LPCM audio in MKVs

Got this from avsforum looking for a solution for LPCM audio tracks in mkv files. Thanks to Lush78 for this post
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1407589/makemkv-and-lpcm-audio 

This post is to share some information and the solution to the problems I was having with MakeMKV and Blu-rays with LPCM audio.

When remuxing Blu-rays containing LPCM audio with MakeMKV, I would not be able to playback the LPCM audio track using anything, including VLC on PC, Popcorn Hour c200, Boxee Box, etc. MakeMKV sets the Codec ID to "A_MS/ACM" which is a very uncommon codec.

1. To solve this problem, open MKVmerge GUI, and go to File -> Header Editor. 
2. Then go to File -> Open and browse to your MKV. 
3. Scroll down to the audio track that contains the LPCM audio and change the Codec ID from "A_MS/ACM" to "A_PCM/INT/LIT". 
4. Then File -> Save. 

Your MKV will now contain an LPCM audio track that should be compatible with any software or hardware capable of playing MKV files... Hope this helps...

Install ehome IR drivers on WHS 2011/ windows 2008

While installing DVBlogic Server (http://www.dvblogic.com), I ran into an issue where my ehome IR transceiver drivers wouldn't install on WHS 2011. This prevented me from switching channels on my dish network 211k receivers, which were feeding video signals to my capture devices (Hauppauge HDPVR & a colossus card).

I came across this site that shows how to install the IR transceiver drivers on win 2008 (& hence WHS 2011)

http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/win2008r2/ehome-ir-transceiver

By default you can’t use the Microsoft eHome IR Transceiver in Windows Server 2008 R2, but using this page you ‘ll install drivers to get the hardware working. These drivers were extracted from the Windows 7 x64 RTM MSDN dvd.

1. Download eHome.zip (296 KB) from win2008r2workstation.

2. After downloading the zip extract the zip, run install.cmd as an Administrator and follow the instructions on the screen.

3. Install the drivers via the Device Manager using step 2 – 5 at the Drivers page.

Youtube now has free & rental movies

Youtube now has free and rental movies. Goto http://www.youtube.com/movies .

Originally posted by Sudhir on http://sudhir.lakkaraju.net/2011/06/youtube-movies.html

Watchindia.tv service is a scam

This watchindia.tv service & their box is a scam. Stay away from this crap at all costs and customer support at its absolute worst. 


Where do I start with this colossal fail...

1. Poor quality and buggy software on the box, that crashes all the time.
2. Horrible buffering issues even on a 20Mbps comcast internet account. Their servers simply can not handle the load.
3. Box required constant reboots and authentication to get it to work.
4. Crappy remote that barely worked. Only a few buttons on the remote were useful.
5. Horrendous customer support, that never picks up your calls or responds to emails.
6. When the box went bad(no audio) they refused to replace it even though it was under warranty. Lost money and time trying to reach them.

So the watchindia service is a FAIL... FAIL... FAIL.... pissed me off big time. I hope this prevents other people from paying for this crap. 

My new fanless build

Its been almost 2 years since my last htpc build, and I've got upgradeditis (a.k.a strong itch to upgrade a perfectly good htpc). My wife and 4 year old are very much used to the media center and I've not paid a cable/ satellite bill in almost 2 years (very happy, saved thousands!!!). My new fanless htpc... This time around I wanted the following features, Silent system (absolutely no fans!!!) Support for Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master Audio (HD audio formats found on blu-rays) SSD Hard Drive for the OS Bigger 2TB Hard Drive (Allows for more HD recordings on the DVR) Lower power consumption

Windows 7 autologin

While using an htpc keyboard/ mouse use should be minimal. So if the htpc reboots it would be useful to have windows 7 login automatically. Follow these steps to allow autologin in windows 7.

Checklist to troubleshoot bluray stuttering on WHS

If your bluray rips/ HD files stutter when played from the WHS, but not from a local drive, then use these as a checklist.

Hulu Desktop rocks!!!

If you like watching shows on hulu.com, you will really like the hulu desktop application. Download here http://www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop

• Great for HTPCs
• Works with your media center remote (I use my logitech)
• High quality 480p video is smoother compared to the browser based flash.
• To seamlessly launch and use it from windows media center see this link

Media Center complete!

My media center build is now complete. I'm trying to make this my main family entertainment center and that means wife acceptance is critical.


Primary Goals

• View Local OTA digital & HD channels
• DVR functionality with ability to view & schedule recordings
• Blue-Ray, HD-DVD & DVD playback
• View digital photo and video collection
• Listen to music collection
• Play DIVX movies
• Watch Hulu & netflix online
• High WAF(Wife acceptance factor)

Components Used

• Zotac 9300 mini ITX motherboard
• Pentium E5200 dual core processor (2.5GHz)
• Apex M100 mini-ITX case with 250W Power Supply
• 4GB OCZ DDR2 memory
• Western Digital 1TB Green Hard drive
• LG GGC H20L HD-DVD/ Blueray drive
• BTC 9039 URF III Wireless Keyboard with trackball
• SiliconDust HDHomerun dual TV tuner
• Belkin N+ gigabit router
• Clearstream CS4 TV Antenna
• Antec veris multimedia station basic IR controller
• Logitech harmony 890 remote
• Windows 7 64bit RC, Arcsoft Total Media theatre for Blueray & HD DVD playback

Build Notes

• Performance better than expected - I was pleasantly surprised to see no performance issues during playback of OTA HD video and HDDVDs.
• Heat issues - The tiny Apex M100 miniITX case posed some heat issues, primarily due to restricted airflow. The following tweaks resolved the heat problems-

1. Fans on either side of the case (1 - 120mm & 1 - 80mm)
2. Hard drive mounted using general purpose velcro on the floor of the case
3. Power Supply mounted upside down. The included 250W power supply has a fan on top, but the case doesn't have a vent on the top. Mounting the power supply upside down improved the airflow. The cpu cores are now at a constant 53 degrees C and the GPU at 57 degrees C, even under load.

• Wake on USB solution - The zotac 9300 motherboard doesn't have a wake on USB feature. This means the pc cant be woken up with a USB device like an InfraRed receiver (zotac you bastards!!). After some research on http://www.avsforum.com/ , I stumbled upon this device - The Antec Veris Multimedia Station Basic, IR Receiver. This IR receiver connects to the motherboard's power connector so it can be woken up using a remote.
• HDMI audio issue - I've run into issues with the nvidia HD audio driver crashing and looping ocassionally in windows 7 64bit. I'm temporarily using an optical cable instead, with the realtek audio chip, until better drivers are released. This means no LPCM audio for now.
• Keyboard with trackball is required if you want to control the mouse cursor from a couch.
• The logitech harmony 890 remote works like a charm. It has been programmed to work like a MS media center remote.

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