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Need Suggestion for an HTPC (small PC for hookup to HDTV)

post #1 of 5
6/11/11 at 12:13am
Thread Starter 
Wasn't sure where to post, but figured this was as good as any; Just bought myself an HDTV, and want to hook up an HTPC so I can watch Hulu, etc...

Any suggestions on a small machine that can do the job? I've been eyeing the Dell Zino HD, but the reviews are iffy at best. That, and I'm not really a Mac fan, so Mac Mini is out of the question. Beyond that, just want something small and cheap. Thoughts?
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post #2 of 5
6/11/11 at 12:22am
There are a number of them and no single device can do everything well. It'll be less of a technical headache if your HDTV/HTPC setup is close enough to your internet hub/router so you can plug the RJ45 network connector from the HTPC into it. You can connect via wireless, but the setup can be a hassle. Look at the Western Digital WDTV HD Live Plus http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=320 Works really well, the most convenient thing in the world is copying an HD MKV or MP4 from your PC to a thumb drive and playing it though the WDTV. Another one that's very good in particular for internet based programs is Google TV, although it too has some drawbacks when it comes to local playback of files (lack of codec support, etc). The Logitech Revue is the name of the device - it's convenient in that it has a full QWERTY keyboard. http://www.logitech.com/en-us/smartTV/revue
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post #3 of 5
6/11/11 at 9:00am
I like the HP Pavilion Slimlines. Powerful, small and nice looking. Also pretty cheap.
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post #4 of 5
6/13/11 at 5:12am
I feel like this would do the job - http://www.boxee.tv/
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post #5 of 5
6/13/11 at 6:04am
I use an Acer Revo for my home theater: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...pk=acer%20revo I stream all my video from a central file server on my home network and then hook up the HDMI output to my HD Projector and the optical audio to my surround sound. It really depends on from where your media comes(LAN, internet, webpage flash, etc.), in what format it is(mkv, mov, avi, etc), and how 'integrated' you want your system to be. I like the Windows Media Center interface on Windows 7 and can stream all of my .mkv content across the network without re-encoding. The other units posted are also good but first figure out exactly what you want to do before jumping in. That's just my 2c worth
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