RE: For MS - my experience building a Mediacenter PC

From: Vic in Oregon City (VicinOregonCity_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 12/28/04 

Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 09:47:01 -0800

Hey Badmuts

My experience parallels yours! Several months ago I decided to build a
Media Center 2004 system only to find out you couldn't buy the software and
the only way was with a computer! What a surprise well I bought a system from
Comp USA (CIS SIC) with MCE 2004 installed. When I first plugged everything
in the sound wouldn't work at all and of course Comp USA had no idea
whatsoever. I updated the RealTek driver and now I have sound!!

Well after spending many hours getting everything to work I thought OK now
it's sit back and enjoy time only to find out I had no sound after 2 days and
refreshing drivers or anything else could fix it. Well I returned it and
asked for a refund but they wanted to exchange it for another one. However,
this time they decided to see if the replacement worked only to find out it
also had problems so they returned my money.

Well 2 weeks ago I decided OK I'll build my own 2005 system. I purchased all
of the components to put it together including an ATI All-InWonder capture
card (around $1000.00 worth). After assembling the computer I started to
install the OS and it installed the 1st CD asked for the 2nd and then asked
for the Service Pack 2 CD. Well there is no Service Pack 2 CD and since it
had gone through both CD's and there were only 2 options - insert the CD or
Cancel so I cancelled. Then when I tried to install the chip set driver for
the Intel motherboard it would not install. I contacted Intel and they told
me their boards were not compatible with MCE 2005. I called Microsoft to see
if they could supply a list of motherboards that were compatible and tehy
directed me to Compatible Hardware for Windows XP (not media center). I
called them back and they wanted to charge me $35.00 for a support call which
I refused so they directed me to pre-sales support. They could not supply
this either and suggested I call someone like Dell and find out what they
use! Can you believe it?

Well I though OK I'm on my own so back to Frys and I spent an extra hundred
bucks to get the most compatible motherboard (Abit IC7-G) only to find the
same problem. So I though 2 motherboards exact same problem no way. I soon
found out that when it asks for the Service Pack 2 CD it really wants disk #1
and then it completed the OS install and I could now install the chip set
software.

OK so I did that along with the audio and network drivers and went to
configure Media Center but encountered a message that said the Video Card was
not compatible. Huh - I thought the All-In-Wonder was supported but I think
it means "Wonder if it'll work!"). So the newsgroups seem to think the
Hauppauge is the best so back to Frys to find a Hauppauge 250MCE only to
find noone in town has one. I decided to return the AIW as it was a high
priced video card and get something cheaper and settled on an Nvidea Gforce
5200. I then go to the internet and locate a Hauppauge 250MCE from Mwave.com
and order it 2 day air. I get a confirmation but the next day I receive an
email that it was on back order and should receive it on the 29th. Things
are'nt going well but wait it gets worse.

I then unexpectantly I receive the card on the 23rd which my 2 day air
turned into 7 days air. Well I've got the Video card in and I'm ready to
install the Hauppauge card so I install it and give it a cable TV feed. Next
I start Media Center and I get the message that I need a DVD decoder to play
the TV. I'm with you huh? So I to went to the internet and downloaded the
trial version of Nvidia Decoder much to my amazement I had TV both sound and
picture.

Well I had also setup a LinkSys Extender so that I could have the computer
in my office. When I set this up I discovered that it didn't like my Access
Point B and had to shell out another 70 bucks for an Access Point model G.

Now since everything is working pretty I have music and TV in the living
room all being streamed from my Media Center in the office - Great! Oh -
almost forgot can't play DVDs using the LinkSys extender because this is a
form of copying a CD and my neighbors could intercept my DVD transmission and
watch it without paying for it. So, I guess I'll have to keep my DVD player
around.

OK final step unplug the old Motorolla 9200 Set-Top box and move it near the
computer so that I can get digital cable. Easier said then done! I can now
get TV picture on Channel 3 or Svideo or composite but there is no sound. Hmm
this is somewhat familiar since I had sound problems way back when I was
messing around with MCE 2004. I have re-installed Windows so many times that
I've memorized the product key but each time I just re-installed and left the
partition in tact. This time I said OK I will do a quick format and
re-install everything. Now what is a quick format? I thought deletes
everything on the C drive. Guess not because I was surprised when everying
was done and it came to the login screen and I had my wife's name there but
had not added her on this install. Then when I logged in and everything was
still there.

OK so I guess I have to do a full format so once more re-install Windows
only to discover that a full format is the same as a quick format which is
the same as leave everything in tact. So now I have 2 options - throw out the
hard drive bec ause you can't get the crap off or delete the partition. I'm
now trying the "Delete Partition" option and I'll let you know what happens
when it is done!

Hey Microsoft this is not ready for prime time it is still beta and perhaps
you should offer free support so you can get it fixed. If you purchased an
OEM copy of the software they tell you you to contact the system builder
which is me??

