Home Theater PC Suites

Customer Focus Groups - End User Review of HTPC Suite

By: Jimmy Selix (seamonkey420)

Introduction:  Home Theater PC setups are becoming the latest way to integrate music, video, tv, and more into one interface and view it on a TV/LCD.  The market for HTPC cases is still early and the selections are not as abundant as mid-tower cases but that is starting to change.  NmediaPC offers a new solution, several different packages for the HTPC do-it-yourselfer.  I had purchased the HTPC 100 case only.  The size, form factor and noise from the case was extremely excellent.   However, afterwards I realized that I wanted a new TV Tuner and the wireless keyboard/remote option too, so I purchased the HTPC Suite that NmediaPC offers.

Package:  The HTPC Suite is available in a few different flavors, depending on what you want or don’t’ want.  I purchased the full package (remote, wirless keyboard, Powercinema 3 TV Plus Standard Edition, Avermedia TV Tuner 150).  There were no user manuals and just one install cd, however this is probably because I received the suite before they officially started shipping.  Also, the TV Tuner Card also has inputs for S-Video and Audio In (to capture from a camcorder, vcr, etc) and does have a FM Tuner too!

Installation:  A breeze! Just open up the box, shutdown your pc, install the tv tuner card, hook up the antenna/cable to card, install drivers, install powercinema and off and going!

Powercinema setup was also a breeze.  Just follow the onscreen prompts and in under 10 minutes you should have your Cable TV/TV and FM radio up and going.  

Usuage/Reliability/Performace:  The TV Tuner was superior to the one I had previously owned.  I did not need to feed audio from it to my soundcard (a major bonus for me since I have a 5.1 speaker system and did not want to use my line-in for sound and breakup my 5.1 system).  Sound quality and picture was excellent, far better than my Xpert PVR card I had previously.   Also, recording TV shows does not take a toll on your system either since the card has an MPEG2 encoder built onto it. 

Note:  I tried to use both the built in infrared receiver in the case and the external USB one at the same time and had a few problems with the remote working.  I think the prob was that each infrared receiver was getting a slight single and double up the commands.  But the external IR receiver or the case IR receiver both work great by themselves.  The remote does ‘bounce’ of walls pretty good to, so if you lose line-of-site from where your sitting, you can usually ‘bounce’ the  signal off a wall to change a channel. 

The keyboard’s mouse pointer/pad and buttons are designed very nicely.  I’ve tried other ‘cheaper’ like keyboard with built in pointing devices and most are pretty unusable.  And the built-in Powercinema hotkeys are another added bonus.  One note, I do have small hands and never have any problems with laptop keyboards or what not.  Also, you probably will never use the wireless to game due to the lag wireless keyboards have by default.

The remote is awesome! Lets you control everything in Powercinema 3 and also a few window functions also.  The power button on the remote and keyboard will shutdown or put your pc into standby mode (depending on the settings in Windows). Very nice!  Also, I can use the remote in other applications such as PowerDVD, Winamp, and Windows Media Player.  This is again VERY nice!

Conclusion:  I’m a believer in NmediaPC cases and their HTPC suite!  They see a future that is just starting and will only grow over time and I love that!  Plus their case looks sweet and works great, the HTPC Suite is perfect for those who are building a HTPC and choose the nmedia case and is great for those who just want to build a PVR box or watch tv on their pc.  Also, for those of you who don’t want to use just Powercinema for a frontend, I’ve confirmed that SageTV works great with the package (remote works well, however the hotkeys for TV, MUSIC, MOVIES, and other Powercinema specific buttons do not work).  Also, the package does also work with Beyond TV.  The only downfall I can see is Powercinema’s lack of an EPG (electronic program guide), the TV Listings option will just bring you to the Yahoo TV listings site.    And finally, their customer service/support is great!

Thanks.