Evening All,
The more I research, the more information I'm presented with and the more confused I get. I have found some great information on these boards and have a refurb Harmony 890 in the mail from Amazon (after help here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1155713)). I started taking on my home theater project after realizing my wife would never learn the complexities of manually switching things with multiple remotes. I then started to dig deeper into some issues I'd like to resolve. I have included a diagram of my setup below in this post. I have received some great help in my first post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16647803#post16647803) and it may provide some additional insight I miss in this post.

So now that I'm getting some ease of use once I'm done setting up the universal remote I'm on to bettering the functionality of my current setup.

I currently have quite an MP3 collection stored on my Linkstation Live (HS-DS500GL). I am looking for a way to add different firmware to it (FreeLink, Stevie Wonder's FW, something else???) to allow the Linkstation to download torrents. The only other requirment I can think of is that it needs to be able to stream to whatever device attaches to my TV. This topic might be a bit specific for these forums but thought I would throw it out in case someone has set up their Linkstation in a way that would suit my needs and has some advice. I've been researching http://forum.buffalo.nas-central.org like crazy which is probably compounding my confusion around streamers.

I'm not extremely picky about audio and video quality and don't have any DVDs I wish to store in full format to stream later. I usually just download a fairly decent version of a movie through a torrent client, hook up my laptop to the TV and receiver and watch it. If there were a way to set up some torrents on my Linkstation, let them download and once done, view them via streamer on my TV without needing to hook up my laptop. Like I said, I also have a large audio collection that I never really listen to since it just sits on my Linkstation. I update my ipod from it and that's about where it ends. I also like using Pandora at work and know that listening to Winamp, etc. streams would be a plus as well.

I've read about Popcorn Hour, PS3, Xbox, etc. and not sure where to land. I'm hesitant to go with a gaming console since I don't have interest in playing video games and having it in the house could make me start getting in to it. If I do that, I won't have time to work on my HT :). I also figure there are some other features I may not be considering that a streamer that was built as a streamer first would provide over a gaming console.

I considered a HTPC but I think it might be a bit overkill for what I need. I also know it's more stuff to fiddle with and while the flexibility would be nice I'm sure I would spend lots of time trying to get everything perfect since I tend to fiddle a lot once I get started on something. I would love to try out MythTV but I know my wife would be upset with learning a new interface for recording "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?"

I'd really appreciate any recommendations or questions that I should consider before making this decision. I'm just looking for a way to simplify watching and listening to media that is currently hidden or cumbersome to get to.

Thanks a ton!

http://alpine9.net/ftpcatfish/ht2.jpg

I have a Linkstation Live and am using it to serve my Video and Audio.

From the 250gb version I think you have the v2 of the model. I have the 1TB version of this and you can flash it with StevieWonder FW. It has a torrent client built in and a media server built in. After flashing with the SW firmware, you just type in your Linkstation IP:8081 in your browser and the Torrent software shoudl show up on the webpage. You then click the torrent you want to add and click upload. The Buffalo will download it but you will have to rar the files together yourself before watching.

As for the media server, StevieWonder has incorporated Twonky media server in it. It is really nice. You go to your browser, type in 'Linkstation IP:9000' and the Twonky page should come up. From here you can configure which video and audio folder you want to share and how often to refresh those folders( lets the new stuff you put on to be seen). Twonky is nice, it serves my media to a few of my devices, Xbox 360, WDTV with ext-boot3 firmware, and my Egreat M34a streamer. Twonky is a great server.

I these connected thru a few wireless bridges running DD-WRT. I am able to stream 720p HD content wirelessly thru this setup.

Thanks so much for the quick reply!

From the 250gb version I think you have the v2 of the model.
This is correct. I have the v2 model. I will most likely install the StevieWonder FW this evening. As long as I follow the procedure correctly, I shouldn't need to move my files back over, they should stay in tact, correct?

The Buffalo will download it but you will have to rar the files together yourself before watching.
Why do I need to rar the files together before watching? The files I download are usually in avi form (sometimes I need to unrar before watching).

Twonky is nice, it serves my media to a few of my devices, Xbox 360, WDTV with ext-boot3 firmware, and my Egreat M34a streamer.
Do you have any recommendations on which one is best for your needs? I'm trying to figure out which streamer might work best for me.

I these connected thru a few wireless bridges running DD-WRT.
I have DD-WRT running on my Linksys as well. It's the nicest FW I've ever used on a device and upped the reliability of my AP. I have never needed to reboot the device since installing the FW over a year ago.

Thanks again for the help and really appreciate all insight into which streamer might be up my alley. I was thinking through it and my requirements would be (in order):
1. ability to stream media (basic media video and audio) from my Linkstation (most likely wirelessly but could probably get it wired)
2. need to be able to manage with my shiny new Harmony 890 (if possible)
3. ability to play music without needing my TV on - I know this is a big deal for many streamers.
4. play online streaming audio and possibly video.
5. maybe have a Blu Ray player so I can get additional functionality and get rid of my old DVD player

Thanks again to all!