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AMD Llano HTPC Builders Guideby Ganesh T S on 6/5/2012 8:02 AM EST
76 Comments
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BPB - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI was hoping to see mention of the newer AMD APU's. As for me I am going to mount the Foxconn unit below to my TV and use it for my HTPC. It's $175 and for not much more I can plop memory, HDD, and OS in it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8... Reply
geniekid - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI built a Llano-based HTPC about 8 months ago using many of the parts listed in this guide. One thing I will point out is I ended up buying a third party CPU cooler since the retail fan was a bit loud for me. Other than that, the Seasonic SS-400FL is fanless so the only other source of noise for me was the case fans that came with the Grandia 05, which were good enough for me. Reply
lurker22 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkThe problem is AMD's Llano can't run Netflix HD well because Silverlight doesn't have GPU acceleration enabled for the chip. It's a shame, as otherwise it's a GREAT CPU for HTPCs and cheap! Until MS either gets GPU acceleration working, or Netflix moves from Silverlight one still needs a more powerful CPU to be able to do everything with their HTPC Reply
BPB - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkThis is a good point. As a matter of fact, it has me reconsidering getting the little system I mentioned above. Of course I can do Netflix HD via my TV's app, but still, do I want to get an APU that can't even run Netflix? Hmmm.... Reply
lurker22 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI was about to purchase an e-350 based system, until I saw the lack of Netflix HD acceleration. No point buying something new which doesn't cover all the usage needs when my old HTPC can... Reply
burntham77 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI have the exact same hardware, and Netflix in WMC stutters with HD video. If I set my Netflix account quality settings to the middle or low setting, it works fine, but obviously things don't look as nice.
Luckily I have a PS3 and 360 hooked up to the same TV, but it is a shame that Microsoft dropped the ball on Silverlight in this regard. Reply
duploxxx - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkTHe problem isn't the LIano, any other pentium, celeron i3 ULV or wathever (even latest macs) will have an issue, it's just the Silverlight piece of crap. BTW it's only HD streaming that provides issues.
many have already reported that it run's better in different browsers (chrome-safari) Reply
lurker22 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkYes, and those CPUs have the power to run Netflix HD without the GPU acceleration :) Reply
duploxxx - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linknope, on forums they report the same issues with that type of cpu i mentioned. Reply
knutjb - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI have an A8-3850 w/hardware acceleration set. I have not experienced any issues with Netflix. Does someone have a current list of gpu support in Silverlight 5? I couldn't find any list in a quick search.
I have had no problems. Sits next to my reveiver behind pictures with audio through toslink, 1080 video through HDMI. All fans connected to MB, cannot hear from couch when set to 100% with sound off. Plays music too set @ 24bit 96k. Surprisingly good sound from older Denon receiver. Can hear the difference between 16 & 24 bit with better recordings.
Caught sales for everything.
Lian Li PC-351 with side vent holes taped off to force air through power supply.
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB 1866 oc'd in bios.
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC064D
Seasonic SS-460FL
Seagate 1TB HD Reply
JAK620 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - link"AMD's Llano can't run Netflix HD well "
Is your Llano system built upon any slower-clocked 2 or 3 core Llano or Zacat?
I disagree. I have an HTPC w/ A8-3850 w/o a discrete graphic card. I do not have any problem running Netflix full screen w/ 1080P. Reply
ganeshts - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkAgree.. No problems with Netflix HD except on Zacate platforms.. In the Llanos (quad core versions with the higher end iGPU), it works smoothly:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4479/amd-a83850-an-h... Reply
JAK620 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkAdding the point that without a discrete graphic card ( I do not play many games on the PC but on gaming consoles), the overall fan noise is a lot lower than a regular PC (CPU + discrete graphic).
I agree that the stock fan is kinda loud but luckily my case has really good airflow so constantly the CPU is <45 celcius and around 52~54 celcius under moderate load (playing NSF Unleashed in 1080P w/ some effects tuned down or Skpye 720P HD).
With good case air flow, it helps moderate the CPU fan speed and noise Reply
jeffkro - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkyup, its zacate(e350) that can't do netflix HD. People are giving misleading information. Reply
jeffkro - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkyou're insane, llano has plenty of cpu grunt to handle netflix HD even without offloading it to the gpu. What you are saying is definitely true of the much lower end zacate setup. Reply
plonk420 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkit SHOULD be able to do netflix... my saddeningly undercapable E-350 was ALMOST able to do HD netflix, but not quite. Reply
UrQuan3 - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkIt is odd that Netflix HD still doesn't work on Zacate. My E-350 runs 1080p h264 and VC-1 fine. Of course, that's 30fps, I still haven't seen a 60fps video in the wild. It also handles crunchyroll 1080p streaming without a problem. It must just be a Silverlight problem like other people are saying. Reply
Peroxyde - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkHeat sink of the G.Skill Snipper RAM module: Is there any functional purpose to the two metal pieces that protrude on the top on both left and right sides? May be that's just me, I find that impractical as this hurts the fingers when installing the modules. Reply
TheTechSmith - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI researched building an HTPC to play video files off of a NAS a year and a half ago, and wound up buying a Boxee box instead. At $190 it's a lot more expensive than its most popular competitors (Apple TV, Roku, etc), but it is a lot cheaper than building an HTPC, and has played every type of file I have thrown at it off of my NAS, which is something the cheaper competitors cannot do. You get access premium pay services as well including Netflix and Voodoo in the US. There are other products (e.g. WD TV Live) that will do this as well, reviewed on this site. A word of warning however, Adobe has not made version 11 of flash available for Boxee and similar devices yet which breaks streaming of a lot of free web content from TV station web sites, and this is completely out of Boxee's control. I know many would prefer to build their own solution so they can customize their hardware and software, but each to their own. Reply
lurker22 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkProblem is Boxee is a dead platform. Also, does it support Netflix HD?
Oh, and Plex is so much more versatile and stable! Reply
TheTechSmith - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkThe free computer software is dead but the Boxee Box is still under active development. And yes, it streams Netflix HD if your connection is fast enough. Reply
lurker22 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkIts hardware isn't selling well. For example, Dlink's other boxee was canceled, and reviews continue to be lackluster on stability etc. Boxee won't be around for much longer...but it does work for your use so that's great.
Boxee abandoned its biggest fans by dropping software development for the HTPC. I was a big fan of Boxee until they did this, however it forced me to try Plex and it's SOOOOO much better than Boxee ever was! Reply
TheTechSmith - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkGood to know. I will probably try Plex when it comes time to buy a second TV, but at the moment Boxee does everything that I need. I have encountered crashes, but it's pretty rare in my case. I wasn't aware that D-Link was working on a second box that got cancelled. I hope they can survive... Reply
T2k - Thursday, June 07, 2012 - linkPlex is a typical free pile of SHIT, they couldn't even write a proper documentation, forget built-in setup wizard.
Plex is the typical fucked-up end product of a bunch of stupid, el cheapo nerds, released for free - it works if you spend enough time with it, otherwise it's a pile of shit especially if you are not so poor and usually are able to pay for something that works and comes with proper UI and support. Reply
johnsmith9875 - Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - linkI ended up buying a Sony SMP-N200. I gave up on an HTPC because of complexity, boot time, etc. It has enough interfaces and will do DLNA so I can stream from a PC over wireless and has fairly good support for video formats. I was not impressed with Roku's selective feature removal to fit price points, and I won't touch Apple. Reply
soapisclean - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkWhy so big with the power supplies?
I built an A6-3500 system (the 3-core version) with an 80W Pico PSU.. no extra fans spinning and adding to the noise.. and it works beautifully with Ubuntu. Reply
treecats - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI build a HTPC for my parents with Intel Core i3-2120T/HD2000 + Foxconn SFF R40-H1 Intel Core i7 / i5 / i3 (LGA1155) Intel Socket H2(LGA1155) Intel H67 none 1 x HDMI Barebone
The machine played 1080p H.264 video files no problem at all. What do you mean by "not powerful enough for 1080p60 H.264 decoding"? I thought HD2000/3000 are specifically designed to handle high def video playback.
Any comments would be helpful! Thanks! Reply
StevoLincolnite - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI WANT it. Unfortunately, I cannot find any in Australia. Reply
Spivonious - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkWIth the prices of Ivy Bridge Celerons so low these days, why would anyone consider the hotter-running and less featured AMD LLano? Reply
Spivonious - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkSorry, meant Sandy Bridge Celerons. Reply
lurker22 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkCan you get a complete system for $150 like the Foxcon one? Reply
JAK620 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI have a A8-3850 system. Built it as soon as it was available on Newegg last year.
The CPU temperature constantly maintains at the 40~52 celcius in the summer and ~40 in the winter. (has to do with the room temperature).
