finally, media center

my htpc (home theater pc, or media center) is finally finished for the most part. i like to call it my tv ipod. here's the specs:

amd sempron 3100+
asus k8n motherboard
corsair value 1 gig memory
samsung 250 gb sata 1.0 @ 7200rpm
evga nvidia 6800xt 128mb agp
antec overture 2
dvico fusion5 hdtv gold
lite-on dvd-rw
zalman 7700 alcu cpu heatsink/fan
arctic cooling nv silencer 5 r3
windows xp professional

i think it ends up to be around $900. i'm not too entirely happy with the case and motherboard i picked because it limited my other hardware options by a lot. the case ended up too short and i would've done much better with a pci-e motherboard instead of an agp.

i need to select which dvr/pvr software i want to use (not using windows media center) and whether or not i will install nvidia's purevideo decoder. i'll be connecting to the tv with dvi and the sound system by optical digital toslink. i might install a second hdtv tuner if i feel the need. the zalman and the nv silencer makes the system whisper quiet; i can hardly hear it which is freaking awesome.

so with this setup, i should get all the local stations in unmolested high def. when i say unmolested, i mean the signal is uncompressed and is in its full glory. usually, cable and satellite high def signals are digitally compressed before they are sent to your cable box so you're not getting the original quality. think of it as an original photo versus a gif or jpeg equivalent. so believe it or not, the free over-the-air hd signal is better than the hd signal you pay for.

i can record/skip/play shows like tivo. i get a full program guide. i can play dvds in 480p and 5.1 ac3. i can play divx/xvid/etc that i "download" from "places" on the "internet." and i won't have to pay comcast a dime.

i'll post pix soon.