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[h3dge]

I am seriously thinking about putting together an Entertainment PC.  I would like this PC to do the following things:

1.  Play music (using media jukebox)
2.  Play DVDs
3.  Play Video Game (through mame)
4.  Automatically rip any cd put into the first CD Rom
5.  Autoplay any CD put in the second CD/DVD Rom
6.  Controlled by IR remote
7.  Tivo like PVR functionality
8.  Web browsing
9.  TV Out

Anyone done anything like this?  Any suggestions/ideas for software, hardware, interface, etc?

-h3dge

[JimH]

h3dge,
I hooked up a similar machine at home a couple weeks ago and then described it in this thread:

http://www.musicex.com/cgi-bin/interact/NeoBoard.pl?Action=ShowPost&Board=inter&Post=7976&BoardIdle=7&SortingBy=0&BoardOrder=Descend&Page=4&UserSession=

Also, there is a very active forum on HTPC (Home Theater PC) here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=26 (though the projects described can sometimes get to be overly complicated).

I chose to use a wireless keyboard and mouse instead of a remote, but a lot of people use Girder, IRMan, and their favorite remote.

[SeanC]

I love the idea of doing this, but it seems like an expensive way to get MP3s onto my stereo system.  I already have a PSX2 and a DVD player, so the main benefit would be getting access to my MP3 collection on the stereo.  The Turtle Beach Audiotron seems like a simpler way to do this than setting up a whole PC...

[SeanC]

And one more thing:  it seems hard enough to keep my notebook and home PC working reliably without adding ANOTHER computer into the mix.  

I don't think MS provides a stable-enough platform that I would consider it appliance-level reliability.  It is for this reason that I don't get into the CellPhone/PDA combo units - my PDA crashed all the time - the last thing I need is a cell-phone that crashes daily!

I really like the fact that my home theatre doesn't crash, require driver upgrades, etc, etc.

[JimH]

But can you surf during commercials?  

[Michael Horton]

>>>>>>>>>>>>seems like an expensive way to get MP3s onto my stereo system

it seems like, without exception, everyone who has done this and posted on the topic has said that the best way to demonstrate the inherent weakness in sound quality of an MP3 is to play one on a good quality stereo system

if you wind up going his route--let us know how it works out

i'm curious--i don't currently have a stereo system other than my pc

michael

[cjdshaw]

I'm running one these babies ( http://www.shuttleonline.com/sv24.htm ) with an IRMan and MJ plugged into my TV.
It's got most things you need on board: quite decent video, sound, network, firewire, TV-out and in a very neat package. I get very few crashes with W2K, and it does everything you mention, except automatic CD-ripping, which I'm sure the J River guys agree would be a nice option. For PVR functions, you'll want something like a Hauppauge TV card combined with Showshifter.

[JimH]

cjdshaw,
> it does everything you mention, except automatic CD-ripping, which I'm sure the J River guys agree would be a nice option

We do agree.  We will improve this area.

[SeanC]

THe Home Theater Forum (one of the best forums on the internet, after Interact) has lots of useful info on this, too, and seems more 'practical' than the avsforums...

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=13