tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25405260283529149082024-03-12T20:49:51.846-05:00Sri's Media Center BlogSrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-15166059530064601852013-01-06T20:10:00.002-06:002013-01-06T20:10:26.656-06:00LPCM audio in MKVsGot this from avsforum looking for a solution for LPCM audio tracks in mkv files. Thanks to Lush78 for this post<br />
<a href="http://www.avsforum.com/t/1407589/makemkv-and-lpcm-audio" target="_blank">http://www.avsforum.com/t/1407589/makemkv-and-lpcm-audio </a><br />
<br />
This post is to share some information and the solution to the problems I was having with MakeMKV and Blu-rays with LPCM audio.<br />
<br />
When remuxing Blu-rays containing LPCM audio with MakeMKV, I would not be able to playback the LPCM audio track using anything, including VLC on PC, Popcorn Hour c200, Boxee Box, etc. MakeMKV sets the Codec ID to "A_MS/ACM" which is a very uncommon codec.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>To solve this problem, open MKVmerge GUI, and go to File -> Header Editor. </li>
<li>Then go to File -> Open and browse to your MKV. </li>
<li>Scroll down to the audio track that contains the LPCM audio and change the Codec ID from "A_MS/ACM" to "A_PCM/INT/LIT". </li>
<li>Then File -> Save. </li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IO9R0fLWT4g/UOoub17EpTI/AAAAAAAAFqI/pt1-K-Eq9Is/s1600/LPCM_MKV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="473" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IO9R0fLWT4g/UOoub17EpTI/AAAAAAAAFqI/pt1-K-Eq9Is/s640/LPCM_MKV.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
Your MKV will now contain an LPCM audio track that should be compatible with any software or hardware capable of playing MKV files... Hope this helps...Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-24618461852447299852012-07-12T09:45:00.000-05:002012-07-13T10:56:57.853-05:00Install ehome IR drivers on WHS 2011/ windows 2008While installing DVBlogic Server (<a href="http://www.dvblogic.com/">http://www.dvblogic.com</a>), I ran into an issue where my ehome IR transceiver drivers wouldn't install on WHS 2011. This prevented me from switching channels on my dish network 211k receivers, which were feeding video signals to my capture devices (Hauppauge HDPVR & a colossus card).<br />
<br />
I came across this site that shows how to install the IR transceiver drivers on win 2008 (& hence WHS 2011)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/win2008r2/ehome-ir-transceiver">http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/win2008r2/ehome-ir-transceiver</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.33em; text-align: left;">
By default you can’t use the Microsoft eHome IR Transceiver in Windows Server 2008 R2, but using this page you ‘ll install drivers to get the hardware working. These drivers were extracted from the Windows 7 x64 RTM MSDN dvd.</div>
<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.33em; text-align: left;">
<a class="nohover" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2540526028352914908" name="step-1"><br /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.33em; text-align: left;">
<a class="nohover" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2540526028352914908" name="step-1">1. Download <strong title="MD5: b00c313a3aad824fa04a975d40eeff77 | SHA1: 4b2b11e220c3442286cfe1e7bd16a72e94631d9a">eHome.zip</strong> (296 KB) from </a><a href="http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/eHome.zip" style="color: #4574a3; text-decoration: none;">win2008r2workstation</a>.</div>
<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.33em; text-align: left;">
<a class="nohover" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2540526028352914908" name="step-2"><br /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.33em; text-align: left;">
<a class="nohover" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2540526028352914908" name="step-2">2. After downloading the zip extract the zip, run <strong>install.cmd</strong> as an Administrator and follow the instructions on the screen.</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.33em; text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o6HZnIkcRt0/UABFE6z0BLI/AAAAAAAAEho/pXOYoQSHn8w/s1600/ehome.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o6HZnIkcRt0/UABFE6z0BLI/AAAAAAAAEho/pXOYoQSHn8w/s1600/ehome.png" /></a></div>
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<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.33em; text-align: left;">
3. Install the drivers via the Device Manager using step 2 – 5 at the <a href="http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/win2008r2/drivers#m-step-3b-2" style="color: #4574a3; text-decoration: none;">Drivers page</a>.</div>