I am sure that it is not the coolest but it is pretty good enough for me to build a system without an additional graphic card, which generates more noise from the graphic card's fan.
Unless you play a lot of games, I think that Llano has a good balance for me so far. I do not play many games on PC but still can play ME, NSF: Unleashed 11 & 2 and the likes in 720P without issue.
Not to down play Sandy Bridge but I think that Llano is a good option as well Reply
CeriseCogburn - Monday, June 11, 2012 - linkBecause they're nutso Spivonious, that's why. If they tell themselves they must not hear a tiny fan over the blaring TV show or movie, they can justify been full on loonbat crazy and going wacko scrimping down into barely workable crud mode instead of just tossing their old core 2 or athlon 2 etc in a case and adding the video card they have laying around that will whip the pants off all their llano trinity HDxxxx junk.
It's like a specialized hobby for wackos, who on other days go off into insanoville over $10 on a new gaming video card purchase.
Frankly, I find it disturbing to say the least, but then there's what (some or most) enthusiasts are. I see the same thing when they want to make a NAS, or have a "server", etc... they just go bonkers to "do it the way the culture tells them they must" or something I don't get it. Reply
max40watt - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI stand by my little AMD Fusion NES HTPC as the nicest little HTPC I've ever made.

 Reply
max40watt - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkDarn you lack of html.
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn87/max40watt/... Reply
Einy0 - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkNICE! Love the concept. Reply
djfourmoney - Thursday, June 07, 2012 - linkI sort of want to take a new empty PS1 and build a console with it using a E350/E450 APU which can easily handle tweaked ePSX settings. But all the games can be located on my server instead of locally on a drive. Reply
dgingeri - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI have two questions:
1. would an A4-3400 be able to handle BluRay playback, Hulu, and Netflix? If not, what level would handle it? That's not very clear here. I'm looking to build a lower power HTPC just for those duties. Any conversion, ripping, or other apps will be handled by my main machine and shared across the network. I don't need the HTPC to handle anything else.
2. As long as we're looking at the Llano chip, I may as well ask, what laptop version would be able to handle World of Warcraft and Diablo 3 at decent details and 1366X768 resolution at a decent frame rate. I'm looking to buy a laptop for those games specifically for when I'm traveling. Reply
burntham77 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkOn an E-350 APU, Blu-ray works just fine, although I did have to adjust the memory settings in the BIOS so it used the maximum amount (512 megs in my case). You might have to do the same with the A4-3400. Also, I use Cyberlink's Power DVD 11 Ultra (ebay has great prices on that) as the free version that came with my Blu-ray drive did not provided proper audio decoding. Reply
DWwolf - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkA3500 is probably the sweetspot as far as performance goes. Better GPU for decoding, still max 65W. Triplecore for the demanding stuff. Reply
iTzSnypah - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI didn't like how you flipped the point of the article. You start off by stating AMD APU's make good budget HTPC's. However then you recommend a $130 Seasonic PSU that is 80+ gold. For $70 you can buy a Rosewill Capstone PSU that is also 80+ gold. Building with these expensive components makes building on AMD silly, even for HTPC. Reply
ganeshts - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI also recommended a $38 Antec PSU.
Note that the everything other than the mobo and the APU itself can be used for a build further down (maybe the budget builder wants to move on to a premium HTPC). I always suggest picking components which will serve their purpose for at least two or three builds / upgrades. Reply
edge929 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkTrinity is just around the corner so unless you're not planning to game, it's better to wait. Trinity should also drop the prices on Llano chips if you can wait ~1 month. Reply
silverblue - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkTrinity has reportedly been delayed until September (if you believe semiaccurate.com, that is)... Reply
randinspace - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI use mine for writing novels that never make me any money since it's the only "desktop" PC I have or frankly even need ATM :P
For those who haven't tried it, you can write a novel on just about anything that uses a real keyboard (ex: docked ASUS Transformer, iPad with bluetooth keyboard, that 7 year old Centrino laptop you bought with your student loan...) these days as long as you stick with it, but productivity tends to suffer more when your biggest potential distraction changes from a game of FreeCell to an entire TV series at your fingertips.
Back on topic: great article Ganesh. Having lived in a metaphorical cave for 5 straight years (aforementioned Centrino laptop, which in its defense at least has a better looking if not higher resolution LCD than a lot of stuff on the market these days) I hardly even knew what I was missing out on until I stumbled upon one of your HTPC guides. Reply
jeffkro - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI have the 100W llano HTPC and a really recomend sticking with the 65W. The stock fan for the 100W is pretty loud even when the mobo lowers the speed. Reply
ashvagan - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkWould you review the low budget ones and see if they can run the usual 720p stuff just fine? Which ones are recommended really? Reply
ganeshts - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkZacate is OK for 720p / 1080p24 stuff. But, it struggles with deinterlacing (even for SD content):
I wouldn't advise Zacate for media PC (except if usecase is something like a hotel setup where the type of content being played back is known beforehand -- say, always 1080p24 H.264 with compliant profile or something like that).. As I mentioned in the concluding remarks, Zacate is more efficient for use in headless setups (i.e, running as a media server or storage server platform, where low power is useful). Unfortunately, the GPU prowess of the Zacate is just not needed there. Reply
wiyosaya - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkAs an activity that I would like to do would be recording HDMI to some medium, in particular, Blu-ray or hard-disk.
There are several HDMI capture cards on the market that would allow recording from HDMI sources such as satellite or cable set-top boxes, or other playback devices such as Blu-ray players.
If the content protection bit is not set by the content provider, this should be easily accomplished.
I see such recording falling under "fair use" rules when it is for personal use, i.e., viewing in your own home for not-for-profit uses.
Such capability is one big hole in the market, IMHO, and there is no sign that stand-alone Blu-ray recorders will ever come to market, and those very few from JVC that are already available do not have HDMI inputs. Reply
Casper42 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkWhy would you want to drink from a fire hose?
HDMI is a display protocol and as such is very high bandwidth.
Cable, Sat and even Blu-Ray have much lower bandwidth requirements before decoding.
Why wouldn't you instead want to find a solution to convert/capture the incoming stream rather than the outgoing display?
ATI cracked open the door to M Card powered Cable tuning and Silicon Dust is fairly well received as well.
Blu Rays can be easily ripped now a days, and finding mass market movies WITHOUT the Content Protection enabled is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Reply
ganeshts - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI think one of the best scenarios to support this need is capture of high definition game play from a XBox or PS3.
For most legal media, I also suggest grabbing at the encoded source :) Reply
ganeshts - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI do agree about this being a niche market which the major companies wouldn't want to touch..
I think there are some Hauppauge and AverMedia cards which do what you want (record to hard disk). They can always be burnt on to a Blu-ray if necessary. Reply
ImThat1Guy - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkI'm so confused in every way. Do any of you think you can explain? Or maybe just point my in the right direction and recommend a good one? I'd like to record maybe 2, 3 channels at a time (at maximum- usually not recording anything), and I have what I guess is standard US cable. The computer will function as a DVR-enabled cable box, correct? Reply
ganeshts - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkDefinitely :) If you want to record premium content from cable, you will need a CableCard -- and that can help you effectively replace the cable-co supplied DVR box.
I suggest you take a look at AVSForum for immediate guidance. Reply
ImThat1Guy - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkAVS Forum is down, at least for me.
Would something like the Hauppauge WinTV HVR 1250 work, and work with Ubuntu and XBMC (or better yet UbuntuTV)? Reply
ImThat1Guy - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkNo reply? Reply
ganeshts - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkIt is down for 12 - 18 hours :) Patience please.. Reply
Coup27 - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkIs there a reason why Lian Li's PC-Q07, or any of their other PC-Q range of enclosure's dont get much internet traction in these articles? They look to me as some of the most stylish ITX enclosures about. Reply
randinspace - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkFrom the conclusion:
"High quality madVR rendering is not possible with the integrated GPU (it is not possible with the Intel Sandy Bridge HD 2000 / HD 3000 series either)."
What's your definition of "high quality" here? I hadn't even dreamed of trying to utilize madVR with an APU until last week actually, but on my A8-3800 the more or less default settings for madVR in MPC-HC with LAV filters installed (long story short: I spent a day on Doom9), yields better results than CPU/software acceleration on otherwise large/annoying files...
