Setup for a HDTV

[MattHelm]

All,
I'm going to re-setup a client (PC died) shortly, and ran into a few questions when I set it up the first time. I normally have a PC and monitor, not PC and HDTV.

1. Should I use a custom screen size to get the computers 1080p to match the TV's 1080P, or should I use the TV's overscan mode? I'll be using an AMD A10-4600M APU, so any hints on setup other things up correctly?

2. The second time I installed my system, SageTV could not control the volume on the HDMI port, and suggestions on what I did wrong? (FFDSHOW setting?)

(I know I had a few more questions, and now I can't remember, ARGH, getting old sucks)

[panteragstk]

If the TV has an option for no overscan, use it. It makes things much easier. As far as the HDMI issue goes, you have to set everything to decode to pcm that way the tv can accept the signal. If you do that you will be able to control the volume without issue. Don't use the realtek HDMI drivers. They caused me quite a few problems.

[MattHelm]

Back to the volume control question. What I meant was, when I adjust the volume inside SageTV, the sound does not very. I have a receiver, so it can handle any audio track I throw it's way, but I have to use the receiver remote to change the volume, not the SageTV remote. BTW, the volume slider moves, it just doesn't do anything to the sound.

I'm running the sound out thru the AMD HDMI.

[Taddeusz]

That is by design. If you are outputting the original unmodified Dolby Digital (or DTS) audio SageTV is not capable of controlling the output volume. The only case where you could control the volume in SageTV is if the computer is decoding the audio and outputting it as uncompressed PCM audio. If you have a newer receiver that supports multi-channel PCM audio that may be an option for you if you are really serious about not wanting to control the volume with your receiver.

Whether you control your volume through SageTV or through your receiver I suppose is up to you. IMHO, in these types of situations a good programmable remote control is far better than trying to do all sorts of screwy things just so you can control the volume with each individual device's remote. In essence getting SageTV to control the volume is not the problem you should be trying to solve. Your receiver is designed to centrally control the volume. Doing otherwise just doesn't make logical sense to me.

[panteragstk]

If you really want to use your computer to control your receiver and it supports CEC (almost all with HDMI do unless it is very old) you can grab one of these and do all sorts of stuff. You can even use your TV remote to control your receiver and PC. I've got one and it works well as long as your TV supports CEC as well. If it doesn't, then don't bother.

Also, if your receiver has an rs232 port or ethernet then Eventghost should be able to control it without issue.

[MattHelm]

Cool, didn't know it, but my receiver support HDMI-CEC (knew my TV did), but it's off, I think. Will try tonight and report back. I don't mind 2 remotes, it's the 12 (just kidding, more like 4) I'm using now.

[wayner]

Buy a Harmony remote. I have about 6 of them and the control very complex systems flawlessly.

[MattHelm]

Turned on the HDMI-CEC on my Onkyo (called RIHD), and now the TV remote controls the volume.

BTW, ordered one of these:
https://www.pulse-eight.com/store/pr...c-adapter.aspx
Think I can get it working with SageTV???

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by MattHelm

Turned on the HDMI-CEC on my Onkyo (called RIHD), and now the TV remote controls the volume.

BTW, ordered one of these:
https://www.pulse-eight.com/store/pr...c-adapter.aspx
Think I can get it working with SageTV???

Nope. XBMC only. Unless you can make an eventghost plugin or something like that.