What I've been doing all day.

[Mike Temporale]

As you may have already heard, my wife and I welcomed a new addition to our family (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=63522#63522) over boxing day. ;)

Today was spent installing our latest (and last for a while, I'm told :( ) gadget. :mrgreen:

Here's how things looked a couple days ago when I was working on the Media Center.

http://www.bluerocket.ca/images/hitachi-before.jpg

The TV on the floor is from the bedroom - we were comparing quality to see how bad our old Trinitron really was, the small TV on the stand is the kids TV (where they watch all those fun video's) and the computer monitor is only there because I was working on the Media Center, and we could never read the text on the main TV. In the stand is the Alienware Media Center and my NAD T770 receiver. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

http://www.bluerocket.ca/images/hitachi-buildingout.jpg

Since the old TV sat in the nook above the fireplace (I hate those nooks), we don't have a wall to mount the TV on. So we had to build one.

http://www.bluerocket.ca/images/hitachi-mounted.jpg

Done! Ok, not 100% done, but that's a wrap for today. ;) We still need to do some drywall work at the top to fill in that curve, paint, figure out where the centre channel will go, and clean up the wiring mess. But, we didn't have any more time today.

Sweeet! 8) :drinking:

[Kris Kumar]

So this is where you were hiding! :roll:

Glad that you explained why there were so many TVs in the room. :lol: I almost thought that before you got the 42" Plasma, you were trying to make up the screen area by adding more smaller TVs to the room. :lol:

Looks nice. I like the flat-screen-TV over the fireplace concept. 8)

So how is the Alienware Media Center doing? Does it handle DVR style activities with ease?

[Mike Temporale]

Glad that you explained why there were so many TVs in the room. :lol: I almost thought that before you got the 42" Plasma, you were trying to make up the screen area by adding more smaller TVs to the room. :lol:

Cool idea... Too late now. ;)

Looks nice. I like the flat-screen-TV over the fireplace concept. 8)

We didn't have much choice. There's no other wall in this room that works. :( The pre-existing hole didn't make things any easier. However, I feel better knowing that our TV is bolted in good and solid, instead of the half-arsed way outlined on the universal mounting bracket. It only calls for 1 bolt in a stud on each side of the TV. That's crazy if you ask me. We've got all 6 bolts into a solid mounting brace. :mrgreen:

So how is the Alienware Media Center doing? Does it handle DVR style activities with ease?

MCE is great. Right now, Alienware is in my bad books. :evil: It seems to have developed a video driver issue and reboots randomly. Which is what I was working on the other day, and I thought I had it fixed. But tonight, it seems to be back at it again. The big problem - as I can see it, is the TV Tuner card they choose is from AverMedia (A196). The card isn't sold to the public, only to system builders. So AverMedia doesn't offer the public any driver updates. They should come from the system manufacturer. Here's the breakdown, the card was announced (via AverMedia's own Press Release links on their website) in March of 2005. I got my system from Alienware in late January of 2005. The drivers on the system are dated Octover of 2004. :evil: And, of course, there are no new drivers on the Alienware website. :evil: :evil:

But that's another story...

[Kris Kumar]

Yikes, the display driver update problem sounds similar to what we are facing in the Smartphone world. The OEM has the driver but the carrier or manufacturer refuses to release or does not want to release it.

[encece]

Is the paint edging on your ceiling a different paint or does the flash just make it look that way? (Nice TV by the way!) :)

[Mike Temporale]

Is the paint edging on your ceiling a different paint or does the flash just make it look that way? (Nice TV by the way!) :)

Are you talking about in the nook? It's all the same - yellow. :? The flash is creating the shadow. We've been in this house 2 years, and we've been meaning to paint that since we moved in. If you're talking about the room's ceiling, then yes, it's white, and the walls are yellow.

We're going to paint the inside of the nook a black or dark grey colour. My wife already has a colour for the walls. I'm surprised she hasn't got the paint to go with it yet.

[encece]

On the ceiling, around the edges....they are reflecting differently than the ceiling paint.

It looked very even and intentional. I thought it was something new. Like a new type of trim. If it wasn't I was sure it was the way the flash reflected the rolled parts compared to the edge brushed parts. I wasn't nit-picking your home. :D

[Mike Temporale]

On the ceiling, around the edges....they are reflecting differently than the ceiling paint.

It looked very even and intentional. I thought it was something new. Like a new type of trim. If it wasn't I was sure it was the way the flash reflected the rolled parts compared to the edge brushed parts. I wasn't nit-picking your home. :D

Oh, up there. I see what you're talking about. Yes, that's intentional. I don't know what it's called, but basically, the last 3 inches before the wall has no stecco on it - kind of like a border around the ceiling but without the trim.

I know you're not nit-picking. I was just commenting on how simple things never seem to get done. I hate these yellow walls. :?

[Kris Kumar]

I know you're not nit-picking. I was just commenting on how simple things never seem to get done. I hate these yellow walls. :?

Tell me about it. I still haven't painted the office room. :oops:

[Kris Kumar]

On the ceiling, around the edges....they are reflecting differently than the ceiling paint.

Wow.. what eyes. 8)

And yes that is a cool paint trick. Maybe I should try that in my office room. ;-)

[Rocco Augusto]

now that is awesome, if only the misses will let me spend money on new gadgets :(

[Mike Temporale]

Well, it was a joint decision. Our old TV was starting to go, and we found a pretty good boxing day deal. So... :mrgreen:

[Rocco Augusto]

Well, it was a joint decision. Our old TV was starting to go, and we found a pretty good boxing day deal. So... :mrgreen:

you should get your misses to talk to my misses and explain to her how important boxing day is ;) :twisted:

[Mike Temporale]

Actually, it was my wife who got out the boxing day flyers and started looking to see if the models we were interested had any good sale prices on them. So it made things a little easier. ;)

[Rocco Augusto]

Actually, it was my wife who got out the boxing day flyers and started looking to see if the models we were interested had any good sale prices on them. So it made things a little easier. ;)

youre the luckiest man alive :D