This is revealing a bit more about my tastes than I would like, but the "annoying files" I'm thinking of are episodes of anime encoded in 1080p at 10 bit color depth (AKA hi10/hi10p) with FLAC audio and as many as 4 subtitle streams (dialogue in english, background song in english, karaoke for said song in both romanized japanese and actual japanese...) displaying at a time during a flashback (grainy filtering placed over the top of everything) scene. On my old junk setup I would occasionally have to turn the subtitles off even in (really poorly encoded) 720p in order to avoid MASSIVE lag, but madVR runs anything I throw at it with a few caveats:
(images safe for work, BTW)
http://bayimg.com/aapGDaaDA madVR, windowed even though it doesn't particularly like being run in windowed mode in order to display the AMD sysmonitor readout. Feel free to note the 0 dropped frames, but ignore the delayed frames which were almost entirely resultant from PEBKAC as I kept hitting pause break instead of prtscn and had to reload the scene a bunch of times until I realized it...
http://bayimg.com/aaPGBAADa same scene in EVR (with xy-VSFilter for subtitles so I don't have to resort to EVR custom Pres./MPC-HC's internal subtitle renderer).
Note the ridiculous gulf in GPU utilization between the two scenarios (also that I probably should've upgraded my RAM instead of buying an SSD). I can't do math since I majored in Liberal Arts, but a 12% load when the GPU is chilling out at 282 mhz (as low as it clocks itself while still running, I believe) is obviously better than 76% load at 600mhz which causes the cpu/apu fan to all but max out. I can only imagine how loud this would get with the 95-100w+ (through overclocking) APUs, and quite frankly madVR doesn't look THAT much better than EVR when you're using the same (LAV) filters otherwise.
Still, after setting things up I ran all kinds of crap I had (which I suppose is an important distinction from all kinds of crap period) using madVR to check for stability and never saw GPU usage go too far past 80% for long, and more typically saw numbers in the 40-70% range which again I could see as being a bit below ideal depending on one's intended hardware configuration (noisy fans, aiming for low temps to stick with passive cooling, etc.). Conversely GPU usage in madVR is unsurprisingly much more comfortable when rendering standard/8-bit color depth encodes than hi10p, in 720p files instead of 1080p, etc. but the entire point of having the hardware in the first place is making the most of it yeah?
Of course either way I never watch anything that surpasses the baseline 24x FPS (because Japanese are cheap :P) so if your definition of "high quality" is above that (I'd certainly be bummed if I spent a lot of money having my wedding digitally filmed and encoded in 1080p60p and then couldn't play it back on the TV with my usual profile...) then fair enough. I just found the comment unusual since I considered my experience with madVR to be a relatively pleasant one. More importantly was my realization that if desktop A8 Llano could run madVR then it seemed to follow that (particularly at 720p) mobile Trinity would be able to. Obviously the downside of mobile Trinity is going to be the junk ram and so/so audio that one finds in laptops, but madVR running at 35 or potentially even 17watts? If you're crazier than me (bought an HP Pavilion desktop just to get my hands on an A8-3800) and can't wait for the desktop parts I could see a case made (literally) for gutting a ~$5-600 laptop for the sake of building a low profile HTPC...
Pfft... now that I think about it, I suppose this is ultimately one of those "posts from an irate reader who has other requirements" that you were trying to avoid. I'm not really irate though, just loquacious and taking the opportunity to procrastinate from editing... Reply
ganeshts - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkYour post is quite informative :) In fact, these sorts of comments are what makes AnandTech articles even better for the rest of the readers out there.
madVR vs. EVR : For all Llano lovers out there, better learn not to fall in love with madVR :) Personally, I don't mind either of the renderers (and actually love EVR because it is so lean on the system resources).
You caught me out on the point that the iGPUs are not good enough for HQ madVR rendering. I should have qualified that with the fact that HQ madVR rendering is not advisable with the Llanos for interlaced videos.
Can you repeat your tests with some 480i60 / even 720p60 (where 720p must get upscaled in both luma and chroma components to 1080p) / 1080i60 content (quite common in US broadcast recordings) ? I believe the iGPUs should start to hiccup under those circumstances. Reply
zilexa - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkAnand, I have done some research via Dutch gadget sites. 90% of the people that have had a HTPC and are now looking for a new HTPC, are actually looking for a:
1. smaller
2. silent
3. system with complete focus on playback
4. very gf/family friendly
A Llano system is therefore simply overkill. I have not found a single video yet that my old 780G-based HTPC cannot playback. 1080p60 videos are not commercially availabe. If you mean the vids you shoot with your cameras, most people choose 1 setting lower since you can record longer videos. In the next 5 yrs, a Brazos E-450 will be enough. It doesn't need a fan, is therefore completely silent and small solution.
Actually, since most people don't care about 3D with glasses, a E-350 is fully sufficient.
In the future, you would want to have a Brazos-like mobo that supports 4K or higher. Even Llano won't do that.
And if you want TV record support, simply go for a DVB tv card, recording the mpeg2/4 stream without encoding it. Or go for a Intel 2150 based system (has Quick Sync).
I am talking about people who bought a fast system a few years ago, now have experience with HTPC and realize it was a bit overkill and they simply want a small mediaplayer.. they dont even care about optical/bluray support anymore.. last time I burned a dvd or whatever is a loong time ago. Unless you have a big collection of blurays, buying a bluray reader/writer is a waste..
People new to HTPC will think they need a faster system ''just to be safe''. Reply
ganeshts - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkzilexa,
I don't disagree with you over the market research aspect. Please take a look at Anand's personal mini-ITX HTPC build. That is a very good HTPC, and quite budget friendly too.
The purpose of this piece was to use the Llano for a HTPC, and check out the components which could be chosen around it. (There was even a thread on AVSForum about the Llano being the ideal HTPC processor).
1080p60 : Unfortunately, I disagree with you over this. If this is not supported in a platform, then there is not much future proofing. Also, with advent of sports cameras (most of which are used at 720p60 instead of 1080p30 because frame rate really matters here), 1080p60 is bound to become popular very soon.
Brazos E-450 is quite disappointing. Please check out our Zotac ZBox NanoXS review. Failure to deinterlace even SD content is a definite no-no for any HTPC which is not entry level or fixed function.
3D - Agree with you here. We are not big fans of that tech here at AnandTech. (Note that we didn't talk about 3D at all even in our Ivy Bridge HTPC a month or so back or the Llano HTPC review last year)
TV record support : Different people like different solutions, and as I stated earlier, suggesting an Intel system was out of scope for this piece, since the basic premise was that the end user had already decided upon using a Llano APU.
Optical disk drives : Agree with you here. Not a big fan of playing DVDs or Blu-rays right off the disc. Still strongly suggest at least 1 PC in the house with a Blu-ray drive for ripping your discs and enjoying it on your own terms by streaming a copy off a NAS or storage server.
faster system "just to be safe" : Unfortunately, don't agree with you here. I will never ever recommend an Atom based system (or Brazos / Zacate, for that matter) because sometimes even things like Flash start crawling. At the minimum, your configuration should be able to do software decode of all types of media files you are interested in without dropping frames. That said, no point going in for a i7-3770K when a SNB i3 would do.. Reply
zilexa - Tuesday, June 05, 2012 - linkAnd also, what I am missing here: recommendations to choose your (low voltage) RAM modules carefully. Some have high heatsinks, won't fit in smaller cases. Also, if CPU is maxed (for instance when you boot up or do live tv recordings with on the fly encoding), CPU will get hot and with 100w TDP you will definitely hear the cooler (I believe even with 45w). rather go for Brazos with no or passive cooling, mount a 6 or 8db 80mm fan in your case for airflow and buy a usb/seperate encoder in that case.
Also missing: advice people to buy low RPM storage, absolutely no need to have a 500GB or 3TB 7200rpm harddisk if you use it for storage. It takes longer to spin up (will be idle a lot, at least in my case I dont want a spinning harddrive all the time) uses more power and makes a little bit more noise. And for what? You have no need for 7200rpm drive for HTPC. Should be 5400rpm. Reply
ganeshts - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkGood advice on the separate encoder, but again, I won't recommend Zacate / Brazos / Atom, because I have personally seen almost all who go in without understanding the limitations end up getting very disappointed.
As for low RPM vs. high RPM storage, at densities of 1TB platters in 3.5" drives, it looks like not much difference in power (more like 40 cents a year apparently) :
http://storageeffect.media.seagate.com/2011/11/sto... Reply
unmesh - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkMaybe I missed this but which of these solutions if any offer the ability to wake the HTPC from sleep with an infrared MCE remote control?
Thanks. Reply
ganeshts - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkI am not sure about other vendors, but the first motherboard mentioned (from ASRock) supports what you want:
A75M-ITX : This has a CIR header.
With the SmartRemote, it can wake up even from S5 state (So, S3 shouldn't be an issue).
I haven't taken the trouble to investigate this aspect for the rest of the motherboards. Reply
somedude1234 - Thursday, June 07, 2012 - linkI can't say enough good things about CIR. I'm using it with the Intel Media Series motherboards (DH67CF in my case) and it works perfectly.
