advice request - multimedia system for sitting room

thetourist

i am planning to have some form of multimedia system connected to my tv/amplifier in the sitting room - what i want is access to multimedia files on my main pc ( music/photos/video etc ), the ability to record and pause tv, some kind of internet access, and possibly email access.
the original idea i had was to have a basic pc there with access to the local network and have a tv card in it, wireless keyboard and mouse, remote control etc etc
then it dawned on me that a regular pc would not work because it would be too noisy - so to get a pretty silent pc i figure would be more expensive - alo with pc's i have all the inherient troubles ( malware protection, harddrive maintenance etc ) so i started considering getting one of those multimedia boxes - but they dont have the capacity for giving you internet access - or do they ??? - i also suspect that they are slightly limited in their capactity ( in that they can only access certain things on the main pc ) - and i havent seen one yet that can record/pause tv

anyway - i am in a bit of a quandry - there are lots of advantages and disadvantages on either system - what do people think - which is the better way to go - what does it depend on ???

thanks

Tom Dunne

There are two options, both of which you are essentially referring to.

One is the PC (noisey as it is), with a TV/FM radio card and software such as GB-PVR or Media Portal (my favourite). PC's running this type of software will do everything you want, including internet access and record/pause TV. Bear in mind, reading e-mail on the TV tends to be difficult (or any text, for that matter).

The other option is the Media Center PC. This is a dedicated PC purpose built for what you have in mind. It runs a customised version of Windows XP and will do all of the above. The cases tend to look like DVD players so fit right in under your TV.

Personally, I went for the Media Portal option. If you have a relatively new (2 years or less) PC, you can try downloading it and see what you think.

thetourist

multimedia boxes

thanks tom but maybe i should have explained better - when i was on about a media box , i really meant one of those gizmos that are not pcs at all but that connect to your ethernet/wirelss network and allow you to access media from the network - i was wondering if anyone had any experience with these and whether there were any of them on the market that could record/pause tv and allow internet access etc and which route was best - pc or gizmo ( dont really know what it's called )

thanks anyway tho - good tip about text - how do you find the mmpc ---- noisy/quiet??? .... good value ????? .. which brand did you get ??? .... is there a remote and is it any good ?? - does it pick up on the irish tv channels ??

Tom Dunne

gumboots wrote:

thanks anyway tho - good tip about text - how do you find the mmpc ---- noisy/quiet??? .... good value ????? .. which brand did you get ??? .... is there a remote and is it any good ?? - does it pick up on the irish tv channels ??

I actually built my own. Well, built is probably the wrong word, I'm using a laptop running XP home and Media Portal. I find it incredible, especially since it is hooked up to my projector. It was a bit of a pain to set up, but well worth the effort.

There is a piece of software called XMLTV which will pick up the Irish channel listings for you so you can record to the hard-drive.

A dedicated PC is the way to go, especially if you want everything in one box, under the TV.

Lump

This is the Mo-Fo you want http://estore.pinnaclesys.com/DRHM/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayCategoryProductListPage&SiteID=piestore&Locale=en_GB&categoryID=806000

I have the Showecentre 1000G works a treat, the 200 is an upgrade.

John