HTPC Golden Age? Reducing Component Count

A few years ago I chucked my CD player after I stored my purchased 30,000 songs on a 750G drive.
Last year I chucked my stand-alone DVD player as I stored my purchased 500 DVDs on a 3TB of storage.
I got tired of the of cable commercials and ratings based techniques (masquerading as news) and chucked the cable box.
Now I've just chucked the stand-alone Blu-ray player!

In return I've just succeeded in reduced my source component count to one!

Now I use a small, quiet, low-power High Definition HTPC system consisting of a Gateway SX2840 Intel i3 upgraded with an internal blu-ray player, and a ATI HD5770 video card. A separate HDHomeRun dual tuner integrated with Windows Media Center 7 streams video to any PC in the house. WMC 7 is also a subscription free DVR. Disc playback is with Power Dvd 10 Ultra 3D combined with the ATI GPU solution, which I find superior to any stand-alone player ( I own the Oppo too). Add in a wireless keyboard/mouse and a hand-held WMC remote and you are good to go!

The bottom line is the component count has been reduced to just one. No need to even switch between HDMI sources anymore. Free unlimited Internet access with no dependencies waiting upon (the short-comings and control) any one company.

A vision become reality!

The Intel built-in HD chipset stumbles badly with integration of the HDMI video and audio. While one pc monitor and dvd playback may be adequete, having a two 1080p displays and Blu-ray is simply asking too much.

I already have essential Internet access so dropping all those subscriptions and proprietary gear saves $$$. Everyone needs to ask why are they paying for saturation levels of commercials? It must be conditioning?

I've tried HTPC many times in the past with mediocre success. (There has been much misery in this forum too).
But now each of the hardware and software components mentioned have reached the maturity point to where they are ready for general public use.

Again one small, quiet, low-power yet powerful High Definition HTPC is all you need. I also have a Acer 3610 nettop which (is not powerful) is fine for a dual HDTV DVR. But it is not well suited for Blu-ray image processing or even crappy VHS Hulu.

It was expected that advertising this low-cost fuss-free configuration will lead to controversy, as it eliminates them from the food chain. I'm not claiming to be Al Gore (but I like massages too!), but simply noting the high degree of integration realized.

The consumer vs industry war still goes on as Gateway already removed already removed several features (eSata, SPD/IF and memory) from the nicely equipped SX2840 and replaced it with the 2850. Too much of a good thing?

Then Power Dvd automatically intalls to connect you to the Internet for advertising too. Further Blu-ray Live is just advertising as the excellent article in Home Theater Magazine documents.

The point of this thread is consumers can finally use DIGITAL technology to improve their lifestyle by regaining control of time, budget, convience and be of clearer mind. Hopfully the established publications will pick up on these posts!

You would be surprised how many industry pundits are around here and place like Amazon. Do you know why TIVO is no longer being hosted at AVS? Was the steering too much? Did they attempt to make fun when members objected?
I may state the obvious (to you) but I choose not to over-read the forums as it’s way too inefficient. Really all 95% of the people are interested in is quickly assembling a HTPC that works. My brief points are clear and concise unlike these nasty guides or threads which spew-on to no end.

I’ve set up a disturbed network in my new house. None of the new home- owners have done that. Funny there is just now the beginnings of overdue move away from HDMI to cat 5e, which I just paid to run to every room in my new house. Have you discussed that too dude or will you let others speak?
As an example of the war, AT&T comes to connect my new house for Internet usage. I give the technician a RJ-45 coupler to wire the outside box to one room. Instead he clip’s four of the eight wires off of every room’s cable and put them in parallel with the junction box outside.
AT&T did this because they want me to use their inferior legacy router and inferior wireless and not have my own Gigabit network to be able to stream HDTV. They don’t even sell just a modem so I have to pay for features I don’t use. Worse I had to pay $149 for the crummy installation (plus 25% fees and surcharges) as they have a monopoly in the neighborhood.
Now I come here and a few people single out my Internet usage. Again the incremental cost is zero as I conduct business online. AT&T recently raised their rates 40% for consumers that just get the Internet because they just know we will be streaming video “for free”. You may not realize this but we will be able to watch HDTV from most countries throughout the world. I’m ready, but of course you thought of it 5 years ago

So in the end I do pay more for Internet usage, but not for overly simplistic reasons given.

Now excuse me while I go spend five years reading the 20 guides up at the top of this forum. Only then will I be up to speed!

Unlike most smart phones plans, home Internet plans do not charge by how much data you use. That is, the incremental cost of Internet access is zero. The logical trend is to watch more programming “for free” on the Internet, without subscribing using a proprietary box in each room. However, AT&T realizes this and raised Internet rates greatly.
Almost every H/W and media company is against this freedom: they even want to remove the public OTA broadcast spectrum and make it subscription based. They even feature sub-standard Internet services through the new gear. The push is to keep consumers upgrading gear and subscriptions. Who’s tired of all those wall-warts?
The savvy consumer should try to reduce their component count to the ideal: That is just one largely upgrade proof component. This implication should have enormous effects, both good and bad.
The low power, quiet small footprint Intel i3 system does it all! It does not need to be upgraded for all any High Definition sources. I just ran the PowerDvd Blu-ray advisor and everything passes ok, even for 3D (glasses and display are extra however).
The very latest Mark II version of Power DVD 10 makes watching Wings of Migration a lot like 3D with great depth, sharpness and clarity. It’s a nice 120” virtual window using a JVC projector.
Why are small footprint Intel i3 system hard to purchase? Stores don’t even carry them (Fry’s being the exception). Consumer Reports rates the Gateway i3 SX2840 and the similar Dell 580s(?) tops yet they are not generally available at Best Buy, HP or clubs. Why? The answer is because they are too good of a value. Best Buy says it’s because they are too new a product. Yet you guys claim this all five years ago…
Imagine what would occur if people did not need to constantly purchase new computers and HDTV gear? Is this why the new 2010 HDTVs have actually regressed in performance from 2009 models? Is this why AT&T wires consumers houses with half duplex/speed Ethernet and legacy Wireless G? Just how stupid are average consumers? As someone else pointed out, why is this forum so top heavy with legacy clutter?
Does our economic engine require that we keep on buying gear and subscriptions (to watch commercials)? Upgrading was a valid reason, but the digital technology has advanced (29 years later) to where frequent H/W upgrades are now questionable. Incidentally, it’s been a long torturous ride, as I purchased the first digital Sony CD player in 1981!
So the only digital upgrades I’ll be doing are now replacements, with a 3D display after prices drop and performance improves. That technology is way too new being full of bugs!

Another great by-product is the reduction of remote controls. I’m down to just two based upon the task I want to do, as compared to what equipment I use (a subtle but important difference).
For Windows Media Center, there is a small wonderful Amazon $15 hand held wireless remote. For typing/surfing I use a $50 combination wireless keyboard mouse. That is it.
The integration of WMC to the audio hardware is remarkable using the Gateway SX2840/ATI 5770 combination, as the audio volume and mute even work through HDMI (this capability does NOT work on the recent Asus 3610 Nettop/Ion DVR).
This improved functionality makes the most basic function of a receiver/AV controller/pre-amp redundant. All-in-all, very impressive new technology to reduce clutter.