With a fast SSD for the OS (Win7 ultimate) I can press the power button on the remote from S5 and be navigating the XBMC UI within 10 seconds (faster than my PS3, faster than my DTV receiver).
CIR rocks and I hope it gains additional traction. Reply
cjs150 - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkParticularly as I am just about to build an HTPC for myself
You missed one critical part of the case - it also has to look in keeping with the rest of your AV kit. I have gone high end with an Hdplex case which is fanless, Streacom do a nice selection of cases as well.
As for a PSU, Pico-PSU is fine as long as you do not mind an external power brick.
In terms of what to use the HTPC for like Ganesh I store my media on a NAS but the HTPC does need to be pretty good at ripping blu rays down to the NAS. There is no point if that takes all night.
For playback the crucial thing is that the IGP must support the correct FPS. If I remember correctly AMD have been capable of that for a while but Intel could not until HD4000.
For my HTPC I will be going for a i7-3770T: overkill I know but not all motherboards fit in a Hdplex 3. Reply
Kaggy - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkI'm more towards an ARM based HTPC nowadays.
Since it is smaller, lower power consumption and cheaper.
The only problem i have now is sharing my drobo which i couldn't confirm if i can access with ARM processors.
Still waiting for A10(the arm one) processors to get fedora or some proper linux build so i can test it out. Reply
UrQuan3 - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkEvery time HTPC comes up, I wish I could see a review of audio quality. I have had varying luck with digital outputs since drivers often mess with the sound before sending it out. The analog output of motherboards have been a wide range of quality as well. Some are fine, some are really bad. No one seems to check anymore. A quick listen for cross-talk would have saved me a bunch of grief in the Nehalem/Phenom II time period.
Of course, I am in an odd situation compared to most readers. I found a few years back that the DA converter in a $100 sound card was better than the DA converter in my $250 receiver.
There hasn't been a on-board or soundcard review in years, but the last time Anandtech tried to do one, the readers were furious. I never understood why. Reply
lwatcdr - Wednesday, June 06, 2012 - linkEven if you are going to use your HTPC to record video why have a local harddrive? You just need an SSD to boot from and then you can stream the rest. Now some of those boards would aslo make a good NAS as well.
For a mini ITX case might I suggest this one that you just reviewed. http://www.anandtech.com/show/5867/bitfenix-prodig...
And for the CPU sound issue maybe a Corsair Hydro Series HD40 water cooling setup? Just some other options for people to look at. Frankly the new Pogoplug looks like it would do very nicely as a NAS box for not much money as well. Reply
djfourmoney - Thursday, June 07, 2012 - linkI don't watch anything on Netflix.... Anyway my system never sees more than 20c and usually around 17c. I just built it so I haven't pushed it really, but I don't expect any problems.
My external drives are louder than the stock HSF so I don't know what people are talking about. I also have full control over all the fan speeds inside the case, not just the HSF. Internal fans are running around 2000rpm.
Paired with a SATA III SSD it screams, from pushed on to up and running in 45 second. Most of the delay comes from the start up screen.
When I first put it together, I went to Can I Run This and found many games I would be interested to play will run on this no problems. Yes you can get a cheap Celeron Sandy Bridge and a $50-$70 video card to do the same thing, but I already has a HD4670. I put that in my mom's machine as I don't need it and it won't Hybrid Crossfire with it anyway. I may for sh*ts and giggles get a HD6670 but I will wait until the 7000 series cards come out so the price will drop.
Once the HDD prices drop more and closer to 2011 pre-flood levels, I will get rid or at least re-assign my externals to the server and move all its data to another 2 or 3TB drive on my WHS 2011 build.
I'm pleased with this and its an update of my v1.0 HTPC which was Athlon 64x2 5000+ BE which has some thermal issues now, can't even do video encoding on it without it going thermal and shutting down. Not sure what power draw is but I'm sure its less than that plus the video card with ran off bus power.
BPB - Thursday, June 07, 2012 - linkWhat is your build? Reply
Tujan - Friday, June 08, 2012 - linkBoth AMD and INTEL have their own implementation of utilizing the codecs involved with running content for a HTPC. If you look at some of the Anandtech.com benchmarks you'll notice that Intel systems typically render quicker in ''rendering-transcoding'' tests. However cross referencing a 'typical pc system',in that "good enough" scenario is difficult to access.
Basically you want both "rendering AND transcoding" performance characteristics for your system. Intels system which utilizes the 'hyperthreading',typically in the benchmarks outperforms those in an AMD system.
In the same situation over time based tests. Perhaps someone at Anandtech.com can elaborate on just how,and what is used between the two different proprietors.
Believe that however 'good enough',is probably 'any 4 core cpu for either AMD,or Intel. Look at the benchmarks,and choose carefully,since a system will want more that 'doing videos'. The codecs,are for the most part- cpu intensive. While having 'good /fast graphics',is where the Intel juggernaut,differs from the AMD juggernaut.
Use a fast SSD,4 core processor,with adaquete and implementable graphics - as well as adaquate and implementable 'rendering-transcoding'. Fast DDR3 1600 or better,64 bit operating system that can run the apps you want.
'Good enough'' is actually a fairly thin range of equipment when your a DIY,and buying your own. As the benchmarks will show.
Like that wooden case. Reply
didis - Monday, June 11, 2012 - linkTrinity is better in every way Reply
drizzo4shizzo - Friday, June 15, 2012 - linkThis is kinda off topic but... maybe someone will chime in anyway and save me a bunch of time or money or both.
Recently replaced my main desktop and looking to re-use the old one as an HTPC.
What problems do you fore-see using an old dual core socket 939 Athlon2 3500+ with an NVidia 7600 GT, and a Pinnacle HD PCI capture card receiving over the air HDTV?
All the components were high end at the time, should last a long time, so it's a shame if it sits idle (ie, Seasonic s12 power supply, asus a8n32 mobo, etc. I am not real worried about power consumption more about performance.
Plan is to use Myth tv / Ubuntu. Hoping I don't need to shell out for an actual HTPC. This box would record the live TV streams and also sit next to my TV for viewing, and possibly serve the content to other myth boxes. Reply


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Pianos aren't a center of attention anymore
Schroeder would say "Good grief!"
His beloved piano seems to have fallen on hard times. Used uprights and baby grands wait forlornly on eBay or Craigslist to be adopted or sold. For many, the final stop is the landfill.
Sales of new pianos have been affected by portable digital-music technology, the recession and cuts in school music-education programs. But, if new pianos have been a harder sell, finding a home for a used one can be downright daunting.
"Because of Craigslist now, pianos are a dime a dozen," says William Glesner, owner of A-1 Piano Service in Ross. "The whole concept of pianos on the market has changed dramatically."
But recent media reports that describe a surge in the junking of used pianos are misleading, say industry experts, merchants and technicians.
It's true that some owners can't even give their pianos away. Attorney James Joseph thought he might have to junk his Richmond baby grand when he prepared to move out of his Highland Park home. Richmond pianos were manufactured by the Starr Piano Co., which was founded in Richmond, Ind., in 1872.
Joseph, 70, phoned a piano tuner he knew and asked if he could come and appraise the piano's value. "He said, 'You probably could get as much for it as the appraisal would cost.' "
Joseph advertised the piano on Craigslist for $500, which he eventually dropped to $300. One couple came and showed interest, but when he emailed them a week later, they responded that moving the piano would cost more than the cost of the piano itself. Locally, the average cost to move or dispose of a piano is about $400.
"When it got to $300, I thought, 'This is taking up more of my time than it's worth.'"
He found a website, www.pianoadoption.com, through which he connected with Joe Pirtz, a musician and piano collector who lives in Champion, Ohio. Pirtz came and got the piano the same day. It now resides in his collection.
"The social gatherings have changed, and you don't so much have a piano as a center of attention anymore," says Joseph, whose four children all played the piano that was in their home. "If you happen to have one, there's always somebody who plays. But if you don't have one, it's no big deal. I don't think it integrates into the family as music. It integrates as an educational device and piece of furniture and, maybe, socially if you're entertaining."
Pirtz says it's criminal that pianos are being neglected.
"Every house I've went to, they're just glad to see 'em go," he says. "I just couldn't believe it. It absolutely blows my mind.
"I think we just have an abundance of too many things to do. Video games, Facebook. Kids, they're learning to play guitar on Wii, which has no association with the real machine."
Larry Fine, publisher and editor of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, says that most pianos are junked for a reason.
