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Review: "Build Your Own PC Home Entertainment System",Underdahl
(A typical POS McGraw-Hill project-Ed.)
Consistently pessimal in every respect This book was presented to me by my sister in the hope that I would build her such a system. After reading it, I came to the conclusion that not only would I not build such a system, but that no knowledgeable person would either. I can't conceive of any reason behind any of the choices he makes other than perhaps get some freebie hardware from the vendors he plugs in this book. "Pessimal" seems a strong word, but no other seems appropriate. Where does one start addressing his bad choices? Firstly, a PC does not make a very good stereo or home theater system, because of the overhead of a general purpose operating system and the poor optimization of the display and D/A technology vis-a-vis home theater or high-end audio components for their purposes. Yes, you can do all the things he speaks of, but you can't do them as well. (Although good audio gear is expensive, my speakers were made in 1978 and my power amplifiers originally constructed in 1959 and reworked by myself in the late 1980s. PC components, by contrast, have an economic half-life of around nine months to a year.) When that operating system is Microsoft Windows, you have the added problem of the extremely huge overhead, the lack of optimization inherent in general purpose computer software, and the simple fact that Windows, of any variant, is in simple computer science parameters mediocre-to-poor software. Because of the large numbers of awkward choices Windows' designers made for 'backwards compatibility' and to implement a big feature set in a minimum amount of time, from a large pool of programmers, Windows is just not suited very well to the task. A dedicated product such as QNX or the now-defunct BeOS would have drastically improved matters, but a Linux or FreeBSD distribution specifically designed for the task would have been a far better choice and could have been included with the book at very little additional cost. The author's one-sentence dismissal of Linux consists of utter, provable nonsense. Computer speakers and sound systems are generally inferior not only to high-end stereo components, but even inexpensive hobbyist home recording gear. I would strongly look at inexpensive Mackie, Yamaha, or similar powered (active) monitor speakers before I would look at most anything specifically marketed to the computer segment. I would also keep in mind that even low-end pro audio users select sound cards substantially more expensive than the ones offered to consumer buyers, and for good reason. Finally, I very definitely would not use MaxBlast or any other proprietary program to format my HDD if I were running Windows (or any other OS). When you first install a drive, write zeroes to it using a program such as the ones offered by most drive vendors, then partition and format the drive from the installation CD of whichever OS you choose to run. Proprietary programs solve problems such as using larger drives in machines built before their size was supported, or running multiple OSes, but in a new clean instll these are not concerns-or if they are you need new hardware. Windows in particular likes its own partition and formatting routines. |
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"Pessimal?" Underdahl got a smackdown there, but it was fair coming.
First, it's horse manure that "most people can't tell the difference" between good audio and PC audio. Ever had a Whataburger? How about a McDonalds? I wouldn't call Whataburger haute cuisine, but they are a whole bunch better than McDonalds. I might not be able to describe the difference in gastronommically correct terms, but I know one tastes pretty good and the other tastes anywhere from no flavor at all, to rancid and dry, to slimy most of the time. Secondly, Windows XP Media Center is only available bundled with "media PCs", usually proprietary and overpriced style/lifestyle type systems. XP Professional does not have those features, features BeOS was designed since inception to do well and which Linux has been adapted with far better results in many ways than Windows. No one runs Windows on render farms, only Linux or Free BSD. He's sitting on Bill's peg here (do a Google search on 'pegboy' if this reference escapes you). BeOS, it has to be admitted, a dead product, which Palm bought for absolutely no discernible reason. There's also the little issue of SACD's and DVD-Audio discs. |
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Like I said, I don't know if the book is any good, but the OP was ranting
that a PC could not take the place of high end audio/video components which is not the point. The OP might also argue that MP3s do not sound as good as original CDs, but they are very popular anyway and I just don't believe most people can tell the difference between a high bitrate MP3 (256) and an audio CD. I can't. People with no experience _can_ tell the difference between CD and SACD or DVD/A, a first rate vinyl track, or an open reel 2-track tape as sent to a mastering house. Big difference. That .mp3 is "indistinguishable" from the CD it was ripped from means, as Walter Sear said recently, 'What shade of brown do you want?' (and at that, it usually is distinguishable. In some cases it's _distinguishable when played back through a guitar amp_ as I i did in a demo once. (With a line level signal fed into the effects loop in of most guitar amps, they sound remarkably like a 1930s radio at low volume....which in a sense is what they are, albeit highly ruggedized.) Tom Monaghan proved that when it's suitably packaged, Americans will eat absolutely anything. And their listening habits are similar. |
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On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 01:54:44 GMT, Mac Cool wrote:
(Ted Azito) said: Like I said, I don't know if the book is any good, but the OP was ranting that a PC could not take the place of high end audio/video components which is not the point. The OP might also argue that MP3s do not sound as good as original CDs, but they are very popular anyway and I just don't believe most people can tell the difference between a high bitrate MP3 (256) and an audio CD. I can't. People with no experience _can_ tell the difference between CD and SACD or DVD/A, a first rate vinyl track, or an open reel 2-track tape as sent to a mastering house. Big difference. Look, you're just posting one strawman argument after another. The home entertainment PC that is being discussed is not going to play SACD, DVDA, vinyl or open reel nor has anyone (except you) made any discussion about those formats. What is your point with these replies? If you are trying to make the point that a PC isn't a substitute for high end A/V equipment, that point has already been conceded. With the right hardware and software you CAN rival all that expensive high end snob crap. The key is purchasing a pro audio card for good sound output. |
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gothika said:
With the right hardware and software you CAN rival all that expensive high end snob crap. The key is purchasing a pro audio card for good sound output. I have a scarred ear drum in one ear and congenital defect in the other ear so I can't hear a full range of sounds and stereo is really more like 70/30, forget about surround sound, LOL! -- Mac Cool |
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If you are trying to make the point that a PC isn't a substitute for high
end A/V equipment, that point has already been conceded. With the right hardware and software you CAN rival all that expensive high end snob crap. The key is purchasing a pro audio card for good sound output. Yes, but by the time you get through buying all that hardware-you can mostly use free sw under GPL OS, maybe Win too-you have, in fact, bought a High End stereo system. You're going to need transducers and ampliifiers to drive them, which is where most of the money is. They don't care where the signal comes from, they just raise its level and convert it from one form to another. |
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