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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iancalderban" data-source="post: 401852" data-attributes="member: 85629">exactly what I use my htpc for. To do the same with consumer h/w, is 4 or more boxes. Plus the massive gain of all files being on the same system so interchange of formats is really easy - burn a TV programme to a DVD for use on your portable for example. I believe the HTPC is just coming of age. The complexity makes building it still an enthusiasts game, but once its built, someone who can use a remote can drive it.the antec IMON displays are media portal compatible and give you nice text info of name of track / station/ programme, time played, remaining etc.  I tried to use the IR reciever in mine  (antec microfusion, so basically the same Imon unit as you are looking at) but really couldn't get on with it. Its a cheap-nasty IR receiver, the off-axis reception angle is terrible. Budget for an external wide-angle IR receiver, or use an RF solution (what I did).I can't speak for that mobo as I have gone AMD. However, in general beware of integrated GFX on 1080i material. They all talk about 1080p performance (bluray). But actually, 1080i is harder, which if you are watching HD broadcast TV, is what you get. So look carefully at the de-interlace performance of your integrated GFX. You may need to add a discrete card toi get vector-adaptive or equivalent de-interlace. If it will only do bob, it will look nasty. ATI 4550HD is enough (what I use), and I think nvidia 8500, but don't quote me on the nvidia side.You might want to build with a 2.5" laptop drive for silence, and put the 3.5" media storage in a NAS in another room (or a server PC if you fancy building them one), that gives you room for more storage expansion too. I am a SPCR enthusiast, I couldn't cope with the noise of the 3.5" drive in my htpc, so now all my media storage sits in a server in my office.after you have spent quite some time testing and debugging the system, and build a system recovery partition to get back to a known stable state, its pretty parent or WAF proof. I cannot over-state the test stage or the use of backups. Sometimes mediaportal will stop working on your and you will not be able to figure out why. Maybe it was a codec, maybe it was a config change. maybe it was nothing at all - I have even had _content_ cause MP to stop working. (this was content that must have recorded badly and was full of errors). So you use your backup. Took me a month to be happy (from no previous experience of MP) with a system that could stand the WAF (and 3 yr old) tests . Stick to MP1.0 release, and do not use any plugins or fancy features until you have basics working.answered some of your questions already. Look on SPCR ( silentpcreview.com) for cooling help, more than you will ever need. I think the antec fusion takes the mini-ninja which can be run passive with the right low power cpu. I have no experience with CAM-capable dvb-s, I only watch FTA content, so can't help you there. Blu-ray, I only just started to try myself.Ian</blockquote>

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