[nmundy]

This is a newbie question so please don't mind me asking it here.


I recently bought a new laptop and want to try and see if my old laptop can be used occasionally as a home theater system.If that works, I will happily buy a real HTPC. This is 2 yr old HP laptop with 2gb RAM, 500 gb hd & Windows 7 home premium. I have a PS3 that i use to play movies & netflix and also have netgear push2tv adapter. I want to use the laptop to listen to good music and watch internet TV and other such content.


1. Laptop does not have HDMI out. How do i connect it to my TV ? Is S video any better than VGA ? How about audio ? Do i just use the ear phone jack to connect it to my receiver ? Audio quality is the number one reason for me to try this setup


2. My laptop has a (HP)remote which i guess i could use to start it and turn it off but it will work only in Windows 7. Which OS should i use on my laptop. I have tried boxee and i like it because it has a good iOS app but playing music on Boxee is not much fun. There are not many ways in the Boxee app for me to explore my own music collection. I like its remote though. Do you guys suggest any other apps like Boxee that i should try ? I am more interested in music than anything else.


3. On the same note a #2 above, is there a dedicated OS that i could install which would allow for faster booting and make it dedicated htpc ? If so, can i dual boot ?


4. Torrenting: Is there any HTPC that is compatible with torrenting and then making the media available for consumption ?


5. A good app for iOS (like boxee) would be awesome.

I am very eager to hear your inputs and try those out. If it works out, I would love to justify to myself that i need a real HTPC.

 

[lespurgeon]

1. I assume no DVI or display port? If TV has VGA in that is best. S Vid is pretty poor.

2. I run Media Center in Windows 7

3. SSD? Yeah, reserve that for the new machine.

4/5 No idea.

 

[sitlet]

1. S video is analog sd, it will look like absolute crap on an hdtv. Your best bet is vga if you dont have an hdmi out.


2. media center on windows 7 works fine for me.


3. faster boot times would need a faster hard drive (ssd is the best) and a better processor.


4. windows 7 does this.

 

[pokekevin]

Ive been using an old laptop too for a htpc, mine has an hdmi port though. my friend who doesn't bought a vga to hdmi converter from monoprice for $34 and only has good things to say about it. If you want 5.1 sound see if your 3.5mm head phone jack outputs digital. If not you can also buy a turtle beach micro advantage 2 usb sound card(might need a new 3.5 to spdif adapter, I had problems with mine when it came and just replaced it). Other than that im not sure what your question about torrenting means