<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #252525; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.33em; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-13247913829245121402011-06-01T07:59:00.000-05:002011-06-01T07:59:56.595-05:00Youtube now has free & rental moviesYoutube now has free and rental movies. Goto <a href="http://www.youtube.com/movies">http://www.youtube.com/movies</a> .<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2rySPBPv-f4/TeY2UudQFvI/AAAAAAAAEYM/L1uiluNh0ak/s1600/youtubemovies.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2rySPBPv-f4/TeY2UudQFvI/AAAAAAAAEYM/L1uiluNh0ak/s640/youtubemovies.png" width="625" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="clear: both;">Originally posted by Sudhir on <a href="http://sudhir.lakkaraju.net/2011/06/youtube-movies.html">http://sudhir.lakkaraju.net/2011/06/youtube-movies.html</a></div>Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-82598227938123657632011-05-19T10:32:00.002-05:002011-05-19T13:40:45.941-05:00Watchindia.tv service is a scam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W7YaMt4dqMs/TdU3l6kxyWI/AAAAAAAAEUg/zm-wHR-w-kI/s1600/watchindia+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W7YaMt4dqMs/TdU3l6kxyWI/AAAAAAAAEUg/zm-wHR-w-kI/s320/watchindia+logo.png" width="294" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This watchindia.tv service & their box is a scam. Stay away from this crap at all costs and customer support at its absolute worst. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Where do I start with this colossal fail...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><b><br />
</b></span></span><br />
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Poor quality and buggy software on the box, that crashes all the time.</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Horrible buffering issues even on a 20Mbps comcast internet account. Their servers simply can not handle the load.</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Box required constant reboots and authentication to get it to work.</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Crappy remote that barely worked. Only a few buttons on the remote were useful.</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Horrendous customer support, that never picks up your calls or responds to emails.</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>When the box went bad(no audio) they refused to replace it even though it was under warranty. Lost money and time trying to reach them.</b></span></li>
</ol><div>So the watchindia service is a FAIL... FAIL... FAIL.... pissed me off big time. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">I hope this prevents other people from paying for this crap.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"> </span></div>Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-58751959704262309882011-03-19T02:24:00.051-05:002011-04-20T15:16:51.351-05:00My new fanless build<table><tbody>
<tr><td><br />
Its been almost 2 years since my last htpc build, and I've got upgradeditis (a.k.a strong itch to upgrade a perfectly good htpc). My wife and 4 year old are very much used to the media center and I've not paid a cable/ satellite bill in almost 2 years (very happy, saved thousands!!!).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc28sIJ46ww/TYRN9d3_qiI/AAAAAAAAERU/WKG1DWkiGxo/s1600/P1040064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc28sIJ46ww/TYRN9d3_qiI/AAAAAAAAERU/WKG1DWkiGxo/s320/P1040064.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new fanless htpc...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This time around I wanted the following features,<br />
<ul><li>Silent system (absolutely no fans!!!)</li>
<li>Support for Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master Audio (HD audio formats found on blu-rays)</li>
<li>SSD Hard Drive for the OS</li>
<li>Bigger 2TB Hard Drive (Allows for more HD recordings on the DVR)</li>
<li>Lower power consumption</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b>System Configuration</b><br />
<br />
<ul><li>Intel Core i3 550</li>
<li>Gigabyte H57 micro ATX motherboard</li>
<li>4GB g-skill DDR3 memory</li>
<li>64GB Zalman SSD HDD</li>
<li>HDPLEX H10.ODD fanless case</li>
<li>2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD (pulled from my home server)</li>
<li>LG Blu-ray/ HD-DVD drive (reused from the old htpc)</li>
<li>HD HomeRun Network dual TV Tuner (connected to my antenna)</li>
</ul><b></b><br />
I reused the old hdhomerun, blu-ray drive and pulled a 2TB drive from my home server for this build.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Fanless HTPC Case</b><br />
<br />
Finding a good quality fanless htpc case, that works, and looks good is tough. I found a case vendor that specializes in fanless htpc cases, <a href="http://www.hd-plex.com/">http://www.hd-plex.com</a>.<br />
<br />
For some reason they never seem to have any in stock, but after repeated requests, Larry at HDPLEX, finally sent me one, and has been very helpful so far. <br />
<br />
I like this case's extremely simple and beautiful design. Its slim, the power switch is on top and there are no distracting lights on the front panel.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Rc28sIJ46ww/TYRN9d3_qiI/AAAAAAAAERU/WKG1DWkiGxo/s1600/P1040064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Rc28sIJ46ww/TYRN9d3_qiI/AAAAAAAAERU/WKG1DWkiGxo/s640/P1040064.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">H10.ODD fanless case from <a href="http://www.hd-plex.com/">http://www.hd-plex.com</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>The case was very well packaged and I bought a 150W PicoPSU power supply and an internal IR receiver along with it. <br />
<br />
