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185 Posts
Is there a media extender or similar device which will:
-- Play Netflix's "Watch Instantly" (video-on-demand) films;
-- Play and control my Rhapsody subscription music service; and
-- Play movies that I've ripped to my local file server?
So far, the only way I know to accomplish this is to install a media pc in my a/v rack in the living room, which is not something I'm very keen on. Three years ago, I built a media pc in a sexy SilverStone case and hooked it to my hdtv and receiver, but it was never easy to use. I never could get it to display a Windows desktop and menus on my hd crt tv (720p or 1080i) in a way which was readable from my living room chair. It was so complicated that nobody in the house could run it but me. It required use of wireless keyboard and mouse (gyration), which added to the living room clutter. And despite my best efforts to quiet it, it was still so noisy I couldn't stand to leave it running all the time, so I had to wait for it to boot up whenever I wanted to use it.
IF there is a media extender or similar box on the market (or coming to market in 1q or 2q 2008), then I'd rather buy something like that. If not, I guess I need to muster some courage and try the htpc route again. I still have the pc. Maybe in three years, there's a more user friendly way to setup the desktop and menus. Maybe someone has made a tv-style remote which can control an htpc so I can leave the keyboard in the closet most of the time. Maybe I can get someone to water-cool the cpu and video card so it runs silently. Maybe...
All suggestions are welcome.
-- Play Netflix's "Watch Instantly" (video-on-demand) films;
-- Play and control my Rhapsody subscription music service; and
-- Play movies that I've ripped to my local file server?
So far, the only way I know to accomplish this is to install a media pc in my a/v rack in the living room, which is not something I'm very keen on. Three years ago, I built a media pc in a sexy SilverStone case and hooked it to my hdtv and receiver, but it was never easy to use. I never could get it to display a Windows desktop and menus on my hd crt tv (720p or 1080i) in a way which was readable from my living room chair. It was so complicated that nobody in the house could run it but me. It required use of wireless keyboard and mouse (gyration), which added to the living room clutter. And despite my best efforts to quiet it, it was still so noisy I couldn't stand to leave it running all the time, so I had to wait for it to boot up whenever I wanted to use it.
IF there is a media extender or similar box on the market (or coming to market in 1q or 2q 2008), then I'd rather buy something like that. If not, I guess I need to muster some courage and try the htpc route again. I still have the pc. Maybe in three years, there's a more user friendly way to setup the desktop and menus. Maybe someone has made a tv-style remote which can control an htpc so I can leave the keyboard in the closet most of the time. Maybe I can get someone to water-cool the cpu and video card so it runs silently. Maybe...
All suggestions are welcome.
