Dell Precision M2400 Mobile Workstation notebook 
RRP: $3251.20
RRP: $3251.20
Wed, 15/04/2009 - 09:45
Media Centre advice needed!
Media Centre advice needed!
Hi,
Newbie chick here with only an average-ish knowledge of computers and home entertainment systems.
My TV/DVD/Video/Top box/Stereo system is getting very complex and, with the amount of remotes, is now reaching ridiculous proportions. I know how it all works (I set it up) but I cannot seem to explain it properly to my media-challenged other half and teenage kids. Either they are not interested or don't care...
Let's start with the basics. I just borrowed a temporary CRT TV from my folks because my old one developed lines across the top of the screen. I have a DVD/VCR combo and a cheapie SD top box attached to it. I also have a very old Pioneer amplifier and graphic equaliser (circa 1979 and the best damn system ever, bought 2nd hand at a garage sale) with two huge speakers attached for theatre-quality rumbly sound. :)
We have a smallish loungeroom and the main lounge is only 1-2 metres away from the TV.
The reason I'm on here is that we've been playing with the idea of getting a new TV. I've researched this and have decided on 81cm LCD with inbuilt HD tuner etc., worth under the grand mark. That would do away with the old CRT and the top box, reducing it to two remotes and simplifying everything.
Just yesterday I noticed that my DVD/VCR combo is now dying... well, only the DVD side of it (bring back the Betamax!). Anyhow I was discussing options with the other half who is an IT God for a living.
He suggested a media centre setup, rather than replacing the combo with a DVD Recorder (at my suggestion), but doesn't know enough about them to advise much further.
How do they work? How much do they cost? How do I set one up? Is it worth it? How do I get HD digital through it? How do I record effectively? How big do I need my HDD to be? Where do I start?
Or is it cheaper to go the DVD recorder and LCD TV and be on my merry way?
Any advice is appreciated.
Cheers,
grooviechickie
18%
14%
DVD Vs HTPC
A DVD recorder offers an almost-always simple and user-friendly way to watch media (most do TV, DVDs, AVI files from a flash drive...) since they're designed as an all-in-one solution. You can pick up a high-end DVD recorder (from Panasonic, for example - http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/review/home_entertainment/panasonic/dmr-xw...) for $1300 retail.
If you (or your IT god) is adept at putting PCs together, you could build a pretty powerful home theatre PC for a similar price to that. That's the easy part - it's a far more intensive process to put on the appropriate software (most likely Vista for its Media Centre component, though there are standalone alternatives such as Media Portal or Linux variants like Mythbuntu) and set it all up to work correctly.
I have a home theatre PC doing all the TV, video and music work for my apartment - connected to a mid-size LCD TV - and it's rarely working completely. They're certainly very finicky beasts! Unless you're prepared to spend a lot of time setting it up perfectly - or risking constant maintenance, like mine! - a DVDR may be a simpler option.
Hope I've helped!
- Cam
Cheers
Thanks for that, Cam. We're good at the PC hardware side of things, but if this system ends up being as fussy as our home computers, I might pass and go the DVDR option! :) It always seems like something is going wrong with one of the three...
Sony PS3
Sony PS3 is the best bang for your buck solution I think. It will play DVD's ( upscaled to 1080i) and Blu Ray in 1080P, as well as music CD's. It connects to your lovely new 81cm HDTV via HDMI for digital video and audio - 1 cable does it all. OR, if you want to use the Pioneer beast for audio, you can send audio to it via optical digital ( if the beast has a toslink input to accept it) Buy the optional bluetooth remote and you have one remote to run all your audio and visual needs. It also offers internet browsing (to be honest, you wont use it- its fiddly, but it does offer it) and of course full HD gaming if you want it. And finally, it will act as a media streamer for you. You can connect the PS3 to your home network via ethernet or wirelessly, and rather than investing in a new PC or Vista Media Centre software, you just install some very simple free software such as simplecenter, tell the software which drives you want it to share with your home network,and voila! You can then stream all your music, video and photos to the PS3, effortlessly. Its not perfect; it doesn't have a tv tuner, but your new TV will, or you can put a TV card into your existing PC and stream the saved data via simplecenter to your PS3- far cheaper than a whole new system... but its pretty damn good for around $600. Youd pay half that just for a quality new DVD player or entry level blu ray player and have no media streaming functionality. You'd pay more than $600 for a beefed up PC with media centre functionality.