Any total techy PC and media experts?

[gazzab]

I want to buy or build a PC for my second living area that will :-

allow me to watch dvds
with a box hidden away that is silent
a nice lcd (widescreen) monitor (not too big) - might be better to buy a TV based LCD and use this instead of a PC lcd monitor.
dolby 5.1 etc capability
all the usual TV card, video card, processor, good sized hard disk, suitable for photos, video , music, remote mouse and keyboard etc
Basically a great all round media machine.
HP do one but I hear it is rubbish.
So I want to build my own but I dont know what stuff is the stuff to get.
anyone know all the answers
Ta
Gary

[gopher]

got something which does pretty much that (but needed an external usb TV adapter) built mine up using a shuttle bare bone Athlon - good value for money, yet to fail, although the msi one with the built inradio tuner looks good too.

[Bodo]

Interesting article for you, Gary:

www.viaarena.com/?PageID=187

It's about a mainboard that is very small (17 x 17cm), and has wide range of small cases available, while having all important multimedia chips onboard

[JonRB]

Thanks Bodo. Seriously cool and sexy to a geek like me.

(Cosmic thinks I'm of dubious sanity to find an integrated MOBO sexy, but there you go)

[Bodo]

Jon, they appeared err ... sexy to me too
Thinking of building an in-car PC for my Landrover with an Epia m/b

[Ffirg 005]

This is what you want - launched in the UK a few weeks ago.

www.microsoft.com/uk/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx

Lots of very cool packages available from PC makers incorporating flat screens, etc.

[Plotloss]

Ffirg 005 said:

This is what you want - launched in the UK a few weeks ago. www.microsoft.com/uk/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx Lots of very cool packages available from PC makers incorporating flat screens, etc.

Utter utter tossers.

Its a cracking operating system and I have a solution in this space but the absolute ***** at MS wont allow me to OEM XP MCE unless I can guarantee 5000 units in the next 12 months.

[outlaw]

Plotloss said:

Ffirg 005 said: This is what you want - launched in the UK a few weeks ago. <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx">www.microsoft.com/uk/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx</a> Lots of very cool packages available from PC makers incorporating flat screens, etc. Utter utter tossers. Its a cracking operating system and I have a solution in this space but the absolute ***** at MS wont allow me to OEM XP MCE unless I can guarantee 5000 units in the next 12 months.

its easy to get a copy of media center if you know wher to look and a bye a remote.

personaly i think its shit

you can do a beter job wit MyHTPC
http://myhtpc.net/ and its free

[outlaw]

gazzab said:

I want to buy or build a PC for my second living area that will :- allow me to watch dvds with a box hidden away that is silent a nice lcd (widescreen) monitor (not too big) - might be better to buy a TV based LCD and use this instead of a PC lcd monitor. dolby 5.1 etc capability all the usual TV card, video card, processor, good sized hard disk, suitable for photos, video , music, remote mouse and keyboard etc Basically a great all round media machine. HP do one but I hear it is rubbish. So I want to build my own but I dont know what stuff is the stuff to get. anyone know all the answers Ta Gary

im building one my self

buy a an mother board a fast amd prosesor
a dvd drive a tv card

put it togeather personaly i would get a grafix card with tv out.


i use http://myhtpc.net/ as a frount end to it.

if your handy with a soldering iron build one of thease www.heatseekerz.net/index.php?page=articles&id=4&pagenum=8

you can get the parts from www.rs-components.com/

[outlaw]

ps one thing im doing soon when i get the projector

is to build the pc for the movies and runing the projector in to a custom coffey table

with a small monitor under the glass top with the rest totaly hidden.

all my movies are stored on a cetral server on the net work not on the player pc

if you dont want to go that far this in a nice case

for a media pc epencive but nice you can get them in silver black or gold

www.kustompcs.co.uk/product.php?view=1215