Taking Inventory

Every PC manufacturer in the world does things a little differently. Most of the good ones pay a lot of attention to the "out of box" (OOB) experience, which means making sure that from the first moment when you slice open the packing tape, it's absolutely clear what you need to do next. In fact, many manufacturers take great pains to ensure that the first thing you see when you open the box is an oversized instruction sheet that makes your next step patently obvious (see Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1. Your first view inside the packing crate of a Media PC should be of a large set of instructions, leaving no guesswork as to your next step.

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Well, at least that's the ideal scenario. But no matter what product you're assembling, a good first step is to stop and take inventory. The last thing you want is to spend two hours hooking everything up just right, only to find out that you're missing the one final piece needed to complete the project.

What's in the Box?

First off, you should find all the things you'd normally find as part of a new PC:

  • A mouse

  • A keyboard

  • A monitor (if you bought one)

  • The computer itself (also known as the CPU)

  • A set of speakers (possibly a microphone as well)

  • Assorted cables and wires

  • Documents and software

Now here are a few extra, less-familiar items that typically come with Media PCs:

  • A remote control (or as many as three of them, depending on which make and model you buy)

  • An infrared (IR) receiver (for sensing instructions from the remote control)

  • An infrared emitter (to relay instructions to a set-top box)

  • Even more assorted cables and wires, some of which bear connectors you may not be used to seeing around a PC

If your Media PC's manufacturer has done its homework in creating an ideal OOB experience for you, you will have located everything you need to get started ”right on down to a couple of AA batteries for the remote control. However, there's no way for the manufacturer to know or plan for every possible contingency that may occur in the user environment. In other words, they can't anticipate exactly how you want your Media PC hooked up, or what you may want to hook it up to. Don't be surprised if you find yourself making a fast trip to the local hardware or electronics store for a few last-minute items.

What You May Need to Supply for Yourself

Your Media PC probably came with everything you need for a very basic installation. If you're just connecting your modem to a telephone jack for a dial-up Internet connection and planning to watch everything on your computer monitor with no optional external inputs and outputs, it should be a simple matter of connecting a coaxial cable from your TV-signal source to the back of your Media PC, then connecting all the other parts supplied by the PC manufacturer.

However, if you already have a home network with a broadband connection, or some existing entertainment appliances you want to integrate with your Media PC, you will quickly find that you have veered off into the uncharted waters of a "custom installation." Here are a few things you may want to consider having on hand:

  • Some extra video cabling ” There are several types, and in some cases, you may need all of them to get your system put together just the way you want it. A Media PC is usually configured to accept various video inputs. These can come in the form of a coaxial cable (coax, for short), an S-Video cable, or composite video (see Figure 2.2). The composite video typically arrives via a yellow-tipped cable with an RCA-type connector, and is frequently paired with right-channel (red) and left-channel (white) audio cables. If you use either of the last two options ”S-Video or composite ”you're going to need a separate audio connection, because these are video-only connectors. Extra S-Video and component video cabling usually comes in 6-foot, 12-foot, and 25- foot lengths. If you're going to use common black coax cable instead, or if you just need some extra coax to complete a cable run to the area where your new Media PC will be located, something heavy-duty like RG6 cable is recommended.

    Figure 2.2. An example of a standard coax, a three-way composite audio/ video cable with RCA-type connectors, and an S-Video cable with its five-pin connector. They provide a range of picture quality options, with S-Video providing the best, and coax the worst.

    graphics/02fig02.jpg

  • Extra audio cabling ” This may come in handy if your set-top cable or satellite receiver box has the choice of S-Video or composite video outputs. Either of these will provide better picture quality than standard coax connections. Unlike coax, however, S-Video and composite video don't carry audio signals, so you'll need to connect some additional RCA-type cables (the connector looks just like the composite video connector shown in Figure 2.2). The Media PC reference design also supports digital audio, at least on the output side, so if you have a digital audio-capable output device (a high-end home theater-type surround sound speaker system, for instance), you may want to have some extra digital audio cabling on hand. Most media PCs don't include it, even if they do include a digital audio output jack.

    DIGITAL AUDIO: CAN YOU SAY "SPDIF"?

    SPDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) is the most common digital audio interchange format found in today's high-end audio components . Connecting the SPDIF audio jacks from an input device (your Media PC) to an output device such as a home stereo or home theater system allows you to transfer the audio without first converting it from digital to analog format, which reduces the signal quality.

    The most frequently used connector for SPDIF audio is actually a basic RCA connector (see Figure 2.2), the same one used for consumer audio and component video patch cables. An optical connector is also sometimes used.

    Whether or not your media PC offers a SPDIF output jack will vary depending on the vendor, as will the use of an RCA-type or an optical cable connector.