Vic

"Badmuts" wrote:

> So i wanted to watch and record TV on my old PIII PC with 320MB RAM, 120 GB
> HD and Geforce 2 64 MB AGP card w. TV out.
> I got myself an MS Remote, XP MCE 2005 and Hauppauge Amity2 (=WinTV 150 PVR
> MCE) TV card and installed it.
>
> The remote works at once. Nice look and feel, too, and i like the backlight,
> though i hope it will not eat too much batteries.
> I press the Green Button and MCE starts, albeit a bit slow. I scroll through
> the menus looking for "My TV".
>
> No "My TV". Must be a problem with the card or its driver, i figure.
> Even though half the world seems to buy a Hauppauge card for this purpose
> (judging from the many sites and forums on the topic) and Hauppauge sells it
> as "MCE edition", XP MCE doesn't already know the card. Strange. Well, at
> least i could get the drivers from Hauppauge's web site. Lots of fuss about
> missing files until i install the regular WinTV 150 drivers and their WinTV
> 2000 app.
> WinTV2000 gives me a perfectly fine picture, so the card works. Now, on to
> getting things to work in Media Center.
>
> Still no "My TV" in Media Center, not even greyed out. Until i figure out
> that you have to configure the TV options first before My TV becomes an
> option. So i configure, i scan for channels and wait for what seems an
> eternity for the program guide data to load. And then... finally: "My TV",
> right there in the menu. I tap the remote and get.... a decoder error.
>
> Huh? What decoder? I check Hauppauge's site and find an MPEG2 decoder.
> Figuring i probably need it to decode the MPEG2 stream coming from the
> card's hardware encoder (weird concept, if you think about it, decoding
> something that just got encoded in an earlier stage and it used to be
> different with my old WinTV PCI from W98 days), i install it. Still a
> decoder error. Can't figure it out, so i start googling. Just to find many,
> many people having the same problem. Hardly any answers. But i'm a patient
> dude and keep searching, to find i HAVE to install an MCE compatible MPEG2
> decoder (fine, whatever) and that only third parties actually build such a
> decoder: Nvidia has one, Cyberlink has one as part of their PowerDVD
> program, and Intervideo has one as part of their WinDVD program. For every
> single one of these, i have to pay!
>
> Well, that just sucks. I already spent money on the remote. I spent a large
> amount for XP MCE 2005. I spent money buying an MCE2005 compatible TV card
> because my old WinTV won't work, and now they want to make me spend even
> more? Hell, i'm tired of spending money!
> Why doesn't MS include this decoder with XP MCE? I guess everyone using MCE
> needs it and wants it. I don't want to be forced to buy a third party
> product just to get what i already have paid for working.
>
> Anyway, they all offer trial editions and i don't want to keep staring at
> the screen and not getting any further, so i decide to get the Nvidia codec
> trial version and install it. I press "My TV"... no more decoder error....
> something in the middle of the screen starts spinning.... my heart starts
> beating faster.... then the spinning thing gets stuck. Well, almost: it
> keeps flashing the same segment, instead of turning circles. I get
> intermittent sound, but no picture. Weird, because WinTV2000 worked fine.
> Meanwhile, the PC doesn't respond to the remote control anymore, nor to the
> keyboard or the mouse. It only responds to the hardware reset button. A
> reboot doesn't change things either. Feels weird to an MCSE tech type dude
> :)
>
> Out of boredom, i start fiddling with Mediaportal
> (http://mediaportal.sourceforge.net). It works halfway, after i figure out
> how to config it. But that was not my goal. And even Mediaportal is somewhat
> sluggish. Maybe the P3 PC is sub spec, even though Task Manager shows only
> 40% CPU load in peaks....
>
> So there i sit, brand new hardware and software that i paid for still not
> working. Must be the PC being sub spec, even though it works just fine with
> WinTV2000.
> The next day, i get a P4/1.9 that i had reserved for audio editing from my
> hobby room. I place the hauppauge card, the remote receiver and the gforce
> II in it and do a fresh install of XP MCE, including a new activation... do
> the whole Nvidia decoder thing, the config thing, the program guide download
> again, click on My TV.... just to run into the exact same problem again! Now
> THAT SUCKS...
>
> I upgrade the GForce drivers to the latest. No result. I deinstall the
> Nvidia decoder and install the trial of the latest PowerDVD by Cyberlink,
> reboot, same problem. I deinstall it, reboot, and install WinDVD trial. Same
> problem. I install an ATI Rage 128 Pro, but get an error message that it's
> not supported in Media Center (even though XP runs just fine on it), so i
> put the Gforce 2 back in.
>
> Can't be the computer. Can't be the codec. What can it be? Is it the Gforce
> II? Ok, it's a bit older, but not that old, it works just fine for all my
> other purposes and the NVidia driver supports it. XP even supports it before
> you download the latest NVidia driver. I guess i'll have to buy a video card
> that has been "certified"... and wonder if that will be the last thing, oh
> yeah i still will need to buy a codec when i found one that actually works.
> And i start wondering what it will take to get the DVD player to work, or my
> satellite receiver... DVB-S cards don't seem to be supported and there are
> no smart drivers to circumvent that problem available yet.
>
> I feel ripped off by 'the industry'. After spending a couple of 100 bucks
> and more than 16 hours of tinkering, i give up. At least, for today. Maybe
> i'll go buy a video card tomorrow and see if that helps. It'll be a cheap
> one...
>
> I still feel this product is not finished. MS should include the codec. Or
> Hauppauge should make it available, for free, for their cards.
>
>
>
> --
> Bm
>
>
>