Today I caught some HardOCP headlines of interest and found my way to a press release from VIA pimping some new third-party cases that support the M10000 motherboard - their itty bitty integrated-ghetto-chip fanless board with DVD playback etc. etc.
So this gave me an idea: that's how I'll do my entertainment center. It'll be possible before long to build one of those boxes with a quality DVD drive for less than $500. Since the board has onboard MPEG2 decoding, it'd make a fine DVD/CD player with good sound output. Throw in a $75 PCI TV-tuner card and there's my TV access and a remote control for the system.
"But blake, why do all that when you could build it into your other system?"
It's too loud. When you're watching a DVD movie you don't want to be distracted by fan noise. So the media box will just sit on top of the gaming box and I'll be able to switch between Doom 3 (which will still be scary as hell several years from now on a projector) and movies without much trouble at all. So here's my solution if I were to build it today:
-Used LCD projector + screen (ebay) with analog VGA / RCA / S-Video inputs
-Gaming box - outputs analog VGA and PC 5.1 surround (function: PC gaming)
-Media box - outputs analog VGA or S-Video with PC 5.1 surround (function: DVD movies, CD/MP3 music, TV)
-Consoles - output RCA audio and S-Video (function: console gaming)
-PC 5.1 speakers (wireless) Assuming the gaming box and consoles are already in possession, then we're looking at $1000 for the projector and screen, $500 for the media box, and $300 for 5.1 speakers (this is in the future, don't forget) - $1800 for a complete home theater setup that moves easily from place to place. Compare that to someone else's setup: Big-screen TV/HDTV - $2500 [though prices will fall in the future]
Home Theater in a Box (DVD/CD player, receiver, speakers) - $1000 That tops out at $3500 for a setup that's much harder to use and a total bitch to wire. Not exactly something you can keep in an apartment. And you've got frustrated people who have no idea how to turn the whole system on because you've got more components. My mom now has almost no clue how to switch her system from TV to DVD and back. It's with this in mind that I'm going to build a woman-friendly theater system that kicks ass and doesn't bust my poor Lib Arts wallet.
It's too loud. When you're watching a DVD movie you don't want to be distracted by fan noise. So the media box will just sit on top of the gaming box and I'll be able to switch between Doom 3 (which will still be scary as hell several years from now on a projector) and movies without much trouble at all. So here's my solution if I were to build it today:
-Used LCD projector + screen (ebay) with analog VGA / RCA / S-Video inputs
-Gaming box - outputs analog VGA and PC 5.1 surround (function: PC gaming)
-Media box - outputs analog VGA or S-Video with PC 5.1 surround (function: DVD movies, CD/MP3 music, TV)
-Consoles - output RCA audio and S-Video (function: console gaming)
-PC 5.1 speakers (wireless) Assuming the gaming box and consoles are already in possession, then we're looking at $1000 for the projector and screen, $500 for the media box, and $300 for 5.1 speakers (this is in the future, don't forget) - $1800 for a complete home theater setup that moves easily from place to place. Compare that to someone else's setup: Big-screen TV/HDTV - $2500 [though prices will fall in the future]
Home Theater in a Box (DVD/CD player, receiver, speakers) - $1000 That tops out at $3500 for a setup that's much harder to use and a total bitch to wire. Not exactly something you can keep in an apartment. And you've got frustrated people who have no idea how to turn the whole system on because you've got more components. My mom now has almost no clue how to switch her system from TV to DVD and back. It's with this in mind that I'm going to build a woman-friendly theater system that kicks ass and doesn't bust my poor Lib Arts wallet.