not sure what the D2X costs as I've not inquired about it. The Essence STX costs around 9K. Digital Coaxial output is present in all cards these days. Coming to analog outputs I think only the Essence STX has RCA x 2 outputs. I'm not too sure about this and would look to other Asus owners for inputs/correction. I only checked and went for the Essence STX since I was convinced about it and did not check the other cards, but I think/remember reading somewhere that only the Essence STX comes with RCA x 2 outputs.

 

[moserw]

wow how did you read my question ?
i thought i editted the post!

anyway thats what i was doing my research on
the Essence STX and DX use the same chip ( i.e UV100)

the D2x used UV 200

the essence Stx and D2x cost the same about 200$
and the DX costs half that

are you recommending the essence, DX or D2x or pure 2.0 music . no headphone reqd
(considering the prices ofcourse)

Between STX and D2X for music the STX anyday. For more all round experience the D2X. I remember reading quite a few forum threads/online reviews where they said there was not much difference in terms of performance between the DX and STX and that the DX made more sense in case there was no requirement/usage of headphones. At half the cost it does make more sense unless you're an audiophile who wants the absolute best and are convinced by the superior specs of the STX. I was convinced by the 124 dB SNR of the STX and now after hearing it coupled with cPlay I have no regrets and in fact I'm quite sure very few systems will compete with what I have (and I've heard quite a few so called high-end systems) including a very expensive RWA unit that a friend has. The PC with the right soundcard, the right speakers and the right content like FLAC/WAV will hold its own quite well indeed.

 

[anm]

have those new ADM speakers joined the system? Or are you talking about the audioengine speakers?

 

[Sumit]

For 5K the DX makes more sense. I'm not sure what the D2X costs as I've not inquired about it. The Essence STX costs around 9K. Digital Coaxial output is present in all cards these days. Coming to analog outputs I think only the Essence STX has RCA x 2 outputs. I'm not too sure about this and would look to other Asus owners for inputs/correction. I only checked and went for the Essence STX since I was convinced about it and did not check the other cards, but I think/remember reading somewhere that only the Essence STX comes with RCA x 2 outputs.

Moser:
If I have to choose DX or D2X because of cost constraints then how will I connect these cards to the NAD pre C160- Consdering that these cards don't have RCA terminals?

Also, you have not answered my question regarding connecting PCI-Express card on motherboard menioned above. Bear in mind that PCI-Ex X 16 slot is occupied by 8600GT. Kindly look at the motherboard pic and let me know if can install Sound cards on this motherboard.

Thanks