The installation instructions were very clear and precise, and printed on color glossy paper. It took me about 3 hours to finish the hardware install and get it up & running with windows 7.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr align="left"><td><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B9ccYr56LJo/TYRTxA2XTZI/AAAAAAAAERs/SIsPa7oM8Jc/s1600/P1040056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B9ccYr56LJo/TYRTxA2XTZI/AAAAAAAAERs/SIsPa7oM8Jc/s640/P1040056.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption">No fans!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The motherboard and heat pipes were extremely easy to install. A PicoPSU power supply is required since a standard ATX(or other format) power supply won't fit in this case.The power adapter sits inside the case since there is no pci-e video card in this system.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iFmhoFXTpfg/TYRTm2izgxI/AAAAAAAAERY/FrzldsHm_G0/s1600/P1040039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iFmhoFXTpfg/TYRTm2izgxI/AAAAAAAAERY/FrzldsHm_G0/s640/P1040039.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top view</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I had trouble installing the hard drives, since the screws come in from below the case(& I placed the drive the wrong way), but after messing with it, I finally figured it out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-D72TcQXjjpw/TYRTsH9dIGI/AAAAAAAAERg/yAqB2yp8bz0/s1600/P1040054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h2fx3kIwYgk/TYRT1v49A3I/AAAAAAAAER0/0AL4x-LZ5KI/s1600/P1040061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h2fx3kIwYgk/TYRT1v49A3I/AAAAAAAAER0/0AL4x-LZ5KI/s640/P1040061.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My logitech harmony remote next to it</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4cHR7UqmNrs/TYRT8rXePcI/AAAAAAAAESE/B1kGZtDcheg/s1600/P1040072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4cHR7UqmNrs/TYRT8rXePcI/AAAAAAAAESE/B1kGZtDcheg/s640/P1040072.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc28sIJ46ww/TYRN9d3_qiI/AAAAAAAAERU/WKG1DWkiGxo/s1600/P1040064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Sitting pretty on top of my Onkyo 875</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1FlhufSAnwY/TYRUADO3FDI/AAAAAAAAESM/nEKmDlNwMkM/s1600/P1040055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1FlhufSAnwY/TYRUADO3FDI/AAAAAAAAESM/nEKmDlNwMkM/s640/P1040055.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ports galore - hdmi, usb3, esata etc</td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li>More stuff later....</li>
</ul>Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-48839374292944782332011-02-17T19:59:00.003-06:002012-11-04T07:32:49.582-06:00Windows 7 autologin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b></b><br />
While using an htpc keyboard/ mouse use should be minimal. So if the htpc reboots it would be useful to have windows 7 login automatically. Follow these steps to allow autologin in windows 7.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
1. Press Windows Key + R.<br />
<br />
2. Type 'control userpasswords2' and press Enter.<br />
<br />
Security note: If UAC is enabled, then you’ll get a UAC prompt on screen. Please specify<br />
credentials or permission to pass the UAC elevation.<br />
<br />
3. Select your account from the list.<br />
<br />
4. Uncheck the 'Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. '<br />
<br />
5. Click Apply and a dialog will appear (See Figure A below).<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wykdgq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p3fpajEIH4WcAYMHl-xi_KC5Czw6dScs_SPZ-812YOB__e8po3xhOT3FgOxWkpYJ12J1qWILMUWJaMV7F99EOatIvCw5aJR_J/dlgpass.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" j6="true" src="http://wykdgq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p3fpajEIH4WcAYMHl-xi_KC5Czw6dScs_SPZ-812YOB__e8po3xhOT3FgOxWkpYJ12J1qWILMUWJaMV7F99EOatIvCw5aJR_J/dlgpass.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure A: Automatically Log On dialog requiring user credentials. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7security/thread/04e50d02-d3e9-41d7-ab2d-c311ce93a715">http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7security/thread/04e50d02-d3e9-41d7-ab2d-c311ce93a715<br />
</a><br />
</div>
Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-43560667507185333292011-02-05T03:00:00.001-06:002011-03-19T00:11:01.125-05:00Checklist to troubleshoot bluray stuttering on WHS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">If your bluray rips/ HD files stutter when played from the WHS, but not from a local drive, then use these as a checklist.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">After a year of no issues with my WHS, I suddenly saw stuttering with my bluray rips on my WHS. After a couple of days of trouble shooting, and finding that there were multiple sources for my stuttering issue, I thought it would help others to document what to look for.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><b><span style="font-family: ";"><br />
