maro
Gawd
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2006
- Messages
- 802
I have been mulling over the idea of building a nice little HTPC. Right now I'm liking the i3 +H55 motherboard because... well mostly 'cause it's new & exciting
but also 'cause it sounds like a very low power option that will play Blu-Ray very well (as well as offering more or better sound options through HDMI?) - the fact my local Fry's has had killer combo deals the last few weeks also may have played into this ![Stick Out Tongue :p :p](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
The goal is to have a small, power efficient box I can leave running 24/7. I mostly want something that'll playback DVD's and smoothly play online content like Hulu, etc (one TV maybe two at most if that), maybe later adding storage for a movie library full of my DVD's
Eventually I want one of the new cablecard devices that are coming out this summer (HD Homerun CableCard has my attention, so does the Ceton but $400 is a bit much for what I need). If it works well enough I would love to return my cable company's HDDVR boxes.
This is mostly a side project and if I find that some of this just doesnt work out too well I'm not gonna be too upset. This leads (finally) to a couple of questions I thought would be really helpful not just to me but for anyone who wanted to jump into the world of HTPC's...
Is there anything you regret about your HTPC? Is there something you would do differently? Are there things that just plain dont work well (like online program guides, or On-Demand type services, or Pay-Per-View)? Maybe a great HTPC info/guide you read?
I can research and read up on things as I go, and I have read a guide or two. The main goal of this thread was hopefully to get a little collection of knowledge and tips from you experts out there![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Thanks in advance for anything you'd like to add
The goal is to have a small, power efficient box I can leave running 24/7. I mostly want something that'll playback DVD's and smoothly play online content like Hulu, etc (one TV maybe two at most if that), maybe later adding storage for a movie library full of my DVD's
Eventually I want one of the new cablecard devices that are coming out this summer (HD Homerun CableCard has my attention, so does the Ceton but $400 is a bit much for what I need). If it works well enough I would love to return my cable company's HDDVR boxes.
This is mostly a side project and if I find that some of this just doesnt work out too well I'm not gonna be too upset. This leads (finally) to a couple of questions I thought would be really helpful not just to me but for anyone who wanted to jump into the world of HTPC's...
Is there anything you regret about your HTPC? Is there something you would do differently? Are there things that just plain dont work well (like online program guides, or On-Demand type services, or Pay-Per-View)? Maybe a great HTPC info/guide you read?
I can research and read up on things as I go, and I have read a guide or two. The main goal of this thread was hopefully to get a little collection of knowledge and tips from you experts out there
Thanks in advance for anything you'd like to add