Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


tonyhughes

Hawkes Bay
8476 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

#9791 13-Oct-2006 12:11
Send private message

Thinking about buying a Gigabyte AVPC HTPC from DSE for $1200. Is it worth while? I have a Panasonic HDD Recorder now, but would love EPG - is there a reliable EPG for MCE now that is easy to set up?

I also need a solution for a PC in the lounge for the occasional bit of browsing, IM, run skype for my dualphone 24/7, and other minor tasks.

Is this good value, for a nice(ish) looking machine, with a tuner, remote, keyboard, all configured, with warranty and local service?







Create new topic
sbiddle
30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
Trusted
Biddle Corp
Lifetime subscriber

  #48553 13-Oct-2006 12:19
Send private message

What model? The original model DSE has was $1499 and has now been replaced by a newer model.

To get the EPG going you need to use something like xmltvnz and import your data. Chiefie mentioned he had troubles with this but xmltvnz itself works fine and I use it with GB-PVR.

The Gigabyte units are very nice and IMHO are the first MCE machine to hit the market which looks nice sitting next to a TV rather than an ugly PC case!




mule
209 posts

Master Geek


  #48558 13-Oct-2006 12:51
Send private message

If you don't like setting up XMLTVNZ by your self, I download the weekly listings from managemyhome
( link at bottom of page under epgmce) It works awesome and you can automate the whole process.

tonyhughes

Hawkes Bay
8476 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #48822 16-Oct-2006 21:08
Send private message

ok, i now have here a DSE Soprano box, which is on runout, $1200. Before bootup, I installed more DDR400 to take it to 1GB, and a second 160GB HDD.

This is my first experience with MCE, and I am liking it. It was easy to setup, although i havent done the EPG yet, has someone got a link to the easiest way to set this up automatically?

The modem that comes with the box doesnt seem to support caller id, so although when the phone rings, it comes up on screen and says someone is calling, it doesnt pass the number. Can anyone point me to a modem that will provide this function?

Its not perfect, ive had the odd little hang here and there, but i have been pushing it, and being a bit ham fisted with the MCE remote now and again.

I decided against the Gigabyte unit, as it didnt seem particularly upgradeable for the future, and with extra storage, this PC will become my file server, as well as a personal ftp server, Skype box, and a few other bits and peices.







Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.