</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><b>Disk running in PIO & not UDMA</b></span></div><ol type="1"><ul><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IAE-L3GlwVg/TU03GYOQ8TI/AAAAAAAAENk/LXpWi5fpUuU/s1600/udma.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570168896848195890" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IAE-L3GlwVg/TU03GYOQ8TI/AAAAAAAAENk/LXpWi5fpUuU/s320/udma.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 320px; width: 289px;" /></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Log on to the WHS using remote desktop.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Navigate to Control Panel=>System=>Hardware Tab=>Device manager.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Select View=>Devices by connection</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Expand the SATA/ IDE controllers, and right click the primary/ secondary IDE controllers.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 100%;">If there is a drive connected to the primary/ secondary channel, and if it says PIO instead of UDMA, you've got a problem.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Change to UDMA mode, and reboot. If that is not available or if the option says otherwise, right click the SATA or IDE controller, uninstall the device and reboot.</span></li>
</ul></ol><span style="font-size: 130%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Failing Disk/ bad sectors</span></b></span><br />
<ol start="2" type="1"><ul type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IAE-L3GlwVg/TU03RpG9FtI/AAAAAAAAENs/TYWn5dtp9j0/s1600/Monitor%2BHealth.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570169090359498450" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IAE-L3GlwVg/TU03RpG9FtI/AAAAAAAAENs/TYWn5dtp9j0/s320/Monitor%2BHealth.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 155px; width: 320px;" /></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Use something like Home Server SMART or the disk management WHS plugin and monitor drive health.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 100%;">It is recommended to remove any failing drives from the storage tab and replace them before further data loss occurs.</span></li>
</ul></ol><span style="font-size: 130%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Demigrator/ Backup process running in the background</span></b></span><br />
<ol start="3" type="1"><ul type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Temporarily turn off the demigrator service to see if that is the problem. However this service is required for folder duplication. (under Control Panel=>Administrative Tools=>Services=>Right Click “Drive Extender Migrator Service”=>Click Stop). Checkout this <a href="http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2010/12/09/guide-shutting-off-demigrator-exe-in-windows-home-server/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MediaSmartServer+%28MediaSmartServer.net+Blog%29&utm_content=Twitter">blog</a> to schedule the demigrator to run during non-peak hours.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 100%;">If the WHS backup process runs while streaming a movie it is likely to cause stuttering. Again schedule these to run during non-peak hours.</span></li>
</ul></ol><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Drives not balanced/ Fragmentation</span></b></span><br />
<ol start="3" type="1"><ul type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Run the <a href="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1120520">drive balancer tool</a> so that data is moved to non-system drives. Special thanks to BeefCake.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Defrag the WHS drives regularly. Go to Administrative Tools=>Computer Management=>Disk Management=>Select a drive & Right Click Properties. Select Tools=> Defragment.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "; font-size: 100%;">Formatting a WHS drive with 64KB clusters also helps. But this has to be done while adding a drive.</span></li>
</ul></ol><span style="font-size: 130%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";">Network issues</span></b></span><br />
<ol start="3" type="1"><ul type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IAE-L3GlwVg/TU03b46sYrI/AAAAAAAAEN0/4iUnQyuJFS8/s1600/Network%2BInspection.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570169266401731250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IAE-L3GlwVg/TU03b46sYrI/AAAAAAAAEN0/4iUnQyuJFS8/s320/Network%2BInspection.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 222px; width: 320px;" /></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Antivirus/ Firewall/ Packet inspection software</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">. MS Security Essentials has a network inspection feature, which causes heavy stuttering on some systems. My nvidia controller displays this problem, but my Marvel/ Intel controllers don’t. Disabling the network inspection feature resolves the issue. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">If you have an Nvidia network controller, the “Network Access Manager” software bundled with nforce drivers, causes serious performance issues. It is recommended to uninstall NAM. This also causes issues with my HDHomerun tv tuner. Update network drivers and check other antivirus, firewall and network software to see if that is a source of the problem.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Enable jumbo frames if supported by your switch/ router and network controller. This causes issues with some network controllers, so YMMV.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 100%;">Upgrade to a wired gigabit switch/ router. Avoid wireless if possible. Even wireless-n is not sufficient, especially for multiple bluray/ HD streams. Of course YMMV.</span></li>
