Recent content by jls944

Thank you all for the responses. I think I am going to stick with just the mobo for now.

Can the Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H handle HD quality video or should I get a graphics card? Here is the setup I was thinking of going with: CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 255 Socket AM3 part Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H board Memory: OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 HDD: Western Digital AV-GP...

Will AnyDVD do what I need on its own, or do I need another program to work in conjunction? If I do need another program, why? Thanks.

Thank you for the informative response. I am going to get a good handle on ripping DVD's before attempting Blu-Ray's.

Kent - I haven't heard too much about SmartRipper. You say you have been using it with consistent and great results? What format do you save your videos in? Thanks for the help.

Kent - What do you use to rip your DVD's and for playback?

I was looking into DVD Decrypter because it is free. Is it much better just to go with AnyDVD? Does AnyDVD allow you to do the things I specified above (fast forward, rewind, menu options, etc.)?

Does DVD Decrypter allow for the best quality playback of DVD's or does the program compress the files? Also, does this software allow for all normal DVD control (i.e., FF & RW, Main Menu, selecting scenes, etc?) If not, what software allows this? I am starting to burn DVD's and want to make...

Any suggestions on an alternative HDD?

So you would use ATI graphics card instead of the one I specified? I will look into those. I'm thinking about using MediaPortal. What media management do you guys/gals use? I have a RF universal remote that blasts to IR. I think this should work for all my components.

I believe the case has IR built in. Thanks for the recommendations.

I am looking to build my first HTPC. My objectives are the following: - Needs to be quite - Stream/play/record HD quality video - Run 24/7 Here is the hardware I was thinking of using. My budget is <$800. CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 255 Socket AM3 75 Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H board...

Thank you all for the responses. THat was very helpful. Do you think I need to convert to RS-485 if I'm going 30-40 ft?

Since I need to run a serial wire over a long distance I was going to make the run with Cat5 wire instead. How exactly would I connect the serial cable to Cat5 wire? Would I actually cut the serail cable in half and connect the wires manually or buy an adapter? If I can cut the serial cable...

Rupp - What products were you talking about that would cost thousands of dollars? I'm also looking for a similar RFID solution in a commerical environment. Something similar to tracking inventory and identifying where they are in the store. Thanks.