I've seen this dilemma before and I have been reading discussions about it all over the internet but it seems I can't make up my mind, how many topics I am reading :)

Am I going to buy/build a HTPC or get me a mediastreamer? Am I going to place a bigger harddisk in my current NAS-device (a Synology 106 hidden in a closet) or will I replace it with a (windows) media server with a tv tunercard? In the current situation all my music is already on the NAS (I have a Squeezbox musicplayer to play it) and I would like do the same with movies or tv-programs.

The pros of a HTPC in the living room in combination with my current NAS:
-easy to upgrade (hardware and software)
-everything is in one device
-direct programming of the tv tunercard while sitting in the sofa and without having to use remote access from my laptop
-as a bonus you can surf the web en check your email

The pros of a mediastreamer-mediaserver pc combination:
-I can use the mediaserver for all sorts of server functions and for the latest version of Squeezecentre (the older version is now on my NAS)
-in my opinion it is easier to find a silent mediastreamer then getting a silent HTPC, an important factor I think
-mediastreamer is more or less an out-of-the-box solution, no fuss with codecs or drivers

Are my assumptions right? Are there people who had the same dilemma but (in the end ....) did make up there mind?

I was in this same scenario a few weeks ago..HTPC or streamer.

I decided on a HTPC. But I'm going to wait until High Def audio can be outputted by HDMI without down-mixing or transcoding in ANY way. If a movie has DTS-MA..I want to output as DTS-MA, not down-grade it to something else.

There are pretty quiet coolers out there, as well as quiet power supplies. But if you want something that is quiet/near silent, AND looks like it belongs with other audio equipment (an HTPC case), it will be double or triple the cost of a streamer like istarHD.

I've seen this dilemma before and I have been reading discussions about it all over the internet but it seems I can't make up my mind, how many topics I am reading :)

Am I going to buy/build a HTPC or get me a mediastreamer? Am I going to place a bigger harddisk in my current NAS-device (a Synology 106 hidden in a closet) or will I replace it with a (windows) media server with a tv tunercard? In the current situation all my music is already on the NAS (I have a Squeezbox musicplayer to play it) and I would like do the same with movies or tv-programs.

The pros of a HTPC in the living room in combination with my current NAS:
-easy to upgrade (hardware and software)
-everything is in one device
-direct programming of the tv tunercard while sitting in the sofa and without having to use remote access from my laptop
-as a bonus you can surf the web en check your email

The pros of a mediastreamer-mediaserver pc combination:
-I can use the mediaserver for all sorts of server functions and for the latest version of Squeezecentre (the older version is now on my NAS)
-in my opinion it is easier to find a silent mediastreamer then getting a silent HTPC, an important factor I think
-mediastreamer is more or less an out-of-the-box solution, no fuss with codecs or drivers

Are my assumptions right? Are there people who had the same dilemma but (in the end ....) did make up there mind?

Direct programming of the PVR, surfing the web etc can be achieved with at least some of the mediastreamer devices. The most obvious is any number of the Windows Media Center extenders but I see that SageTV now has a fanless HD-capable streamer for $199. There may be others.

I was thinking about the same choices, and I chose a media streamer. (A PopcornHour)

For me, an HTPC was going to be more expensive than I wanted, not get me much more in the way of capabilities, and looking at the threads over on the HTPC forum here, a nightmare to get working even if you don't roll your own unit.

I just did not want to mess with flakey drivers, codec juggling, or performance issues that seem to be pretty common with HTPC's. If you buy a pre-built one, it is WAAAYYY expensive if you want a quiet unit, and if you roll your own, you are stuck doing your own tech support if you find a problem.

I work in tech support all day long. The last thing I want to do when I get home is do it some more.

For what I want to do (nothing but play ripped copies of my DVDs), the PCH works great. Now, the server to serve those DVDs to the PCH was another matter entirely...

That is not to say the PCH does not have issues of its own, but it hasn't had any issues for me. I plugged it in, pointed it to my server, and I was good to go.

SirWired

I was thinking about the same choices, and I chose a media streamer. (A PopcornHour)

For me, an HTPC was going to be more expensive than I wanted, not get me much more in the way of capabilities, and looking at the threads over on the HTPC forum here, a nightmare to get working even if you don't roll your own unit.

I just did not want to mess with flakey drivers, codec juggling, or performance issues that seem to be pretty common with HTPC's. If you buy a pre-built one, it is WAAAYYY expensive if you want a quiet unit, and if you roll your own, you are stuck doing your own tech support if you find a problem.

I work in tech support all day long. The last thing I want to do when I get home is do it some more.

For what I want to do (nothing but play ripped copies of my DVDs), the PCH works great. Now, the server to serve those DVDs to the PCH was another matter entirely...

That is not to say the PCH does not have issues of its own, but it hasn't had any issues for me. I plugged it in, pointed it to my server, and I was good to go.

SirWired

If a mediaplayer comes without too much issues that would indeed be a plus. I don't know if it is gonna cost me less because when I'll buy me a mediastreamer I'll also have to buy me a server-pc with a tunercard.

About those issues: the main purpose for me is that I can play my own tuner-recorded stuff. I don't download too much difficult files or files with strange file-extensions. I suggest that wouldn't be too much of a problem?

HTPC usually costs a lot more than a mediastreamer.

A HTPC can play anything that a computer can play whereas mediastreamers like the popcorn hour will only play formats supported by its onboard video/audio decoder.

I like my popcorn hour, its good at serving a very specific purpose. For 200 dollars, there's no way I could build a good PC to do the same thing, especially with its size and power signature. However, it doesn't play every format that I have including rmvb's and its other features such as its ********** client is buggy whereas on a htpc you can run the same apps you are accustomed to running.

If you have the money I say go with a HTPC for its flexibility.

I'm going the media streamer route. The most important thing to me is design, how it fits into the living room and silent operation.

I started with the Apple TV but wasn't completely satisfied. I then bought an XBox 360 but was even more disappointed because of it's UI, noise, size and fugly power supply. I also wasn't able to copy content onto the XBox 360.

I'm back with the Apple TV and the 2.0 software updates but I have the new UI even more. I still prefer it over others I've seen. I am also strongly opposed to devices that use fugly power supplies or adapters. The Apple TV is a cord that goes straight to a 2-pronged outlet. No brick or big transformers. Very elegant.

I also like Apple TV because I am a Mac household and like the media management with iTunes. The Apple TV UI doesn't feel like a PC navigating files and folders. My biggest issue with the Apple TV is Apple's stubbornness to support other codecs like DivX (though I modded my Apple TV to play other formats).

I'm planning on getting a Synology NAS to store all my media.

I'm always open to suggestions for other media streamers to investigate.