[TiercelK]

Hey all, I've really enjoyed reading all the information in this forum and have learned more about tv resolutions and pvr software than I thought I ever would.


What I was planning to build was a fully functional, easy to use PVR box with DVD/Divx capabilities in a SFF package.


Display is a standard 27" toshiba w/ s-video input.


So the question is, is it worth it to build my own box?


With TiVo repeatedly called the best pvr, cheap standalone dvd players all over the place, and a display that wouldn't really take advantage of the possibly sharper output; should I just go retail?


Thanks for any advice,


-Tiercel

 

[TiercelK]

btw, audio is a cheap dolby pro logic speaker setup

 

[edmc]

My recommendation is just go off-the-shelf. An HTPC has many advantages most notably Scaling and DeInterlacing. Well, you sound like you will need neither. Even if you had a Progressive Scan monitor, I would contend that the DeInterlacer in several cheap DVD Players (e.g. Panasonic RP-56/62) actually surpasses that of the S/W DVD Players in HTPCs (for those that doubt this, just run the Flowing Flag clip which was shot with video tape, not film). And, until you go to a higher resolution display, the Scaling provided in an HTPC is not needed of course...


Spend your (first) money on a better display and sound system (e.g. DD 5.1 and some decent speakers) to get the biggest improvement in your viewing enjoyment. Then look at further enhancements from that point (e.g. HTPC).


Just my 2 cents...

 

[Salmoneous]

If you goal is to get something that is simple and works, go with retail boxes.


If you enjoy the hobby of building/working with computers, and you want to do more than is possible with retail boxes, go with HTPC.

 

[dm]

Quote:

Originally posted by TiercelK Display is a standard 27" toshiba w/ s-video input.

If you want build a PC as a hobby go right ahead. But you wont realize most of the quality benefits of a HTPC until you have a higher end display device like a digital projector or HDTV.