"It's not like every used piano is being taken to the dump," he says. "You're really talking about old pianos in serious disrepair. Their useful life is done. They're not worth fixing. They require too much repair. "
Consumer-grade upright pianos cost between $3,000 and $10,000, while a baby-grand piano runs anywhere from $7,000 to $30,000, he says.
"It used to be that people would repair almost anything," Fine says. "New pianos were much more expensive. That's changed. When you have an old upright made in 1890 that won't hold its tune that you might have to spend thousands of dollars to fix, where for three or four thousand you can get a very decent piano made in China or Indonesia that can run circles around it."
Piano sales suffered from the 2008 financial crisis and are only now starting to rebound, Fine says.
"Pianos are so much tied to home-buying that piano sales have gone way, way down," he says. "The piano business is, to a large extent, a luxury business."
Last year, 41,054 acoustic pianos were sold in the United States, a decline of 6.2 percent from 2010, according to a July report compiled by the publication Music Trades for the National Association of Music Merchants. However, sales of grand pianos have improved for the second straight year. Sales in 2010 totaled $174.96 million, up from $128.42 million in 2009. Total sales in 2011 were up 2 percent, to $175.38 million.
"I think it's blown out of proportion," says Mimi Priano, president of the Pittsburgh Piano Teachers Association in South Park Township. "It sounds like a terrible problem, but it makes sense. These pianos are all aging at the same time. Once it's past its prime, it's not good to anybody. If it's a Steinway, and you fix it correctly, it will retain its value. But the old upright that sat in Grandma's basement all these years and has a cracked soundboard, it's just not worth the investment."
Patricia Neeper, president of Steinway Piano Gallery in the West End, says a used piano's polished wooden cabinet and gleaming keys can be misleading. Many are past their prime as a musical instrument because they weren't tuned regularly or because of exposure to humidity.
"There's a very strong market for used pianos," she says. "I think there's a misconception in the marketplace that a piano can last forever. I think that's what you're seeing. There are pianos that are built to last for many, many generations, such as Steinways. We have one at the Juilliard School that's over 100 years old. It's not unusual for me to visit a college or institution to see a Steinway piano that's 80 to 100 years old that is still in service.
"There are other pianos that weren't built to those qualifications. Those instruments, for any number of reasons, have worn out or have not been appropriately cared for."
Peter Stumpf, a registered piano technician for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Carnegie Mellon University, says that the longevity of a piano can mean there is less demand for new instruments from the factory. Unlike automobiles or appliances, pianos are "overbuilt" to last as long as 40 or 50 years.
"The big problem is they're kind of competing with themselves," Stumpf says. "The biggest competitor Steinway has today are the Steinways from the '40s and '50s and '60s. People don't need to buy a new piano."
Faced with a similar glut in the early 1900s, the piano industry built a 50-foot bonfire from used pianos in Atlantic City.
"The manufacturers felt there were too many used pianos on the market," Stumpf says. "They bought up all these old used pianos and burned them. Thousands of them."
Digital pianos are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Modern Piano, with offices in Wexford and Mt. Lebanon, feature a series of Yamaha digital pianos, including the Avant Hybrid, whose keyboard purportedly features the feel of the keys on an acoustic piano It offers a greater variety of sounds. Plus, owners don't have to pay an average of $100 to tune it. Prices start at $5,495.
Stumpf, who owns two pianos in his Baldwin home, prefers to see the surplus in a positive light.
"It's a very, very good buyers, market," he says. "If somebody is looking to buy a piano, they're going to get a better value today than they would anytime in the last 20 years."
William Loeffler is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at email@example.com or 412-320-7986.

subset: commoncrawl


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STAGES ST. LOUIS Announces Position Appointments in Development and Marketing
STAGES ST. LOUIS has announced new additions to the administrative staff. Lara Turek assumed the position of Manager of Donor Relations in January, Kristen Goodman has been promoted to Director of Institutional Advancement, and Eric Pugh is returning to his role as Marketing Director in late February.
Lara Turek is thrilled to join the STAGES Development team as Manager of Donor R elations where she will be responsible for the growth of individual giving at STAGES in addition to other philanthropic adventures. Lara earned both her B.F.A. in Dance, and her M.F.A. in Arts Management and Leadership from Webster University. Prior to joining the STAGES team, Lara was a Radio City Rockette and performed throughout the country. Lara's Arts Management experience includes Volunteer Coordinator for St. Louis Earth Day, Administrative Intern for St. Louis Dance Theater (now The Big Muddy Dance Company), and Ted Shawn Circle Concierge for Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Although Lara has had the opportunity to experience several non-profits with a variety of roles, her focus and passion has always remained on fundraising. Lara couldn't be happier to return home to St. Louis after several years of dancing and traveling to give back to the community that has given her so much.
Kristen Goodman joined the STAGES team as Marketing Director in April of 2012, guiding the team to a record-breaking box office season. She is honored to accept a new role as Director of Institutional Advancement where she will be responsible for leading the Development Department, as well as a variety of projects spanning the organization such as patron experience and internal communications. Kristen earned her B.S. in Business Administration with emphases in Marketing and International Business from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Prior to joining the STAGES team, Kristen served as Executive Director of Business & Marketing for Vital VOICE Omnimedia, and as Marketing Assistant for Projects PLUS and One Source Retail. Having produced countless events, shows, fundraisers, and festivals throughout the region, Kristen is an expert at creating memorable and entertaining experiences. A singer and musician herself, Kristen is a Performing Arts enthusiast, and is thrilled to be combining her business skills with her love of musical theatre.
Eric Pugh returns to STAGES as Marketing Director after recently serving as Advertising and Promotions Manager for The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Miami. Pugh previously held the position from 2010 - 2012. Past experience includes Marketing Director at Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, Florida), Public Relations Manager at the World's Largest Professional Dinner Theatre, Carousel Dinner Theatre (Akron, Ohio) and Marketing Director for Cleveland Cinemas (Cleveland, Ohio). Eric received his Bachelor of Arts in Business and Organizational Communication from the University of Akron (Akron, Ohio). His education experience included an abroad study of Communications in London, England and work at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Cleveland, Ohio). Eric stated, "I am thrilled to return to my roots of musical theatre and my 'home' at STAGES ST. LOUIS."


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text: James Diggs Unknown date of birth PDF Key details Service number40783 AWMM Also known as Armed force / branchArmy AWMM Last rank WarWorld War I, 1914-1918 AWMM Enquire Lay a poppy Nominal Roll Vol 3 (Roll 57), Page: 5 - No known copyright r … Read more View gallery Hide sources Show empty fields Identity About Contribute › Title ForenamesJames AWMM SurnameDiggs AWMM Ingoa Also known as Service number40783 AWMM Gender Iwi Hapū Waka Rohe Religion Images and documents Images Contribute › Documents Contribute › Civilian life About birth Contribute › Date of birth Place of birth Birth notes Occupation before enlistmentWW1 Cook AWMM Post war occupation Address before enlistment Next of kin on embarkationMrs A. Diggs (wife), care of Post-office, Cambridge, New Zealand AWMM Relationship status Service Wars and conflicts Contribute › WarWorld War I, 1914-1918 AWMM Campaign Armed force / branchArmy AWMM Service number40783 AWMM Military service Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers Military decorations Contribute › Medals and Awards Training and Enlistment Contribute › Military training EnlistmentWW1 Unknown AWMM Age on enlistment Embarkations Contribute › Embarkation detailsWW1 14 Mar 1917-21 May 1917 AWMM to Devonport, Devon, England AWMM HMNZT 79 AWMMVessel was Ruapehu AWMMPrivate AWMM23rd Reinforcements, Auckland Infantry Regiment, A Company AWMMNew Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM Prisoner of war Contribute › Capture details Days interned Liberation date POW liberation details POW serial number Medical history Contribute › Medical notes Last known rank Contribute › Last rank Biographical information Biographical information Contribute › Death About death Contribute › Age at death Date of death Cause of death Place of death Death notes Cemetery name Grave reference Memorial name Memorial reference Obituary Roll of Honour Remember James Diggs by laying a poppy. Hubert John Edward Diggs Ivan Gilbert Diggs James Diggs Daniel Dighton John Lyell Dighton Lay a poppy for 2017 Leave a note Leave a tribute or memory of James Diggs Leave a note Contribute › Processing Sources Sources Contribute › External linksMilitary personnel filehttp://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=20997270Further ReferenceFamNet: The Family History Network record pagehttp://famnet.net.nz/login_pages/Cenotaph.aspx?Systemid=C86844Further ReferenceHMNZT 79 - Our grins : just a souvenir of the 23rds -- [Capetown?] : [Magazine Committee] : [1917].http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_library-catalogq40-82071Further Reference DocumentsNew Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1918). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume III. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM57: 5 AWMM


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25 Years of Improving Lives Through Discovery: 1986 – 2011
NIAMS 25th Anniversary Scientific Symposium
Improving Lives Through Discovery
Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dr. Stephen Katz thanks the nearly 300 friends of the NIAMS who are present for joining in the day's festivities, emphasizing the role of the NIAMS' many partners that make its work possible, including patients, the public, and the professional and patient groups that make up the NIAMS Coalition. Noting that much of the work honored by the symposium is really the result of trans-NIH partnerships, he says, "These collaborations are really how the NIH works, and how the NIH works best." Dr. Katz directs the audience's attention to the NIAMS 25th Anniversary Milestone Banner, which highlights a representative snapshot of NIAMS-supported research over the years, as well as the Institute's interactions with researchers, clinicians, patients, and the public. Dr. Katz thanks the NIAMS staff, calling them "one of our Institute's most valuable resources," and discusses the accomplishments of his predecessors, the late Dr. Lawrence Shulman, a world-renowned rheumatologist who served as the first NIAMS Director, from 1986 to 1994, and Dr. Michael Lockshin, who led the NIAMS as its Acting Director following Dr. Shulman's retirement.
