I bought a new laptop and needed a job for the 2-year old iMac Rev A it replaced, and I have always wanted to roll my own PVR... so the time was right.

- 17" iMac G5 Rev A (1.8 GHz/2GB RAM/OSX 10.3.9) w/ bluetooth keyboard, mouse
- Plextor PLV-402U USB tuner/encoder
- EyeTV 1.8.5 PVR Software
- 1TB Maxtor One Touch III Turbo External Archive Storage (RAID1)
- Generic 250GB (Firewire400, 7200RPM) External Burn/Edit Volume (RAID0)
- Onkyo TX-8222 50W Stereo Audio Receiver
- Sony SCD-CE595 5-CD changer
- Bose desktop speakers
- Bose ceiling mount speakers (2 zones)
- 802.11g Airport Extreme Network

It serves very well as a basic PVR... no fancy features in EyeTV like programming suggestions etc, but I like it that way. Since it's based on a desktop machine, I can also rip/edit/burn CDs, DVDs, and camera video. For zone music, I can play CDs on the Sony player or use the iTunes library. It's in a high traffic lounge adjacent to our kitchen, so aesthetics were important, too. When it's not in use as a TV or a computer, we hide the wireless keyboard and mouse, and the iPhoto screensaver option diplays family photos.

However, it's not without problems, and I'm hoping I can get some suggestions here.

Major Problem: Audio Jack causes iMac Kernel Panics
Durig integration I discovered that if the Audio Out jack on the iMac is fiddled with, even jiggled, the iMac goes into kernel panic. Dunno why, but clearly the audio driver doesn't like changes in hardware configuration.
Preferred Solution: I'm hoping to find a USB audio dongle that lets me split off audio to the desktop speakers and Onkyo amplifier in parallel, and I can avoid using the iMac analog audio out altogether.

Future Problem: Serving Content to Home Theatre room
Our main video setup, comfy couch, Surround Sound audio, etc. are all in another room across the house. I would like to be able to serve the EyeTV content, and any other content on the 1TB array, to the TV there.
Preferred Solution: It seems like the Mac Mini is the only platform that can access both EyeTV libraries and MacOSX file libraries on a shared volume over an Airport Network. There are two problems: 1) Airport 802.11g is not fast enough for HD content (I know - 802.11n airport announced yesterday), and 2) the Mac Mini would need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc., which is undesirable. The new "Apple TV" wants me to buy all my content at the iTunes Store - forget that. Are there any other client boxes out there that work with EyeTV libraries on a remote shared volume?

Minor Problem: Desktop Speakers are on Onkyo Tape Monitor composite outputs.
With only one analog output I was forced to use the Audio Amp to distribute sound back to the desktop speakers. This is inconvenient only in that it is extremly non-intuitive to other users in the household. Also, if I am listening to another audio source for zone music, I cannot hear audio from the Mac unless I unplug the cable from its audio out jack... which causes a kernel panic (see above).
Preferred Solution: USB audio dongle with both 1/8" Phono and RCA Composite outputs, same as above.

Minor Problem: Power Cord and Transformer Management
Jebus, how I did not anticipate this. Every component has 5' of power cord and a transformer. I am using most of an entire cabinet shelf to manage power cords, and 60Hz hum problems have crept up a couple times.
Preferred Solution: Universal DC Power Supply.