Home Theatre PC Recommendations
Apr.17, 2008 in
Technology
I’m finally joining the ranks of HDTV owners next week, and that presents me with a decision to make. Currently, I have a standard definition TV with an XBox running XBMC.
This setup works great for me now, but the problem is that the XBox doesn’t do anything but standard def. That puts me in the market for some kind of media center pc. I’m not at all interested in gaming, so I’m most likely going to avoid using an XBox 360 or a PS3 for this task.
What I need is suggestions about what I should use for my HTPC. Here’s what I want:
- I plan to keep this PC in my utility room along with my file server, so I don’t need any fancy case to sit by my TV.
- I download all my TV, so I have no interest in PVR functionality.
- I like Linux, but ultimately, the experience is most important to me, so something Windows based would work.
- I have a Harmony 880 universal remote, and I want to use it with this system. This means I’m going to need some kind of USB IR receiver with a cable about 6 feet long. I have absolutely no intention of using a keyboard/mouse with this HTPC.
- Storage will all be on the existing file server.
- Video is the most important thing for me, but music and photos would be nice
If you have a recommendation for me based on the above criteria, please leave a comment.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Hmmm….have you looked into something like Apple TV? I think there is also a version on XBMC that runs on OS X now….so not sure if that would give you HD or not.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I have thought about Apple TV, but I’m not sure it’ll do what I want. Can it play avi files from a network share?
XBMC for OSX would be ideal. The only problem is that I’d need to pick up a Mac Mini or something like that. That’d be a bit out of my price range unfortunately.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I’m not sure if the Apple TV will connect to networks shares, but there are a lot of hacks out there for it, so who knows….
Another option I just thought of would be an Xbox360. Now that it supports DivX it’s media center option is actually useful. And with programs like Rivet on OS X you can stream all music, videos and photos. There are a ton of apps for Windows as well that will stream stuff to the 360. If you are looking at Linux…I am sure something out there exists as well.
Anyway, just another thought….
Please let us know what you do end up deciding on.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
After your comment Sean, I took a look at the Apple TV, and for the price, it’s looking quite promising. I’ll post when I’ve made a decision, and thanks again for the suggestion.
May 4th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
[...] an earlier post, I was looking for ideas for a home theatre PC. I had no preference at that time, I just wanted [...]