Building a HTPC: Customising Media Centre

Friday, March 19, 2010

Customising Media Centre

Just been having a bit of fun customising Media Center

http://www.theme7mc.com/

Took the space theme on the second page, as I'm an astronomy nerd from birth.

http://www.hack7mc.com/

Looks like some interesting stuff as well. The MediaBrower plug in looks like a good way to get DVD cover art.http://www.hack7mc.com/2010/01/mediabrowser-firestorm-brings-performance-stability-and-features.html

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Lessons learned

1. Cyberlink software is bloated and buggy

2. Blu-ray technology is very, very fussy to get working

3. Make sure your HDMI cables are plugged in properly!

4. Lots of software doesnt work in 64-bit Windows

5. Make a system backup of a clean system so you don't need to start completely from scratch if something goes wrong - use an old hard drive or buy one.

6. Don't buy anything from MSY that isnt factory wrapped

7. Don't throw away or lose the CD that comes with your Blu-ray drive!

8. For a raw beginner, take advantage of your friendly local PC shop rather than buying at the absolute cheapest... you might need their help!

9. Make sure you plug in the power to the motherboard in two places, not just the main spot

10. Install a CPU heat meter to monitor the temperature and not have a meltdown.

11. You might need to upgrade your antenna and cabling if its old.

12. Digital Free To Air antennas are not the same as the old analogue antennas.

13. The wall behind the Television is plasterboard glued onto brick. Although I like the look of completely hiding the cables by plastering them in, I'm glad I didn't - as I've since run the middle speaker and the remote control receiver through the conduit. Bottom line: Make sure you've always got the ability to run more wires between your main components.

14. Buy a twin digital tuner. The extra cost is minimal and the flexibility is a huge leap forward.

15. Make sure that you upgrade the ATI Catalyst Control Center and the GPU driver together!