new system - go with MVP or TV-out video-card

[scott]

Hi everyone - With Dells at sub $400 prices (w LCD panels!) I'm think of replacing my somewhat tempermental homemade system with a new box.

My question. Should I upgrade system Video card to one that includes TV out? Or, of the same money, get an MVP and allow that to push signal to the TV?

Both options have advantages and disadvantages -No Itunes control through TV screen with a MVP. But MVP would allow me to remotely locate a noisy PC out of the living room.

What other things should I concider? Is MVP one more thing to go wrong? Is MVP's output better/worse that a cheap video card with TV out.. etc... Thanks!

[scott]

Can this thread be moved to the MVP forum? thanks!

[nia]

Hi Scott.

I'm a bigfan of the MVP setup.

Quality is excellent, and the separation from the PC is really nice. I have a totally silent living room with the MVP, and my recording PC far away in the back of my office where it serves other purposes as well (thans to VMWare and the location in my Office).

The MVP setup is really quite stable and robust (only had the weather plugin screw it up some time ago).

And then you can always put in a TV-Out card in the PC if you want to watch GBPVR recordings where that is, or buy another MVP for the next room :-)

/Niels

[DeepBlueC]

Pros
You dont have to worry about PC noise. (It doesn't seem like a big issue until you have to deal with it)
You can use 1 PC as an htpc and all around pc(gaming, bills, ect.)
1 pc can serve more than 1 tv

Cons
Cannot play DVDs
Cannot play iso/divx/xvid compressed movies.
Live TV is always timeshifted and image quality is only as good as your mpeg encoder/decoder.

I use the MVP b/c it is inexpensive and unubtrusive.

[A_Brass]

Cons
Cannot play DVDs
Cannot play iso/divx/xvid compressed movies.
Live TV is always timeshifted and image quality is only as good as your mpeg encoder/decoder.

I use the MVP b/c it is inexpensive and unubtrusive.

This not correct, the MVP can play divx and xvid. If the server has enough horsepower. It cannot play DVD's and I have never tride ISO's. The set up for divx/xvid/wmv can be a little tricky as I have found out this week but it does work. The only limit (I think) is playback will start from the begining of the file. This to say you cant jump to the middle of the movie(FFW) until this portion of the movie as been "transcoded".