Official Dell Zino 410 HTPC - Page 19

Hi,
Like many, I've been caught in the trap of not ordering the remote as I already had one, and not realising that what that means is that the internal receiver is not supplied either.

However - I've ordered one of these remotes (sorry cant post link - its on the Quiet PC com Website, and there is also a link showing photos of how to install on an internal USB) /gb-en-gbp/products/caseaccessories/hfx-600, and I notice that they supply instructions to optionally install the receiver internally with an internal USB cable. I've also looked at the Zino service manual on Dell's website, and notice that the IR Connector looks very much in the illustration like an Internal USB header.

So, what I'd like to know from anyone that did order the Zino with the remote - is whether or not it is actually a USB device. This can be found by looking at the IR receiver in Device Manager (may be shown as a HID device), selecting the properties tab, and selecting the Property drop down and choosing the "Location Information" property. If the Value is shown as something like "Port_#xx.Hub_#xx" where xx are numbers - then its likely that the device is in fact a USB device. Another way of verifying this, is to go to the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" branch in Device Manager, and opening the "Generic USB Hub" items. Clicking the "Power" or "Advanced" tab will show the devices that are attached to that "Hub".

If someone could do this, perhaps supported by some screen shots? - that would be great, and would provide a really neat solution for those of us that didn't order the IR Remote. NB. The Logitech forums explain that this remote is one of the few fully supported by Harmony remotes, although IMO it looks pretty nice anyway...

With help from this forum I have had my Zino HD 410 up and running for a week now and everything seems to be working great. Thanks

For those with a Logitech harmony remote I was able to have the Zino go to sleep and awake from an ir command without having to press the power button on the zino. This may work for those who want to run their Zino's as a DVR because shows still record in the sleep mode. You just have to go to windows settings and change what happens when you press the power button on the unit to "Sleep".

I did have a question for those who have got MKV files to play in WMC what is your solution? Shark007, haali splitter, Divx Plus Codec Pack etc. I want to keep it simple without having to reformat because I choose the wrong codec pack. Any help would be awesome. Thanks again.

I would use the Win7 Media Center setup thread. I've used it many times and everything works perfectly every time.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1250607

have had my zino for about 2 weeks now and so far so good, dual core with 4gb of ram, with the cup/ram monitor gadget up ive never seen the ram usage go over 50% so i think for most things you will be fine with 2gb of ram. set up boxee and have the boxee android remote, and everything plays great. The biggest annoyance so far is the occasional program that doesnt work with 64bit, but ive found alternatives so far, i think the only thing i really miss is dvd43

FWIW, after opening up to check - the internal IR connector is not USB (or at least it is not a standard USB header). Nevertheless - the remote from Quiet PC is really smart and is a genuine ehome receiver, so i expect a Logitech would work fine. the little (just smaller than a matchbox) receiver can be discretely velcro'd to you cabinet.

well after ditching the Aspire Revo Idea due to reports of bad Hulu and flash video playback and not wanting to build and the cost there I ordered my Zino HD on a quote I got 2 days ago by kissing up a little in chat asking for a discount cus I am k-12 staff. It looks like this is the cheapest most capable well rounded mini HTPC, hope I'm right about that. here is a copy of my quote:



Quote Number: 572196980

Item Number Quantity Item Description Unit Price Extended Price


224-8827
1 Inspiron 410 with Optical drive with MXM graphics $440.99 $440.99
317-5677
1 AMD Athlon II X2 P340, Dual Core 2.2GHz, 1MB
317-4683
1 4GB DDR3 SDRAM AT 1333MHz- 2X2GB Dual Channel
330-3620
1 Dell USB Entry Keyboard
331-0647
1 Filler Keyboard
320-7810
1 No Monitor
320-9240
1 ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450 MXM Discrete Graphics Card
342-1312
1 500GB SATA 3.5 Hard Drive (7200RPM)
420-7938
1 Dell Connect 2.1
420-8873
1 Dell Dock Consumer
420-6576
1 DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
420-9691
1 DataSafe Local BackUp
420-6436
1 PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
421-2041
1 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
421-2087
1 eBay Webslice
330-9121
1 Dell Resource DVD with Application Backup
330-7464
1 Windows 7 OS Label
421-3928
1 AMD Fusion Media Explorer 2.0
421-4652
1 Dell Support Center 3
421-4117
1 WHITEPAGES.COM,Webslice
318-0455
1 Windows Live Wave 4
331-1638
1 Product Red CDT
330-8652
1 Dell Logitech USB Optical Mouse
410-1867
1 ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE
313-9760
1 8X DVD+/-RW
421-4542
1 Roxio Creator Starter,No Media
421-9898
1 THX TruStudio PC
430-3847
1 Dell 1501 802.11 n wireless card
410-9448
1 McAfee Platinum, 30 Day, MUI
410-0450
1 Microsoft Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
923-4927
1 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Initial Year
933-8970
1 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, Initial Year
950-3337
1 1 Year Limited Warranty
950-9797
1 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
983-3680
1 Warranty Support, Initial Year
420-8878
1 Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement
421-4356
1 Software, DataSafe Online 2.0 2GB
988-0099
1 To activate your online backupaccount, go to Start, Programs, DataSafe Online
927-2357
1 DataSafe Online 2.0 2GB
412-1082 1 Dell Media Remote
* -DISCOUNT/COUPON APPL




Subtotal: $440.99
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Tax: $26.47
Environmental Disposal Fee: $0.00

Total Price w/Discounts: $467.46

when I placed the order all the main stuff was listed and matched up but a few small details and items were not listed when I called up the quote like the remote. I have a harmony 650 I don't care about the actual remote but I want the IR reciever in there. I may give them a call in the morning.

Hope this PC is going to work out good to stream netfilx Hulu shows from my other Dell pc and music. I may add a tuner. what tuner do you all think is a good usb tuner? I have Haupauge wintv 1800 ATSC/QAM in my inspiron 530 and I'm pleased with it.

Hi Mikey, Sounds like you got a good deal, certainly a better one than we get in the UK.....

Not sure what everyone else does, but I've been an HTPC user for many years, and I gave Win7x64 a few days before reverting back to 32bit. I use an AV amp, and the only sure way I can get the right audio signals to my amp (i use spdif), was with 32bit MC (and for those interested, I use the excess RAM over 4GB as a RAMDrive configured for ReadyBoost). I'm sure the 64bit issues will get resolved in time, but for now - If I want to play just about any file codec and container and combination of the two (like AC3 audio in an mp4) - then I need to stick with ffdshow and 32bit splitters.

Anyway - Tuners; In the UK - I use a Tevii DVB-S2 (S660) USB satellite tuner - its been fantastic (although it finds like 300+ channels), and the HD channels look awesome on my plasma. I also put a really cheap (almost disposable at £10 circa $15) DVB-T USB dongle for OTA Freeview channels and it found more than 103 free to view (and listen) channels in the UK, and the quality is surprisingly good.

Its turned out to be a lovely little box, my only gripe is having to add the IR Receiver, and that it really could do with more USB ports on the back.

hey Quiffster

Thanks I thought I Wrangled in a good deal especialy since I went back last night and tried to price one again. the models with wireless and the better video seem to have gone up in price overnight online. I guess it did pay to say I was k-12 education staff and beg for a discount. I did well on the last Dell prchase as well.

I dont know of this issue with win7 64bit and sound. I have been using it since I upgraded my Dell to win7 after an update in vista broke the clear Qam cable work around in vista and I had to do a clean install to fix it. I dont use an av amp with that system its on a desk on one side of my bedroom so the big monitor and computer speakers with sub handle the picture and sound.

on this set up with the zino I planned to just use the HDMI to my Samsung LCD TV and then its cabled to my old Sony Dolby pro-logic AV reciever from the set. Will I have audio issues set up like that?

You seem to have many more tuner and satilite options that are better than here. we just get cable from Comcast, Dishnetwork and direct tv satilite. Cable is now about to be requiring a settop box or cable card tuner for everything but the cheapest package thats mostly local broadcast. Thats the package I get since I hate the boxes they have given me nothing but troble an dont work with the pci tuner I have now in the desktop. Our satalite providers require a box to decode too. Seems TV is easier to get with out special equipment in the UK.

I got a wired keyboard and Mouse, not sure how I am going to like that. I will mostly use the remote so it might work ok once I'm done the set up. if not I will be looking for a small wireless setup.

My order is due to be here Feb 14th so I will be waiting impatiently

Mikey, I think you'll be pleased with your Zino. I set one of these up for my Dad with just HDMI, and it works fine with x64.

