clean slate HTPC setup (1 Viewer)

[snafu7x7]

I'm sure you guys get lots of requests of the "how do I setup my HTPC on computer xyz with blah blah blah" variety so hopefully this one will be a refreshing change for you.

I have the following home theater currently setup:

-46 inch Sony Bravia XBR-4 TV
-Integra DTR 7.8 AV Receiver
-5-1 Speakers are all matched Paradigm Studio Reference
-PS3 for the games and Blu-Ray

I currently have Directv DVR but I'm moving in a month so its a perfect opportunity to dump those losers and move to digital cable or (hopefully) FIOS if available. So now seems the perfect opportunity to move to a PC-based solution for my HD DVR. This is a clean slate, I have not purchased a computer, any hardware or software yet so hopefully I can really architect it well and hopefully you guys can help. I can provide any more details you need, but I figure I'll just leave it open and see what folks have to say. Thanks alot for the help!

Scott

 

[SethH]

The first question we probably need answered is: what are you planning to spend on this computer?

 

[snafu7x7]

I wont say price is no concern but its not high on my list of concerns.

Also I've been doing some research and it seems that if you want to receive digital cable on your PC, you need a certified OEM solution that uses the CableCARD technology to handle the decryption of the video, is this correct?

Furthermore, it seems that many cable providers have (or are in the process) of switching to SDV and this further causes problems for CableCARD devices that are not Tru2Way certified.

I swear, this crap is such a cat and mouse game with the cable providers its infuriating, if you ever got a company that was able to cut thru all the BS red tape they would put them ALL out of business in a year.

Anyway, enough ranting...my goal is to setup a massive repository (a TB if possible) for all my content and be able to access it as easily as possible so I'm looking for specifics on hardware and software (heard some good thinks about WMC on Vista, BeyondTV, SageTV, etc)

 

[snafu7x7]

well i wouldn't say money is completely not an issue but its not high on my list of concerns.

 

[Parker Clack]

Scott:

You may want to wait until Windows 7 comes out with a more enhanced version of Media Center. Another thing to look at is the HP Media Smart Server so you can easily archive your media in one box and access it from different PCs.

 

[walkerct]

http://www.cetoncorp.com/ProductsWMC.php