Director, National Institutes of Health
Calling the NIAMS' 25th anniversary "a chance to reflect on where we have come from," as well as an opportunity "to think about the future," Dr. Francis Collins praises the Institute's leadership for anticipating scientific opportunities, for strong corporate citizenship within the NIH, for tackling diseases that are "common and chronic and costly and crippling," and for supporting "a portfolio of research that has made a real difference in the health of the nation and the health of the world." Dr. Collins describes the NIAMS as consistently making strides in treatment development and understanding the immunology and genetics of its mission areas, from funding the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures in the mid-1980s to supporting research that recently led to the first FDA-indicated treatment for lupus in more than 50 years. Explaining one of the reasons he is excited about plans for the NIH's proposed National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Dr. Collins says, "We have the chance to focus even more intentionally now on taking the deluge of basic science discoveries pouring out of laboratories across all of the diseases that are in the NIAMS' portfolio and making sure that we apply those as quickly as possible in the translational arena."
Chairman, Research!America
Taking the audience back to the time before "iPads, iPhones, and Twitter," the Honorable John Edward Porter reminds the audience of how the NIAMS has changed the research landscape, saying, "Twenty-five years ago, there was no Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic to diagnose and treat children with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Twenty-five years ago, the discovery of proteins that regulate bone growth and repair—findings which paved the way for advances in bone-grafting and cartilage regeneration—had yet to occur. Today, the millions of people living with arthritis, lupus, inherited skin disorders, and other diseases are grateful for these and other findings." Mr. Porter also discusses the current budget climate from the perspective of someone who chaired the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees the NIH budget for many years, emphasizing the need for both political parties to work together to resolve the nation's budget crisis. He notes that it was a Democrat and a Republican working together, "Congressmen Henry Waxman of California and the late Ed Madigan of Illinois, who formally established the NIAMS 25 years ago." Mr. Porter encourages bench scientists and clinicians to create opportunities to share their stories of medical research and breakthroughs with the public and Congress.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dr. Joan McGowan, Director of the Division of Musculoskeletal Diseases, NIAMS, introduces and moderates Scientific Session and Patient Perspective Panel 1.
Department of Neurology
University of Rochester
Dr. Richard Moxley discusses how NIAMS and NIH funding has moved the field of muscular dystrophy research forward via a critical disease registry, a network of research centers, and individual study grants. He discusses the strides being made, particularly in the field of myotonic dystrophy—the most common of the muscular dystrophies—"because of the breakthroughs that we think we are now poised to pursue," including the discovery that toxic ribonucleic acid (RNA) causes the gene defect in myotonic dystrophy and the exciting advances that have been made in treating the disease in animal models.
Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Maine Medical Center Research Institute
Dr. Clifford Rosen, Director of Clinical and Translational Research and senior scientist at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, gives a "tour" of the recent history of osteoporosis research and the NIH's and the NIAMS' role in sponsoring much of it. Among the examples Dr. Rosen highlights are genetic studies that have improved our understanding of a major cell-signaling pathway in osteoporosis, the wealth of new basic and translational research spawned by that understanding, and the importance of data that continue to come from the NIH-funded Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, now in its twenty-first year.
National Marfan Foundation
Ms. Priscilla Ciccariello, who lost her husband, eldest son and a grandson to complications of Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, describes how new surgeries and other treatment advances have given a more hopeful future to her surviving two sons and the many others living with Marfan syndrome.
Panel 1 participants take questions from the audience.
Deputy Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dr. Robert Carter, Deputy Director of NIAMS, introduces and moderates Scientific Session and Patient Perspective Panel 2.
National Human Genome Research Institute
Dr. Daniel Kastner recalls "the wonderful opportunities" that the NIH afforded a young scientist and shares some behind-the-scenes stories of his research discoveries. About finding the gene for Familial Mediterranean Fever while working in the NIAMS Intramural Research Program, Dr. Kastner says, "This was back at that wonderful time, the dawn of the Human Genome Project, when with positional cloning—that method in which if you could recruit a group of families, if you knew it was a single gene disease—you could discover the gene, even if you didn't know anything about it. Seeing the dramatic inflammatory phenotype...I thought: That's for me!...The adventure was on."
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dr. John O'Shea describes the NIH as a place where "people come from around the world and give their heart and soul to tough problems." He recounts his own tough problem, "a bedside to bench to bedside story," which began in 1994, when his intramural research team at the NIAMS discovered a protein, Jak3, the absence of which causes severe immunodeficiency in humans. Dr. O'Shea's team cloned the gene that encodes Jak3, about which he says, "Back when we were doing this, it was actually really hard to clone a gene...now you can just sit at home, drinking a cup of coffee, and go on the Internet, and you can find out all this stuff. But it took us months, and months and months." The slow-going work paid off: Dr. O'Shea and his colleagues have collaborated with Pfizer to develop tofacitinab, a compound that helps block transplant rejections and might help treat certain autoimmune diseases.
Beach Creative Communications
Mr. George Beach shares how a new biologic treatment gave his artistic career a second act after 25 years of being unable to paint due to joint damage and pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis. When his arthritis treatment began to "kick in," in 2001, Mr. Beach says his "brushes came alive again." Later that same year, the World Trade Center tragedy and America's response to it inspired Mr. Beach to put his rediscovered skills to work in his award-winning painting, "Indivisible", featured in this video.
Panel 2 participants take questions from the audience.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dr. Susana Serrate-Sztein, Director of the Division of Skin and Rheumatic Diseases, NIAMS, introduces and moderates Scientific Session and Patient Perspective Panel 3.
Department of Dermatology
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. John Stanley, a professor in the department of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that although historically there has been "a long lag between research and improvement in patient care," those lag times are getting shorter, thanks, in large part, to public investment in the research enterprise. Dr. Stanley uses pemphigus as his example, describing how it took 100 years to achieve an understanding of the histology of the disease, leading to the first major advance for patients. But he says more recent advances—from discovering prednisone as a pemphigus treatment to improvements in diagnosis—have benefitted patients more rapidly. Other examples of research with tangible benefits include discovering antibodies associated with pemphigus, coming to understand pemphigus as an autoimmune disease, and the development of animal models of pemphigus.
Department of Medicine and Rheumatology
Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Research
Hospital for Special Surgery
Dr. Jane Salmon thanks the NIAMS for taking a risk in funding her team's PROMISSE study of lupus patients, despite what she calls its "unconventional" hypothesis. She describes the early NIAMS-funded mouse studies that led to PROMISSE's development and shares some of PROMISSE's results to date, including findings that suggest that women with lupus who have antiphospholipid antibodies are at increased risk for preeclampsia, a disease of pregnancy that endangers the lives of both fetuses and mothers. Dr. Salmon also notes data that show, importantly, that women with lupus who do not have antiphospholipid antibodies are likely to have a healthy pregnancy if their lupus is stable at conception.
Healthy Motivation
Ms. Amye Leong shares her story of being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age 18—and later with Sjögren's syndrome and osteoporosis—and her journey to become a patient advocate, speaker and author who defies disability. About her role as the international spokesperson for the Bone and Joint Decade, Ms. Leong says, "One of the things I have been a strong advocate for is the engagement of patients at the research level. And that sounds really bizarre: 'We're going to study you; we don't want to talk to you about your cells!' But, I would propose to you that when you engage us in the development of research design, we will open your eyes in ways that you will find very beneficial."
Panel 3 participants take questions from the audience.
Deputy Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dr. Robert Carter, Deputy Director of NIAMS, introduces and moderates Scientific Session and Patient Perspective Panel 4.