My problem is that I use spdif as I often listen to music without the panel (even though I still pass the HDMI through my AV amp). I was having trouble on x64 getting multi channel AAC to be re-encoded into AC3 by ffdshow so that i still got full surround sound from those movies. Also - none of the splitters were happy splitting AC3 out of an MP4 file (same codecs inside an MKV container do work - but there's no hope of me remuxing all my files). I found tools like Sharks codec configs useful for simple set-ups, but have always ended up doing the config myself with ffdshow, Haali and the Win7DSFilter tool.

Have fun!!

Yeah I think I am going to have fun with this and like the Dell. I found a Jetway keyboard with track ball on newegg for $29.99 I may get that if I find I need a wireless keyboard. I will just pick a usb tuner when I'm ready to add that in.

I have alot to learn about the HTPC scene. I have not done much with my desk top just stream some movies and record some shows and long for them on the bigger screen in the Lounge. Looks like I need to learn to rip DVD now too.

I feel I should know this stuff being a PC tech but I dont or having taken the time to learn it so far. I'm mostly about business and education stuff monday - friday and don't want to mess with it at home much unless its fun, new or intresting.

You're going to have a lot of fun, and this is the place to learn. I've never seen a single person on AVS go out of their way to be anything but helpful.

Just keep in mind, if you're running into trouble or you're getting stuck, chances are someone else has already had the problem, and chances are the answer is here on AVS

I've been watching the Outlet for the past few weeks, but they haven't had any 410s in stock with the configuration I'm looking for (or any configuration for that matter). I'll probably have to suck it up and order a new one.

I'd like to get the Blu Ray drive, but I've seen several negative comments. Has anyone had good luck with theirs? No delayed audio or issues with lossless over HDMI?

First off, thanks to everyone that has contributed to this forum. I have enjoyed reading the comments and reviews. I noticed that everyone has been posting about the Zino 410 that was on Dell Outlet, but now the regular Dell site does not use the "410" but rather just Zino HD.

Can anyone point me to the specs of what used to be the Zion 410?

i just built one on the regular site...its still a 410
"Inspiron 410 Inspiron Zino HD"

i see lots of ppl going with 2gb ram....i opted for 4gb...u can never have too much right? lol

Which processor did you get? The extra ram should help if you have a decent processor to go with it.

I was hoping that some off you can comment or provide different views on waht I have in mind. I am trying to build a HTPC with the motivation of cutting off my cable. So, here are my requirements (listed in order of priority.)

- To be able to plug in a TV tuner card (single tuner is okay) to receive OTA HD local channels and record them using Windows Media Center. My TV is 720p only.

- Integration with my existing Harmony H659 remote.

- Watch streaming content from various sources. Right now, the sources are ESPN3.com, Hulu, WillowTV and YouTube. Once I get cable, I think Hulu (not Hulu Plus) jumps to the top.

- Display pictures via Picassa.

- Watch home videos.

- Blu-ray playback. This is not a biggie, cause I think a dedicated blu-ray player that are less than $100 can do a better job and also offer upconversion.


The only muli-tasking I would do is watch something (lets say stream content) while I am recording something off the OTA channels.

Given this, these are my HTPC options:

- Zino 410 HD 2-core (with the remote): I intend to hook up an external USB tuner (say the one from Hauppauge). Will the 2-core have enough horsepower to do what I need?

- Gateway SX2850. Add a low profile TV tuner card.

- Zino 410 HD 4-core: This should be sufficient for what I need. But a little pricey at $700!

- DIY HTPC: I wish I had the time do this sort of a mini-project.

I appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

Thanks

Once you settle on parts, the build is very simple. If you have built a computer before, this will be no different (assuming a form factor you are familiar with...some of the mini-ITX builds take a bit of "creativity"). With some time spent on cable management and the like, you should be finished in under an hour. Software install/config can take anywhere from a couple hours to the rest of your natural life.

The Zino is a pretty slick little package, but if you get the bells and whistles you can end up spending more than a diy project and getting considerably less customization.

Just my 0.02.

I just turned off my Directv and installed the HDhomerun to record OTA. I have the more expensive Zino. Also I'm doing Hulu and ESPN3. Best decision I've made getting rid of cable.

Its not about the actual build itself but rather on choosing all the right pieces - case, PSU, MoBo, etc. But I know what you mean...

