HTPC Project Build Advice

[Garteal]

Wow, don't upload images to imgur. The compression (as you see above) really kills the picture.
Use Minus instead.

First of all, set your AF to x16, any GPU nowadays handles it without any performance drop.
It'll make the textures that are further away look better.

Quote:Maybe I'm not experienced enough to notice any banding, or maybe my GPU drivers (I always go for the newest ones, even if they're beta) are doing something.

Unfortunately due to the terrible compression on the images it's impossible to identify them.
But they look like this.

Banding


AF set to x16

[SN3S]

(09-16-2012, 09:43 PM)Garteal Wrote: Wow, don't upload images to imgur. The compression (as you see above) really kills the picture.
Use Minus instead.

First of all, set your AF to x16, any GPU nowadays handles it without any performance drop.
It'll make the textures that are further away look better.

Quote:Maybe I'm not experienced enough to notice any banding, or maybe my GPU drivers (I always go for the newest ones, even if they're beta) are doing something.

Unfortunately due to the terrible compression on the images it's impossible to identify them.
But they look like this.

Ah, thanks for the tips. I didn't experiment with AF at all. Go figure :p

Okay, here's the two with AF at 4x, uploaded to minus:





And Skyward Sword with AF set to x16:



There is a bit of a difference, so thanks for the tip
Also, for Axxer, here's my XBMC setup when I finally got everything in:

[Axxer]

Man that XBMC set up looks great. I already have all of the box art downloaded from GameFAQs (both front and back) I just need to get fanart/wallpaper.

What skin are you using in what view? That looks really cool.

EDIT: Nvm, figures it out. Works like a charm!

I dont have the time (nor do I care) about cropping the box art though. That is a lot of work. Thank you!

[SN3S]

(09-17-2012, 01:42 AM)Axxer Wrote: Man that XBMC set up looks great. I already have all of the box art downloaded from GameFAQs (both front and back) I just need to get fanart/wallpaper.

What skin are you using in what view? That looks really cool.

EDIT: Nvm, figures it out. Works like a charm!

I dont have the time (nor do I care) about cropping the box art though. That is a lot of work. Thank you!

Thanks mate. I was using Aeon Nox for that screen, and for my soon to be finished build I use Aeon MQ 3. It only looks that good because this is like my 3rd time rebuilding my library so I have had a lot of time to get it looking pretty :p

I think I will do that huge writeup one of these days. Show you all exactly what I'm using and what programs, etc.

[Axxer]

Thanks man. Looking forward to reading.

[SN3S]

(09-17-2012, 06:28 AM)Axxer Wrote: Thanks man. Looking forward to reading.

Just a quick update for you (and anyone else interested), I'm not dead. :p

I've been busy with work and studies and since XBMC is a largely manual set up process, it's taken me a while to get it all ironed out with an average of an hour or two's work per night. I'm planning on having it done by the end of the month, if not the end of the week, and at that point working on making a video showing the build, and how XBMC works (including Dolphin integration, among other things).

I switched skins to Aeon MQ4 because it has more customization options than 3, but it's lacking game info support right now so I'm talking with the devs on that to see if it can display game info like MQ3 does. Not a huge biggie, but some might not like it.

While all the testing / configuring / media adding has been going on, I've gotten most of my wii library in and have been testing that regularly as well. With the auto connect wii remote program (which is still working flawlessly, I might add!) and XBMC, I can just load XBMC, browse my library, press A on the wii remote, press go on my TV remote (Oh, I also got my remote working with my HTPC!), and play a wii game. It's that simple My family loves mario party, so seeing MP8 and 9 run at fullscreen in 1080p (9 slows down a couple frames on menus, no clue why) and with about 5 seconds of effort getting from menu to game is a dream come true.

When I've got it all finished, my first step is to back everything up. :p After that though, I'm planning on making a huge writeup / how-to, sharing it here and on Reddit / Lifehacker possibly, and making it a .PDF for easy reference and my own personal documentation. I can safely say I'm extremely proud of this project, and I wanted to thank you all again for the help and advice.

I'll be back in a couple of weeks :p

[Axxer]

Awesome!

I have my Wii and GC games setup well, but I need to spend some time ripping all of my DVDs. I'm planning on dumping the entire disc and not just the movies for a better experience.

I haven't had much of a chance to work on the Wiimote autopair yet, but I will do that while I work on the DVD ripping.

Looking forward to your guide!

[SN3S]

(10-04-2012, 05:42 AM)Axxer Wrote: Awesome!

I have my Wii and GC games setup well, but I need to spend some time ripping all of my DVDs. I'm planning on dumping the entire disc and not just the movies for a better experience.

I haven't had much of a chance to work on the Wiimote autopair yet, but I will do that while I work on the DVD ripping.

Looking forward to your guide!

If you want the whole DVD, this might not be the best solution, but I'm using a one-button DVD / Blu Ray rip from the Advanced Launcher in XBMC:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=105168

It works incredibly well, and compared to the Blu-Ray rips I was downloading, file size is comparable if you compress it with Handbrake.

The auto pairing program makes it really easy. It didn't take me more than 15 minutes to set it up and it's been working ever since

Also: If you plan on using Netflix at all, don't use XBMCFlicks. It's really hacked together. The XBMC forums has a link to this script someone made to launch the Netflix app in Windows Media Center, and then close it when you hit ESC. The Windows Media Center Netflix app is the best I've seen, and it just works :p It'll also let you do live TV from MCE the same way, if you have the card for it. That's my next and final upgrade :p