Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Aug 13, 2007 11:09 am I am looking to integrate all my "media" into one Home Theatre PC - ie - music, video, dvd, digital TV etc..
I have some components from a PC but am looking for a nice cheap, sleek looking case to house my new HTPC in.. I have seen some nice Thermaltake ones but they are quite pricey.. I guess the main requirements are to fit a DVD burner, TV tuner, wireless card and an IR panel on the front to use remote.. Any suggestions would be appreciated - I haven't specified a budget as I really dont know what I should be spending for this.. Brand is not an issue... Re: Home Theatre PC - What case??? 2Aug 13, 2007 1:45 pm Hi McReidy.
I'm running a Silverstone LC16M in black. It comes with the iMon remote and it's IR Receiver built into it's VFD on the front of the case. A little over a year ago this set me back AU$342. I think it looks sick next to my two Marantz components, but that is my opinion. Have you been to www.xpmediacentre.com.au ? Re: Home Theatre PC - What case??? 3Aug 13, 2007 7:18 pm Is it cost effective Rodda.?
I had a mate who built a PC based PVR 3 years ago and he said next time he'd go buy the items as set top boxes - which would have cost him half the cost of his dual video cards and worked heaps better. Was he just too bleeding edge (So leading that it hurts) Mind you his on-screen internet updated programing and recording features are pretty neat - if your into telly that much. Steve Re: Home Theatre PC - What case??? 5Aug 14, 2007 7:29 am In my opinion, running a Media Centre PC is for the PC savvy only! You can do many more things with a Media Centre PC than with a regular PVR, but being PC (and more to the point, Windows) based means they can play up a bit and will always require some tinkering to keep them running well.
And don't forget the all important WAF - Wife Acceptance Factor. The PC can run perfectly for 6 months straight (usually the wife has become comfortable with the idea of a PC being involved in regular TV viewing by this point, and actually appreciates the convenience it adds), but if just once it fails to do something, like not record an episode of one or 'her' shows, then your WAF score falls through the floor. If you are not the type of person who enjoys (or even can) tinkering with/configuring/fixing PCs, then you should seriously consider not getting a Media Centre PC and go with a reliable, off-the-shelf PVR (you should still get one with 2 HD tuners though). P.S. In case you were wondering, I have over 13 years professional IT experience and have played with PCs since I was 10. Re: Home Theatre PC - What case??? 6Aug 14, 2007 4:04 pm Thanks for that info Rodda..
I know what you mean re the WAF - I am in the midst of trying to convince mine that it is a good thing to have only 1 unsightly device in the loungeroom instead of 4 or 5!!! I too have been in the IT industry for some years and am confident in building and maintaining my HTPC - just want to get it right (at the right price too Re: Home Theatre PC - What case??? 7Aug 14, 2007 4:37 pm We use a huge black monster of a thing (don't know the brand but I do know it has heaps of fans because it's noisy as a noisy thing)...it runs MythTV & stores our movies, music, etc.
Hubby wants to move it out to the garage with the servers & just have a control panel in the lounge. We did this in our old house & it worked well. It blends in with the stereo, etc & eliminates the noise associated with running a computer in the same room. I have to admit...I love MythTV. It has heaps of features I really like (so I guess the WAF is pretty high...lol) & we never watch live telly any more. And because ours is Linux based, it doesn't crash as often as a windows-based program. We also have 4 tuners - the more the merrier! (& yes, they have been used all at the same time on several occaisons). Re: Home Theatre PC - What case??? 8Sep 16, 2007 10:52 pm WAF - I like that! We need to consider this on almost everything, starting from $... We already paid for somfy motors for the blinds. The quote above was purely for “pre-wiring” so the blinds company can install the motors and blinds. That’s why we… 5 16252 From what I know about water tanks (I've been working with a client on them for a few years now) is this - The concrete can last a lifetime if they don't crack for some… 2 10620 go upvc window frames ensure insulation under colorbond. not just sarking, lighter color roof also not sure if you have seen this viewtopic.php?t=5823 last couple of pages… 4 110524 |