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Ok, 'home theater' might be a bit of an exaggeration, but we're planning on getting a TV, and I'm looking for some feedback on my plan for how to set it up.

For the space we want to put it in, 42"-46" is the ideal size, and I've decided that 720p makes the most sense given the screen size and viewing distance (~11'). We're not planning on getting cable or satellite or anything like that and instead I'm just going to get an antenna for OTA HD content (we're in the Boston area, so there's no shortage of that). Most of the shows we want to watch are on broadcast anyway, and the ones that aren't are on premium channels so it doesn't make much sense to pay for all the basic channels that we'll already have as well especially when we can get the shows we want through iTunes.

Hardware wise, I think the Ölevia 342i is the best value for us. It's a 42" 720p HD ready screen. It has no built-in tuner, but that's ok, because I plan on using an HDHomeRun in combination with ElGato's EyeTV. Originally I was thinking about buying/building a MythTV box to then get the picture to the screen, but it then discovered that a Mac Mini with EyeTV is only slightly more expensive and a whole hell of a lot easier. However now I'm thinking that maybe I'll run EyeTV on my iMac (C2D) and use an Apple TV to get the content to the TV. This would seem to have the advantages of a) leaving a free license to run EyeTV on my MacBook so I can also watch recorded content there (of course I could also watch live TV there with VLC thanks to the HDHomeRun), b) having a better on-screen interface for the TV, and c) saving a bunch of money.

So the questions I have are really about usability. If I have EyeTV running on my iMac, will I be able to access live content via the Apple TV or only the recorded stuff? Is this going to be a reasonable setup, or are there better ways that I can accomplish the same goals? Getting a little more technical, would it be unreasonable, given this set up, for my media to be stored on a separate server connected to my iMac (and/or Mini) over 802.11n?

After doing a little more research, it sounds like there isn't any way that I'd be able to watch live tv if I was using the Apple TV. So I guess it's got to be the Mini, unless someone can recommend a better solution? My biggest problem with the Mini is that the onscreen interface won't be as good. Unless there's some way to integrate EyeTV into Front Row?

May I recommend an Apple TV and a TiVo HD?
The quality of cheap computer-based DVRs usually leaves much to be desired.

I wouldn't get any HDTV that doesn't support full 1920x1080 resolution. Your 720p TV has to downsample any 1080 signal resulting in a loss of information.

There's nothing wrong with 1080 on a 42".

What movies are going to play in this home theater?

I wouldn't go with a cheapo Olevia.

I have seen those, I think, at macmall.

Better wait and get a good unit.

Better get a good quality unit with less resolution. For movies a plasma screen would be best, and of those Panasonics are great.

There's very few 1080p signals out there though... Broadcast TV, which is mostly what we'll be watching, is only 720p at the most.

If we get a game system it will be a Wii, so again, no need for 1080p.

I suppose there's the very remote chance that we'll decide to get a 360 or a PS3, but I seriously doubt it, and I have no plans to get a Blu-ray player (though if I was going to I'd probably get a PS3).

I've really heard nothing but good things about Olevia from people who own their TVs. They were originally a parts manufacturing company that sold LCD screens to the bigger brands and decided to cut out the middle man and start selling their own TVs as well, so it's not as though their hardware is significantly lower quality that what you'd get otherwise.

Not that many, but those that we do watch will probably be off DVDs.

I second the suggestion of using the TiVo HD. It is true that you have to pay a monthly subscription (or buy one when TiVo is offering their lifetime subscription plan, which still costs a grundle), but the system is genuinely user-friendly and expandable. Note that this isn't the super-expensive TiVo Series 3 -- that thing is for enthusiasts. The TiVo HD is affordable.

Some things that I like about mine:

• I can listen to internet music through Live365
• I can download BSG episodes from Amazon the day after they show up on TV (and same is true for most other programs)
• The remote allows a 30-second skip (thank god!)
• Searching for programs and programming the DVR can be done through the web

I totally understand the desire to go with a computer-based DVR system, but honestly, they're just complicated enough to be annoying and time-consuming. TiVo's worth it, I think.

The biggest advantage, to me, of using the EyeTV instead of a TiVo is that not only will I be able to watch stuff on the TV, but I'll be able to watch it on my computer in a windows while I'm working, or on my laptop in bed without missing a beat. I'll also be able to easily transfer recorded content to my iPhone if I'm traveling.

This is true. TiVo offers this through a software package called TiVoToGo or something like that. Last I heard, this software had been disabled with TiVo HD. Bear in mind, however, that transfer times take forever. Standard definition would take forty minutes to transfer a half-hour program on TiVoToGo for me. High-def could take forEVER. Not exactly the sort of thing that you'd do on a whim to watch Venture Bros in bed. More like the sort of thing you'd transfer overnight to watch on the plane the next day.

I just set up a 802.11n network in my home so that I can watch HD content without having to copy the file over.

In the past I've just used FireWire to transfer movies from my iMac to my MacBook at acceptable speeds (hooray for IP over FW!), before taking it into the bedroom to watch movies in bed.

NBC and CBS broadcast in 1080i.

ABC, FOX and ESPN are 720p.

So you're statement is not accurate.

Interesting, I was not aware of that.

I wasn't aware of that either. I think you're setup sounds good enough for me. Although I would want cable, I love to watch the Discovery Channel

Yeah, there's a few non-broadcast channels I wouldn't mind having (Discovery, Showtime, HBO, and Setanta), but I just don't see it being worth the money for just those.

PyeTV is a Leopard Front Row plug in for EyeTV - pyetv - Google Code

Awesome! Thanks.

Well, my HDHomeRun came in the mail the other day along with the EyeTV software. So far, I've got to say I'm loving it. I'm using it right now with a cheap Radio Shack antenna which gets good, but not great reception, but even still I was able to watch Law & Order last night on my MacBook live in HD which was pretty awesome (and who knew that BIlly Chenowith was a detective now!). Tonight we'll be testing out the recording for the first time with Grey's Anatomy and then Lost. So far so good, and I think that with a better antenna the experience will be much better; we're getting some choppiness, especially during the day and on farther away stations, which is annoying.

At this point I'm pretty confident that a Mini hooked up to the tv with EyeTV (and PyeTV which I haven't played with yet) will do a very good job of meeting our needs.