Cheapo Entertainment system compy.

[Perfection]

DUDES!

I got an HD tv, but all it's hooked up to now is crappy analog cable that I get for free. I wanna get some HD signals to that doohicky.

I'm thinking like what sort of PC would be good for that?
I like:
Nice case that would look non crappy sitting on my TV stand.
Cheap
Minimal customization
Actually does the job of playing high def stuff.

What's a good choice?

 

[Aramazd]

Probably would be best to pick up an xbox360 or Roku player (or PS3 if you want Blu Ray).

You also could drop some money on an antenna and pick up HD over the air if you live in an area with good reception.

A PC might be pretty expensive.

 

[Perfection]

Probably would be best to pick up an xbox360 or Roku player (or PS3 if you want Blu Ray).

The format of my entertainment makes a personal computer necessary.

You also could drop some money on an antenna and pick up HD over the air if you live in an area with good reception.

I have one, there's not much I care to watch on it.

A PC might be pretty expensive.

I should think I'd be able to get something that does the job in the mid hundreds. Is that unreasonable?

 

[Aramazd]

I should think I'd be able to get something that does the job in the mid hundreds. Is that unreasonable?

The Mac Mini is quiet and small, well suited for your task, but maybe a bit pricey at $600 base.

The Dell Studio Hybrid has Windows and is a bit cheaper at $500, the graphics are weaker, but they should do HD. A $30 upgrade to Home Premium gives you Windows Media Center, which is good for use on the couch.

If you can wait a while, you could pick up an Ion nettop when they are released. The Acer Aspire Revo looks good, but you can't buy it yet. Current nettops with intel graphics can't do HD.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

if you dont mind something a bit clunkier, you can easily pick up a mATX mobo, a low-power intel or AMD cpu and a 9500GT, which should do HD just fine. And the ocst overall would be somewhere around 400$

 

[lndm]

crappy analog cable that I get for free. I wanna get some HD signals to that doohicky.

OK, don't knock the cable because it is capable of delivering better than HD sound. Your biggest let down in that chain is the electronics around the cable (usually not that bad in most peoples opinion). The thing is that where you have ears and speakers, you will have analogue electronics somewhere. Using an HD signal simply delays the inevitable to a later stage in the chain of appliances.

My concern would be: are the analogue electronics in the computer any better than in the TV? and I wouldn't be so sure.

 

[GoodGame]

Probably would be best to pick up an xbox360 or Roku player (or PS3 if you want Blu Ray).

You also could drop some money on an antenna and pick up HD over the air if you live in an area with good reception.

A PC might be pretty expensive.

If not that, probably look at something like a small form factor kit, like a Shuttle brand, though one might build something to emulate a Shuttle as well.

E.g. Something like this. Though the prices Shuttle wants these days for home theater PCs turns me off.

 

[Perfection]

Update: I've been distracted from this project but I'm now ready to reengage. These Mac Minis look pretty spiffy and have gone down in price. I am wondering if they will work well with whatever the hell format my various USB drives are, and how well it will do HD. Also, would USB High Speed be sufficient bandwidth to steam HD video off of, or do I need to get something with eSATA?

OK, don't knock the cable because it is capable of delivering better than HD sound. Your biggest let down in that chain is the electronics around the cable (usually not that bad in most peoples opinion). The thing is that where you have ears and speakers, you will have analogue electronics somewhere. Using an HD signal simply delays the inevitable to a later stage in the chain of appliances.

My concern would be: are the analogue electronics in the computer any better than in the TV? and I wouldn't be so sure.

Well, I'm more concerned about Video quality then audio. But on a related note, what might be a good speaker system to set up? I'm not a a major audiophile, but getting a decent surround sound system might be pretty cool.

 

[lndm]

...what might be a good speaker system to set up? I'm not a a major audiophile, but getting a decent surround sound system might be pretty cool.

OK, a few points. The speakers will be the weaker link in the chain and this is where you should place a significant portion of your sound budget.

The quality of the speakers is more important than the number of speakers, (simply making a point here). In a home theatre environment, I prefer to have each speaker unit producing the full midrange and as much of the bass as possible. In other words, no fist sized speakers with a sub to make up the lower end.... each speaker should be able to hold its own and the sub should only be necessary for the 'feel' of it (ie, the thuds/kicks etc.)

I would suggest an appropriate stand-alone amp. Be wary of amps that are overly complicated to operate and avoid amp/speaker package deals.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

What lndm said. The human ear is surprisingly sensitive, and if you have tiny tweeters and a single sub, you may be able to tell that the sound is coming from different areas -- easily ruins an otherwise great experience.

Check out Polk speakers, as they're pretty good and also go on sale on newegg once in a while.
EDIT -- like these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290124

-----------------------------
Now, for the HTPC -- do you already have a desktop with sufficient storage, and do you have an ethernet network? If you have both, you might actually be able to get away with having a thin client hooked up to the tv that streams files off your desktop. My laptop sort of serves that function right now, streaming movies from my desktop. They may take a bit longer to start up, but its better than setting up a new dedicated machine with lots of storage.

Otherwise, you're gonna either need to get something like a media player, which range in price, but are essentially external HDD's with video outputs.

 

[Perfection]

Your sound solutions sound expensive. I need quality and cheapness.

 

[lndm]

Then get yourself some quality used stereo speakers and HiFi stereo amp. If you get large speakers you may avoid the need for a sub. The only advantage of the sub anyway is so the other speakers can be undersized. Furthermore if you stick with stereo you'll avoid mismatching with speakers that have a different character of sound. BTW in HiFi, old does not mean bad.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Your sound solutions sound expensive. I need quality and cheapness.

Okay, how cheap?

 

[Perfection]

I dunno, $300 for the whole thing?

 

[Genocidicbunny]

300$ for HTPC and sound system? Well, good luck.
The htpc is going to run, even barebone-able-to-play-1080p, 400$. The sound system another 100$.

 

[Perfection]

no 300 for the sound. (whole thing is the entire sound system)

 

[Genocidicbunny]

Yeah, so the speakers I linked to, when they were on sale, were 50$. A pair of those, a nice amp and a sub and you're going to be under 300$ easy.

 

[GoodGame]

I'd check out M-Audio, though they aren't necessarily cheap: http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.filter&ID=speakers

Their 'low end' are some desktop speakers called the AV series, AV-20, AV-30, and AV-40. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836127004

I've had a pair of AV20s for 9 months, and I like them much.

 

[Perfection]

Okay! Time to reengage on this project!

So as before I've decided that a PC will need to purchased/built for this purpose.

My big priorities are getting a system put into place that is relatively compact, quiet, and upgradeable probably using a mini-atx case.

The system must have or be upgradeable to a good sound system and Blu-Ray.

What sort of hardware do I need to ensure adequate performance for such activities as video streaming (hulu and the like) and playing Blu-Ray?

 

[Integral]

Would an Acer Aspire Revo suit your needs?
Plays 1080p. Costs $200.