61 replies to this topic

[Dr X]

mmu16, on 16 November 2012 - 11:32 AM, said:

Going from a PS3 it is! The Oppo does throw a dang fine picture.  I'm getting close to fine tuning the HTPC output to where I want it to be but it takes time and patience...sigh. I need to get a good case though, my old case and power supply are simply too noisy.  Got any recommendations anyone?

You should run JRiver MC in High Quality mode on your HTPC. I'm pretty confident it'll be as good if not better than the Oppo.

[dean70]

Ordered an Xonar H6 extension card from UK (they are hard to come-by) and now have ditched the receiver and running directly from the HTPC to a pair of Emotiva power amps. To say its an increase in audio detail is an understatement - it is smoother sounding than the receiver, but need to tone down the vocals somewhat. Good improvements in video quality as well, connecting the PJ directly to the HDMI out on the HTPC. Can power off and on the PC with the amps running & no pops or glitches.

[mmu16]

what are you pairing your Xonar H6 with Dean? Also, I assume your audio is 7 channel analog running to your emotivas?

[dean70]

Running with the Essense ST card

[dean70]

Dr X, on 16 November 2012 - 12:49 PM, said:

You should run JRiver MC in High Quality mode on your HTPC. I'm pretty confident it'll be as good if not better than the Oppo.

The current v18 release has added new Jinc chroma upsamplinng algorithms  which is an improvement in picture quality, but way out of reach for my APU - running at 100% utilization to deliver a frame every 3 seconds lol.

[Htpc-online]

Hey dean can you explain how you connected it all up and what was the benefit of the sound cards compared to just using hdmi out on a graphics card to an amp.. Are you using mp3 or flac files and what speakers are you using to listen.

[Dr X]

dean70, on 07 January 2013 - 08:46 AM, said:

The current v18 release has added new Jinc chroma upsamplinng algorithms  which is an improvement in picture quality, but way out of reach for my APU - running at 100% utilization to deliver a frame every 3 seconds lol.

Smooth as silk here running Red October HQ using an ATI AMD 6450 video card and an I3 processor.

[dean70]

Htpc-online, on 07 January 2013 - 09:09 AM, said:

Hey dean can you explain how you connected it all up and what was the benefit of the sound cards compared to just using hdmi out on a graphics card to an amp.. Are you using mp3 or flac files and what speakers are you using to listen.

I find there is a cleaner, more detailed sound via the Essense ST/H6 analog out. I originally tested through a receiver switching between HDMI, SPDIF coax, analog in with 2 channel audio and each change delivered subtle improvements. It may be that that particular HDMI interface in the receiver is inferior for audio, rather than a limitation of the connection medium. Also the DACs onboard the sound card are a higher quality than what is in the receiver. I have replaced op-amps on the card as well, which has smoothed out the "honking" midrange issue I had. Speakers are Ascension (Adelaide Speakers) using Scanspeak drivers/ribbon tweeters, which are detailed and forward sounding to begin with.

Source is flac format, either converted from CD or HDTracks downloads.

The main disadvantage with separate audio path, is you lose the automatic A/V Sync. I was able to add a fixed delay to the audio to re-sync it back up, which did require some careful viewing of the drummer in some music videos to get right.

[dean70]

Dr X, on 07 January 2013 - 10:25 AM, said:

Smooth as silk here running Red October HQ using an ATI AMD 6450 video card and an I3 processor.

Recommended configurations depending on the hardware capabilities from the MadVR forum:

Chroma Upsampling
Ultra-tier: Jinc 3 taps. AR enabled, Linear disabled.
High-tier: Bicubic 75. AR enabled, Linear disabled.
Mid-tier: Bicubic 75. AR disabled, Linear disabled.
Low-tier: Mitchell-Netravali. AR disabled, Linear disabled.
Lowest-tier: Bilinear.

Image Upscaling
Ultra-tier: Jinc 3 taps. AR enabled, Linear disabled.
High-tier: Lanczos 3 taps. AR enabled, Linear disabled.
Mid-tier: Lanczos 3 taps. AR enabled, Linear disabled.
Low-tier: Lanczos 3 taps. AR disabled, Linear disabled.
Lowest-tier: Bilinear.

Image Downscaling
Ultra-tier: Catmull-Rom. AR enabled, Linear enabled.
High-tier: Catmull-Rom. AR enabled, Linear enabled.
Mid-tier: Catmull-Rom. AR enabled, Linear disabled.
Low-tier: Catmull-Rom. AR disabled, Linear disabled.
Lowest-tier: Bilinear.

[deathsbreeze]

mmu16, if you are still after a computer case have a look at   www.pccasegear.com  have a massive range of cases and everything else you need for computers. they are located in Dandenong but you can only order online (pick-up is available)

[mmu16]

Yeah mate I checked them out - pretty good stuff on there.  I re-jigged an old case for the time being but will migrate onto a new set up soon.  I'm currently running a NAS and a HTPC so i'm thinking of combining the two.  The old case is noisy!

[dean70]

HDPLEX Fanless case: http://www.hd-plex.com/