HTPC or Not?

Taltos

Hi all

just looking for some advice.

1st up - whether or not I really need an HTPC?
Current setup is

> Combo box for Saorview and Freeview
> TV sender sending Scart signal to 2 TVs.
> PC Upstairs with media on it running Tversity
> PS3 downstairs - gaming / bluray / streamed TV shows / Netflix etc
> 360 downstairs - gaming only

So assuming an HTPC would be a good fit.
Do I go with
> pre-made like the ASROCK core i5 on Komplett - would love the Vision but not seeing it anywhere at a reasonable price.
> configure my own, ASROCK A75M with an SSD (128G); 8gig RAM and Windows 7 - all in brings me very close in price to the Core i5 above.

However on neither of these do I see a TV tuner or satellite feed - new to all of this so unsure what I would need or what would work.
Would also have to consider putting the HTPC where the current Combo box is or just use it for media and emulation.

So - am I crazy or should I leave alone for a while and wait for SSD prices to drop further?

tipperary

Taltos wrote: »

Hi all

just looking for some advice.

1st up - whether or not I really need an HTPC?
Current setup is

> Combo box for Saorview and Freeview
> TV sender sending Scart signal to 2 TVs.
> PC Upstairs with media on it running Tversity
> PS3 downstairs - gaming / bluray / streamed TV shows / Netflix etc
> 360 downstairs - gaming only

So assuming an HTPC would be a good fit.
Do I go with
> pre-made like the ASROCK core i5 on Komplett - would love the Vision but not seeing it anywhere at a reasonable price.
> configure my own, ASROCK A75M with an SSD (128G); 8gig RAM and Windows 7 - all in brings me very close in price to the Core i5 above.

However on neither of these do I see a TV tuner or satellite feed - new to all of this so unsure what I would need or what would work.
Would also have to consider putting the HTPC where the current Combo box is or just use it for media and emulation.

So - am I crazy or should I leave alone for a while and wait for SSD prices to drop further?

I took the plunge with a HTPC about a year ago, delighted with decision. At first I built it as a media player only. I then bought a tuner, and have since sold my freesat box. It would be worth it with a combo dual tuner. At this stage I have a blackgold 3595 (dual terrestial and dual sat tuners) and a separate dual sat tuner. I also have an xbox set up as an extender. Overall the system works much better than combo boxes, freesat etc as you have an integrated 7/14 day epg, series links, etc. With media browser added you also got a pretty decent interface for searching your movie/tv series.

It takes a bit of work to get it all set up, but worth it in my opinion.

I would recommend building yourself rather than buying pre-built. Before building I would suggest posting on the pc building and upgrading thread for advice.

Taltos

Thanks - will take some time browsing that site, building a list of suggested builds and a list of software to make this worthwhile.
Never thought of using the Xbox as an extender - but now that you say it sounds totally natural.

Thanks again
T