Calling all hardware/configuration hackers

[studentbane]

Design exercise (semi-serious; planning HW upgrades for 6 month-1 year time frame -- probably phased).

echoweaver and I are considering upgrading our increasingly vintage video set up, aiming for a consolidated home theater-ish rig with a networked media server and game setup. Here are the design goals:

• Modern, flat-screen TV. Size appropriate for an

Comments

[ginko72]

Unfortunately, I have way more to say than I want to type. :)

Highlights:

If you intend to keep your (standard def?) TiVo, be sure to get a TV that has really good SD conversion built in or the picture will look like crap. It likely will anyhow necessitating the purchase of an HD TiVo, but you can do without if you go primarily torrent and media player.

There are many fine media players. Using the Mac as a server might work, but it will be left behind as the upcoming Snow Leopard version of OS X is Intel only. My _much_ cheaper Ubuntu quad/2.7GHz is doing a great job as server/video transcoder in a mixed/Mac environment. For ease of use, I recommend something like the Popcorn media player, or a PS3. I love my PS3 because it's an awesome BluRay and game machine. However, a dedicated media player plays a wider range of file types.

For the remote, I second the Harmony. I have the $150 version and it is _the_ best remote, hands down. And, if you go with the PS3, they have a IR -> Bluetooth converter for the Harmony that means you can control everything with it.

I guess that I can program my DVR over the internet since I can VNC back to my server and start torrents. Does that count?

We should really catch up over voice... The digital video problem is one that I've been beating on for a couple of years. :)

Cheers!

[studentbane]

Cool! Thanks for the advice!

Using the Mac as a server might work, but it will be left behind as the upcoming Snow Leopard version of OS X is Intel only

Do we care? What's wrong with just keeping it on Tiger (which is, I think, the most recent thing installed on it)? Its only job in life is going to be to serve files and function as a backup station. Plus, it has the distinct benefit that we already own it, which makes it much cheaper than an Ubuntu quad/2.7 GHz that we don't actually own. ;-)

We should really catch up over voice...

Absolutely! Well, I will probably be home and at loose ends this evening. If you're free, I can give you a call. (As long as you're willing to talk while I shlep boxes around.)