Arthritis Foundation
At the age of two, Emily Smith was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, and she describes the decade that followed as a "roller coaster" in which her arthritis waxed and waned, and her parents and doctors experimented with different dosages of the standard drugs available. Shortly before her eleventh birthday, however, Ms. Smith started taking one of the then-new biologic treatments, and everything changed, dramatically. After an early childhood spent going "days, and sometimes months, nearly immobile from pain and inflammation," in high school she was pole vaulting on the track team. She says, "I have been lucky enough to see kids with RA [rheumatoid arthritis] completely avoid the misery that I went through. I am able to live my life to the fullest."
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Columbia University
Dr. Helen Lu describes the challenge facing the tissue engineer today with an analogy: "How do you connect a rope to a wall without any fixation pins or screws?" Surgeons today use mechanical fixation devices, she explains, but for tissue engineers like herself, Dr. Lu says the hope is that in the near future, they can better mimic how ligaments and tendons are naturally connected to the bone. She says her long-term goal, and the goal of others in her field, is to eventually be capable of engineering total joint systems. Dr. Lu also talks about the value of having researchers interact with clinicians and the role of mentorship in science, saying, "We stand on the shoulders of giants." She thanks her mentors, including Dr. Cato Laurencin, and her students, as well as her collaborators at the NIAMS Intramural Research Program and at private institutions.
School of Medicine
University of Connecticut
Dr. Cato Laurencin says that to meet the grand challenges in medicine, we need three things: "bold ideas; bold, smart people; and organizations that believe in us and in funding ideas that are bold." Describing tissue engineering as one of the bold ideas of the 1980s, he says his group is now trying to think in terms of "regenerative engineering," which he describes as "the integration of tissue engineering with advances in material science, stem cells sciences and developmental biology." Dr. Laurencin credits the NIAMS with providing ongoing financial support for such engineering, with widening the field, and for having the courage to believe in bold ideas.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dr. Maria Morasso describes her research in the NIAMS on mouse models of ectodermal dysplasias—a group of skin disorders caused by genetic mutations—to illustrate more generally how basic research can lead to clinical applications. She emphasizes that the end goal in basic research is always the better understanding of a process or pathology with the intention of using that knowledge to improve quality of life. Dr. Morasso also emphasizes that science is not done alone, saying that researchers need mentors and they need to work in teams.
Panel 4 participants take questions from the audience.
NIAMS Coalition Co-Chair
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Tiffany Schmidt, J.D., M.B.A.
NIAMS Coalition Co-Chair
American College of Rheumatology
Ms. Annie Kennedy and Ms. Tiffany Schmidt discuss the role of the NIAMS Coalition, a group of more than 70 professional and voluntary organizations concerned with the research of the NIAMS. Describing herself as the "ghost of Coalitions past and present," Ms. Kennedy explains how the Coalition has worked to create opportunities for legislators and policymakers to interact with patients and scientists so they can better understand the value of the NIAMS and its role in lessening the burden on the nation of the diseases within its mission. Ms. Kennedy describes the NIAMS' commitment to its stakeholders as "unparalleled," and says, "I'm proud to report that the Coalition is more robust today than ever before." As the "ghost of Coalitions future," Ms. Schmidt says, "One of the things we will try to do is bring patients, researchers and physicians to Capitol Hill, so that we can go from office to office," educating representatives and senators about NIAMS' mission areas. Encouraging members in the audience to join the Coalition in sharing their own stories with legislators, she says, "I was thinking today how much members of Congress would have learned if they had been sitting here today."
Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Dr. Stephen Katz thanks the organizations and presenters who made the NIAMS 25th Anniversary symposium possible, and thanks the audience for attending. He encourages the audience to visit the NIAMS poster session in an adjacent room, saying the posters provide a good sample of "the outstanding quality of science that we have here." Concluding the symposium portion of the day's celebration, Dr. Katz says, "This year, and this day in particular, has highlighted the very real progress and promise of our efforts."


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Thursday, July 21, 2011
Retro Lift
(images via fashiongonerogue - for some reason the vibrant colours didn't come up when I tried scanning these photos)
Alana Zimmer by Ben Toms for Vogue Russia August 2011
Styled by Katie Shillingford
Another stunning editorial from VR Aug. '11. At first I wasn't so sure about it, but this mix of prints, furs, colours (well, pretty much everything) really has grown on me. The baby blue & pink backdrops are gorgeous, they add so much and I haven't seen something like this before. Plus I can't help but dream that my hair was as effortlessly gorgeous as Alana's here! xx
11 comments:
Amazing photos!ReplyDelete
Seriously love this - the colours and textures - wow - makes me long for my winter wardrobe xxReplyDelete
Fur is everywhere!!ReplyDelete
xx, http://heelsandwedges.blogspot.com/
Great post, the model's hair is sooo long!ReplyDelete
the colour is totallly stunning. the mix of patterns is genius. I could look at the one with the purple fur coat all day.ReplyDelete
Wowo amazing styling, colours I am in love!! : )ReplyDelete
Amazing shoot. I love the crazy mix of colours and patterns.ReplyDelete
I adore her hair so much!
pretty nice collection.ReplyDelete
Awesome pictures! Love them! Thank you for your welcome message on IFB.. I am your new follower.. Would be great if you follow me too:-)ReplyDelete
Ask Erena
so obsessed with all of these!ReplyDelete
Love it! Fur and shiny patterns!ReplyDelete


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Why I Read It: Because I like riding on the tail of wagons. Oh, and this dude in line for Sanderson signatures at Bubonicon highly recommended the series.
Where I Got It: The library.
Who I Recommend This To: Epic fantasy freaks who love their characters grey and their plots twisted about each other.
Narrator: Roy Dotrice
Publisher: Books on Tape (2004)
Length: 28 CDs
Series: Book 1 Song of Ice and Fire
This is a very complex book. I suggest you check out this wikipedia article if you want a comprehensive summary of the book. I will simply tell you every little thing I loved about this book. First off, the characters are complicated; while there are some few that are more evil or more good than the rest, by and large they are all grey, each having a gentler side and a ruthless side. At first, the Starks of Winterfell seem driven by honor and therefore, will hold the bulk of the good deeds for the book, while the various competing families of the capital city King's Landing appear to hold the lot of plotting, scheming, nefarious deeds. But the plots quickly become much more interesting, especially as the 'heroes' are forced into hard choices and the supposed villains show hints of decency (such as Tyrion Lannister)
Add to that a removed, but related, plot line occurring across the seas on the grassy plains of the wandering tribes of the Dothraki. The last remaining Targaryens live in exile among these horse nomads, dreaming of the day they will reclaim their throne. Daenerys became one of my favorite characters because she grows so much throughout this book. While I know her end goal could put my other favorite characters in jeopardy, I couldn't help but root for her.
Much closer to home, the Wall north of Winterfell is manned by the Night's Watch and they keep eyes on the forest and the possibility of The Others, a race thought to be mythological by most. Jon Snow, the bastard son of Ned Stark, joins this Watch along with his direwolf. I am really looking forward to see what George Martin does with Jon, the Night Watch, and the walled-out forest in the next book.
I loved Arya right away, the younger daughter of Ned Stark. She's strong-willed and much more interested in being self-sufficient than her very lady-like Sansa. I found Sansa young and vapid, until the last bit of the book, where she is forced to grow up quicker than she wanted to. Tyrion Lannister is a dwarf and the younger son of the Lord Tywin, a hard man who has little use for his 'deformed' son. Tyrion had some of the best lines throughout the book and I always looked forward to the sections told in his voice.
The narration was excellent. The cast of characters in this book alone is HUGE and Roy Dotrice did an incredible job of making each one of them distinct and recognizable. He varied the accents and ages of each, as appropriate. If I have any criticism, it is that his feminine voices just aren't really feminine. Distinct, but more like soft-spoken males. Still, I loved his narration and plan to continue the series with him, as I can't imagine Tyrion's voice any other way.
And no, I haven't watched HBO's series yet, and have been very diligent about avoiding any such spoilers.
What I Liked: Direwolves; dragons; spies; traitors; death; the well thought out intricate plots; complex characters; Tyrion Lannister; plenty of sex; Martin world building includes these full-fledged varying cultures.
What I Disliked: The narrated voices for the ladies could benefit from a bit more femininity; alas, there are no maps with an audiobook.
This review is part of the Read&Review Hop hosted by On Starships and Dragonwings. Make sure to stop by there to see more great reviews.


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A YOUNG mother is to face a re-trial on a charge that she caused or allowed the death of her 12-week-old baby girl.
A jury of eight men and four women was unable to reach a decision in the case of 19-year-old Jessica Wiggins, of Heathfield Road, Redditch.