  • Connectors and adapters ” An S-Video-to-composite-video adapter (see Figure 2.3) is another handy thing to have when you're making your final connections, particularly if you're planning to watch the Media Center PC's video output on a television set that doesn't accept S-Video input. Your Media Center machine may or may not come with such an adapter. Note that if you have an older television that does not accept composite video input, you will still need an additional video signal converter, which will cost you approximately $20 or more.

    Figure 2.3. The S-Video-to-composite-video adapter is included with some manufacturers' Media Center PCs.

    graphics/02fig03.jpg

    tip

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    The Gateway Media Center PC does supply a useful S-Video-to-composite-video adapter, but if you decide to use it to connect to a television set, this cable only gets you half the way there. You'll still need a separate audio cable to get your sound out of the PC and into the TV. For that, Gateway recommends using a 1/8-inch stereo audio cable with a 1/8-inch-to-RCA Y-patch cable (see Figure 2.4). These items are listed in the manual as "not supplied."

    Figure 2.4. Although Gateway recommends using a 1/8-inch stereo audio cable with a stereo 1/8-inch-to-RCA Y-patch cable, you might find it just as easy to use an all-in-one cable designed to connect a PC's stereo 1/8-inch audio output jack to a standard pair of left- and right-channel RCA connectors, like the one shown.

    graphics/02fig04.jpg


  • A power strip ” There are several good reasons to employ a decent power strip in hooking up your new PC. For one thing, you're going to fill up a lot of receptacles with the various plugs for your PC, your monitor, and your powered speakers (many or most Media PCs come with a set of them). If you're also plugging in a nearby cable or satellite receiver and a TV well, you get the picture. If you really want to protect your investment, go the extra mile and get yourself an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Not only will it protect your equipment in the event of an outage or a power surge, but its battery backup will buy you a little extra time to save an important document or two when the lights go out. Read the packaging carefully when choosing a UPS to make sure you're getting protection from power spikes, and not just a fancy extension cord with multiple outlets.

  • Network connections ” If you have an existing broadband connection in your home, you'll need to think about how to share it with your Media PC. This may be as simple as plugging in an extra Ethernet cable (which probably won't come with your Media PC, either), or as complex as setting up a new wireless or HPNA (Home Phoneline Networking Alliance) network. However you decide to do it, you can rest assured that the extra cabling and equipment is likely to be considered "optional and extra," as far as your Media PC maker is concerned .

More Optional Extras

Think you're done shopping for your new Media PC now? You may be right, but then again, there are a few other items you might want to think about, depending on where and how you plan to use your Media PC. Some of these items are included as standard equipment with some Media PC models. Others are definitely going to be coming out of your pocket, but they could make a world of difference in your enjoyment of the new system. These are some of the extras to consider:

  • Wireless keyboard and mouse ” Use these to extend that "2-foot experience" all the way back to your sofa. Of course, the farther you are from the screen, the harder it may be to make use of the Media PC's computer "personality." Some Media PCs include these wireless peripherals as standard equipment. Another option might be to purchase mouse and keyboard extension cables.

    caution

    graphics/cautionguy_icon.gif

    Being able to view typical desktop PC screen data from across the room can require a pretty big monitor, and those generally don't come cheap. A large-screen TV may do the job, but it can be difficult to achieve adequate visual quality on a television set. For more on this topic, see the section "A Few Words on Picture Quality," later in this chapter.


  • A USB extension cable ” This can be used to extend the connection from your PC to your USB keyboard and mouse so you can really control the action from your Barcalounger, without going wireless. It can also be used to extend the USB-based remote sensor, which is required to pick up the signals from your remote control. This can come in handy if you've decided to stash your Media PC in an out-of-the-way spot, such as behind furniture or inside a closed entertainment center.

    Of course, another way to handle this scenario is to invest in an IR remote sensor, such as the one shown in Figure 2.5. This pyramid-shaped sensor has to be located where it can pick up direct line-of-sight IR commands from the remote control. Then the sensor transmits those commands wirelessly to a complementary unit, which attaches to an IR emitter that can be aimed directly at the device being controlled. This setup can also be used to control your Media Center PC from another room of the house.

    Figure 2.5. This RCA remote sensor provides an inexpensive way to hide all your components ”including your Media Center PC ”and still communicate with them via your infrared remote control.

    graphics/02fig05.jpg

  • An SVGA extension cable ” This comes in handy for people who want their Media Center PC across the living room next to their TV, but want to get up close and personal with a PC monitor. You may find that this kind of setup gives you the best of both worlds , by allowing your Media Center PC to provide entertainment via a TV placed across the room, while keeping a conventional CRT or flat-panel monitor up close for your personal computing tasks .

  • An optical mouse ” This eliminates the need for a mouse pad. Again, that might be pretty useful if you want to mouse around and control things from the comfort of your couch . Check whether your Media PC already includes one of these before you go shopping.



Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows XP Media Center
Absolute Beginners Guide to Windows XP Media Center
ISBN: 0789730030
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 159
Authors: Steve Kovsky

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