David Scott,

I am very interested in finding out how your Zino is holding up. Are you doing any multitasking? - say watching blu-ray while recording stuff to the DVR? Do you notice any lag?

I haven't done any multitasking while recording, but I haven't noticed any lag doing anything yet. I use Media Browser to organize all my movies, for me my tasks I do on the Zino are the following in order of how much I do them:
1. Watch mkv's and blurays using the media browser interface
2. Listen to surround music using Foobar player
3. Watch Hulu or espn3
4. Watch live tv or recorded tv
5. Surf the internet

I haven't noticed any slow downs or lag doing anything yet. It's important to setup correctly the first time, I use ffdshow, mpc-hc and media browser.

Is everyone pretty satisfied with a mid-range configuration? I have a Zino 400 with HD4330 graphics and 6850 chip but have never been able to get everything playing smoothly - Netflix tends to stutter and I believe Hulu as well. i haven't played with it in a couple months honestly so there may be some new Flash or AMD graphics drivers available. Anyway, I'm considering a 410 with 4GB ram, p340 chip, and integrated 4250 graphics. My only concern is the graphics. I'd have to move up to a larger HDD and wireless to get the 5450 graphics. I don't need/want those extras.

Thanks for the feedback. I am leaning towards the high-end Zino.

Thought i chime in as many of you who didnt order dell remote are stung by the missing IR board. i am in the same boat and i had a dell media center remote already so didnt order the one coming with the Zino. and ofcourse when i got my machine the IR board is missing from the sysem.

i called dell support and after 4 transfers i was handled by zino's support. they first said that my remote might not be compatible and then i said that i have dell remote and also i dont see any blinking light or any board infront of the IR window when i open the lid.

then they went and came back with the reason (that many of you got) is: IR sensor is optional and is only put in when you buy the remote.

now on this i said that this is not stated during the customization process. and the remote option just says to add remote and not remote + IR. also when i went into "HELP ME CHOOSE" section, i see this "This product also comes with two button-type batteries and is ready to use with your new Inspiron Zino HD desktop that has an integrated infrared receiver" which assured me that the IR is integrated and is not an option that comes with remote

the guy then read the help page and went for few mins, came back and apologized for the miscommunication on the help page and agreed to send me the IR receiver part free of cost.

so in case you are one of those with missing IR sensor, call and get the part. the help page that i am refering to is: content.dell.com/us/en/home/d/help-me-choose/hmc-media-remote-consumer.aspx?ref=CFG

best of luck

Well, I ordered mine with the remote just to get the internal IR Receiver but I would have preferred to save $25 since i'll never use the Dell remote.

OK I JUst got mine today. after playing with it a few hours I like it. Dell did not have the latest video driver and the caytist app was not installed and working so I had to do some work to uninstall and update to get that working to be able to adjust it to fit my 40" samsung bbut it looks good.

I do have a few Issues

I think I am going to need a faster wireless G don't seem to be able to stream video from my other computer with out it stopping and the sound being choppy. I my have to get an N Router.

second thing is internet TV shows up but won't play in media center. Netfilx is MIA completely. I did some things to get it in there but no luck. that has me angry and I need a break from it.

HULU desktop is great and looks pretty good. my Mp3 collecton plays over WiFI.

hope I can get netflix to work in media center....... has anyone else seen that problem.

I fixed my netflix and internet TV problem

I did microsofts list of things the other night
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977116

with no success then tried changing my DNS and updating again several times. No success. Last night I tried it all again this time I changed the DNS several times trying differnt servers. once I tried LEvel 3 Communications public DNS servers, updated media center successfully and restarted the program netflix was there, I had to agree to the terms and could use it, same with internet tv.

What led you to believe it was a DNS issue?

i just got the zino hd with upgraded graphics card and memory...can anyone tell me how to get this thing to play bluray at 1080p/24fp? dell is useless

I'd like to keep an eye on your progress here, I'm about to buy the Zino with 4GB Ram and 5450 graphics card, purely for HD movie playing (not BluRay mind you, just files stored on the hard disk).

If it can't handle this smoothly then that is a big problem!!

In terms of tips for you, ensure you have the latest drivers for everything in your system, especially the graphics card. For testing purposes, close any and all other 3rd party programs running in the background.

How much RAM have you got on yours?