[Doug Ravizza]

Well I am.

I really hate the idea of having a Windows box in my Home Theater but right now it's the only choice. Until Apple's DVD Player can pass DD/DTS via s/pdif, and there are video cards and software available to allow fine tuning of display resolution and refresh rates, Wintel is the only way to go .

An OSX HTPC would really be awesome though.

Doug

[SpeedRacer]

Originally posted by Doug Ravizza:
<STRONG>
An OSX HTPC would really be awesome though.
</STRONG>

Agreed, but as you mention, Apple has a long way to go before they can compete with the level of video cards, sound cards, drivers, and 3rd party support that the Wintel world has. Frankly i'm dreaming of hooking up a Radeon 8500 AIW to a high end 5.1 sound card to nice reciever and HDTV or projector. The ability to have TiVO-style scheduled recording of programs and they easily edit out the content you don't want before archiving on DVD is truly awesome.

Makes you wonder... have you seen Sony's MX series? This is where the digital hub is headed. It's a shame to see Apple (particularly SJ) so adament about keeping the computer separate from broadcast TV and radio devices. An interesting article on the degree to which Apple has retrenched against the home entertainment industry check out the following ZDNet article:
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-832650.html

Guess i'll be ditching the Cube for an AMD box sooner than i thought!


Speed

[Doug Ravizza]

SpeedRacer,

Thanks for the link to that article. It would really suck to go to the hassle of building and configuring a Wintel box, and then have Apple come out with the functionality necessary shortly thereafter. But I guess that's not likely to happen.

If you're seriously considering building a HTPC I would highly recommend spending some time reading the "Home Theater Computers" forum at AV Science, especially the "HTPC FAQ":
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...amp;forumid=26

Although their prices aren't always the best, digitalconnection.com has some pretty good stuff for sale with good tech support.

The avsforum is by far the best HT forum on the net.

I have just recently upgraded my display to a Sony VPH-G70Q and, the line doubler I have is hopelessly inadequate for the resolution of this pj. Its sweet spot is around 960p at 72Hz for film based material. The only way to get this type of scaling is either build a HTPC for $750 - $1000 or buy a $6K - $12K high end scaler. On my budget the choice is obvious. The major drawback of coarse is having to deal with Windblows.

Doug

[Doug Ravizza]

[ 03-10-2002: Message edited by: Doug Ravizza ]