The judge, Madam Justice Cox, discharged the jury who had been deliberating for 11 hours and 27 minutes after a three-week trial.
A few hours earlier they had found Wiggins not guilty of cruelty to the child, who had died at the hands of her violent partner, 21-year-old Tyler Vallance.
Vallance, of Engadine Road, The Oakalls, Bromsgrove, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the first day of the trial at Worcester Crown Court. He will be sentenced on July 24.
Wiggins, who was given bail, will face another hearing, probably at the end of the year. The court was told that family court proceedings were planned for October.
Wiggins told the jury that Vallance was a volatile man with mood swings who had punched, kicked and slapped her during their relationship. He would often ill-treat her after he had been out drinking.
Since baby Isabella's death, the couple have had another daughter, who has been taken into care.


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Robert Carter
- Born to prominent family in 1728
- Eighteen-year member of governor's Council
- Early emancipation proponent
- Converted religion twice
Born to noble family
Robert Carter was born February 9, 1728, son of Robert Carter and Priscilla Churchill Carter. Both of his grandfathers, the land baron Robert "King" Carter and William Churchhill served on the governor's Council.
In 1737, he entered the grammar school of the College of William and Mary. Little else is known about his youth until February 1749, when he received his patrimony and sailed to London's Inner Temple to study law. He returned to Virginia in June 1751 without being admitted to the bar. Several of his contemporaries commented on his lack of learning and social grace.
Establishment at Nomony Hall
Carter moved into Nomony Hall – also spelled "Nomini" or "Nominy" – the Westmoreland County mansion he inherited from his father. He learned the business of tobacco planting and exported as many as 100 hogsheads of the leaf to England each year. On April 2, 1754, Carter married Frances Tasker, daughter of Benjamin Tasker, longtime president of the Council of Maryland. Of their 13 daughters and four sons, eight daughters and all four sons reached adulthood.
Service on governor's Council
In April 1752, Carter was appointed to the Westmoreland County Court. He ran for vacant seats in the House of Burgesses, but was not elected. Through the influence of his wife's uncle, Thomas Bladen, Carter received an appointment from the king on April 7, 1758 to serve on the governor's Council. In 1761 he purchased a large frame house near the Governor's Palace on the green in Williamsburg and moved there with his family.
For the next 14 years, Carter regularly participated in Council proceedings. He was a member of committees that drafted responses to the governor's speeches to the assembly, considered amendments to proposed legislation, and examined accounts of the treasurer or the journals of the Council.
Work with Indian affairs
He accompanied Lieutenant Governor Francis Fauquier to New York in 1761 to discuss Indian affairs and to Georgia two years later to discuss relations with the southern Indian tribes. In 1763 Carter served on the Virginia Committee of Correspondence, and in 1766 he drafted the Council's response to the king following the repeal of the Stamp Act. Carter joined Richard Corbin in representing the Council early in June 1775 when it officially expressed its concern to the royal governor about rumors that British marines were to be stationed in Williamsburg.
He developed close friendships with Governor Fauquier and his successor, Governor Norborne Berkeley, baron de Botetourt, as well as William and Mary Professor William Small, and George Wythe. Not long after Governor Dunmore took office in 1772, Carter moved his family back to Nomony Hall. Carter still traveled to Williamsburg on Council business but focused more on the management of his estate. The Revolution concluded Carter's service on the Council, which ceased to exist in July 1776.
Conversion to evangelical Christianity
A member of the Church of England from childhood, Carter became a vestryman of Cople Parish in Westmoreland County in November 1752. In June 1777 he announced his conversion to evangelical Christianity and soon allied himself with the Baptists. The next year, Carter was baptized by immersion and joined Morattico Baptist Church. He attended prayer meetings, provided financial support for evangelical preachers, and became one of the denomination's most influential adherents in Virginia.
Emancipation of 500 slaves
Although Carter inherited and owned hundreds of slaves, his growing opposition to the institution echoed the antislavery sentiments of many Baptists in the 1780s. On August 1, 1791 he executed a deed of emancipation for more than 500 of his enslaved African Americans. It was probably the largest emancipation by an individual person in the United States before 1860. Because of Virginia's restrictive laws, the emancipation was gradual, and the young slaves received their freedom when they reached adulthood. Carter spent his remaining years working out the details and schedule, an effort that occupied his agents and executors well into the nineteenth century.
Conversion to the Church of the New Jerusalem
In January 1788 Carter discovered and quickly embraced the theology of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg and switched his allegiance from the Baptists to the Church of the New Jerusalem. Carter caused several of Swedenborg's writings to be reprinted in America and wrote the preface for the first American edition of The Liturgy of the New Church, published in Baltimore in 1792.
Carter moved with two of his younger daughters to Baltimore in 1793 in order to be closer to a center of Swedenborgian worship, and three years later he divided his Virginia estate among his surviving children and grandchildren, who drew lots for their portions. He spent his last years managing his investments. Robert Carter died suddenly in Baltimore March 11, 1804 and was buried in the garden at Nomony Hall in Westmoreland County.


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It is a non-migratory fish. Its size is about 17 cm. Body fairly slender. Pre-pelvic scutes not strongly keeled, beginning behind base of last pectoral fin ray. Lower gill rakers long and slender. A distinct silver stripe along flank. Snout broad with tapering sides, not concave when viewed from above. It has a large air bladder which is responsible for its ability to move great vertical distances.
Forms large schools. Mainly nocturnal and feeds on plankton (especially atyid shrimps, also copepods, prawns), but larger individuals take larval Stolothrissa. Cannibalism does occur. Breeds close to shore throughout the rainy seasons, but with peaks in May to June and December to January.
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Home »Power Boats »Carver »350
Thank you for looking for a used Carver for sale on Calling All Boats! Let us help you find your favorite used boat. We have a huge database of affordable used power boats and sail boats, such as Carver and many more. Every Carver Yacht is crafted with the confidence that comes from more than 50 years of quality boat-building expertise. You can be sure that every Carver Yacht is intelligently crafted to the highest performance and quality standards known to the industry, without compromise. The result is integrity that's painstakingly built into every square inch of every model. In 1954 in a Milwaukee garage, Charlie Carter and George Verhagen began building mahogany-planked, high-speed runabouts. What started as a hobby soon turned into a business as word quickly spread, and the two fledgling boat builders began selling boats to friends. By combining the first three letters of their last names, the Carver Boat Corporation was born, and the Carver Yacht Group witnessed its humble beginnings. In 1956, the two entrepreneurs moved their growing business to Pulaski, Wisconsin, to take advantage of the area's dedicated workforce and excellent transportation facilities. They built mahogany boats throughout the 1960s, adding cabin cruisers to an expanding lineup. In the 1970s, the switch was made to fiberglass hulls, with additional advances that included larger cabin designs and the introduction of the popular 32 Mariner. By the 1980s, Carver had expanded sales beyond the Great Lakes region to truly become a recognized leader in the luxury motor yacht market. In fact, the motor yacht became synonymous with the Carver brand in the early 1990s. In 1991, Carver was acquired by Genmar Holdings, Inc. The 1990s also witnessed the introduction of the elegant frameless window system and the refinement of the upscale Voyager series. By the late 1990s, all Carver Yachts included no structural wood below the waterline, fiberglass stringers, and a seven-year limited warranty on hull and deck. In 2000, the largest Carver Yacht was introduced—the 57 Voyager Pilothouse. In 2003, the company acquired manufacturing facilities in Fano, Italy, to build its new line of Nuvari Yachts, partnering with the respected naval architecture firm Nuvolari-Lenard. The year also marked the debut of the Wisconsin-built Marquis Class. Today, Carver Yachts continues to lead the industry in creating world-class cruising vessels. The future promises new and exciting developments to enhance the ultimate cruising experience that only a Carver can deliver. If you want to purchase a used boat for sale by owner, you can't find a better place. To search the best used boats for sale, we have a dedicated Personal Agent to track all new used boat listings and keep you informed with detailed information matching your criteria for a used Carver for sale. We can help you make informed decisions in buying used boats including power boats, sail boats, and personal water craft. Our assistance will help you find the best used Carver available.
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Frank was 7 years old when his teacher first noticed he was having trouble paying attention. Frank would often "blank out" for a few seconds, and he wouldn't respond when she called his name. Sometimes he would blink a lot, and his eyes would roll up a bit.
Frank's teacher talked to his parents about her concerns. His parents took him to the doctor, and, after a few tests, he was diagnosed with absence seizures. Now Frank takes medicine every day, and his seizures have stopped. The doctor has told him that he may outgrow the seizures some day, and then he won't need to take medicine.


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