</ul></ol><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div>Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-15915736399894271802009-09-01T14:06:00.000-05:002009-09-01T14:21:01.857-05:00Hulu Desktop rocks!!!If you like watching shows on <a href="http://hulu.com">hulu.com</a>, you will really like the hulu desktop application. Download here <a href="http://www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop">http://www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop</a><br /><br /><ul><li>Great for HTPCs</li><li>Works with your media center remote (I use my logitech)</li><li>High quality 480p video is smoother compared to the browser based flash.</li><li>To seamlessly launch and use it from windows media center see this <a href="http://on10.net/blogs/sarahintampa/Integrate-the-New-Hulu-Desktop-into-Media-Center/">link</a> </li></ul>Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2540526028352914908.post-65039204361934558782009-06-29T22:23:00.003-05:002013-04-29T10:07:41.235-05:00Media Center complete!My media center build is now complete. I'm trying to make this my main family entertainment center and that means wife acceptance is critical.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Primary Goals</span><br />
<ul>
<li>View Local OTA digital & HD channels</li>
<li>DVR functionality with ability to view & schedule recordings</li>
<li>Blue-Ray, HD-DVD & DVD playback</li>
<li>View digital photo and video collection</li>
<li>Listen to music collection</li>
<li>Play DIVX movies</li>
<li>Watch Hulu & netflix online</li>
<li>High WAF(Wife acceptance factor)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Components Used</span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zotac 9300</span> mini ITX motherboard</li>
<li>Pentium <span style="font-weight: bold;">E5200 dual core</span> processor (2.5GHz)</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Apex M100 mini-ITX</span> case with 250W Power Supply</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">4GB</span> OCZ DDR2 memory</li>
<li>Western Digital<span style="font-weight: bold;"> 1TB Green</span> Hard drive</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">LG GGC H20L</span> HD-DVD/ Blueray drive</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">BTC 9039 URF III </span>Wireless Keyboard with trackball</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SiliconDust HDHomerun</span> dual TV tuner</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Belkin N+</span> gigabit router</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clearstream CS4</span> TV Antenna</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Antec veris multimedia station</span> basic IR controller</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Logitech harmony</span> 890 remote</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Windows 7 64bit RC</span>, Arcsoft Total Media theatre for Blueray & HD DVD playback</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Build Notes</span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance better than expected</span> - I was pleasantly surprised to see no performance issues during playback of OTA HD video and HDDVDs.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heat issues</span> - The tiny Apex M100 miniITX case posed some heat issues, primarily due to restricted airflow. The following tweaks resolved the heat problems-</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 16px;">Fans on either side of the case (1 - 120mm & 1 - 80mm)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16px;">Hard drive mounted using general purpose velcro on the floor of the case</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14px;">Power Supply mounted upside down. The included 250W power supply has a fan on top, but the case doesn't have a vent on the top. Mounting the power supply upside down improved the airflow. The cpu cores are now at a constant 53 degrees C and the GPU at 57 degrees C, even under load.</span></li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wake on USB solution</span> - The zotac 9300 motherboard doesn't have a wake on USB feature. This means the pc cant be woken up with a USB device like an InfraRed receiver (zotac you bastards!!). After some research on <a href="http://www.avsforum.com/">http://www.avsforum.com/</a> , I stumbled upon this device - The Antec Veris Multimedia Station Basic, IR Receiver. This IR receiver connects to the motherboard's power connector so it can be woken up using a remote.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">HDMI audio issue</span> - I've run into issues with the nvidia HD audio driver crashing and looping ocassionally in windows 7 64bit. I'm temporarily using an optical cable instead, with the realtek audio chip, until better drivers are released. This means no LPCM audio for now.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Keyboard with trackball</span> is required if you want to control the mouse cursor from a couch.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The logitech harmony 890</span> remote works like a charm. It has been programmed to work like a MS media center remote.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
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Srihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039317480843891067noreply@blogger.com3