HTPC What Stuff do you want to see?

As I'm sure many of you have seen, the site is going to be spending a bit more time on HTPC technology as we move forward.

I'm going to be doing the primary reviews, and I'd really like to know what you all would like to see as we move forward with this section of the site. Of course we will have the basic reviews of current and upcoming software, and I hope I can add a spin that you don't see many places to my reviews on this. We'll also do our best to keep an eye out for "must-have" hardware.

But what I don't want to do is bore you guys with things you don't want, and I want to keep the content coming for those of us who see HTPCs as a big step forward. So, the question:

What do YOU want to see? We're here to bring the products, reviews, how to's, etc. that you care about. We've got some ideas on directions, but nothing is written in stone yet, and nothing is more important than the opinions of the people who will be reading it. So drop a line in this thread (or PM me)!

 

How about a massive guide for LCDs in HTPCs -- e.g. pre-built serial/USB LCDs that go in 5 1/4 " bays vs DIY parallel ones; what software to use; ones with IR recievers compatible with windows media center/ DVD software etc. The pros/cons of using PSOne LCDs in comparison would be nice too!

If you fitted all that in an article it'd be awesome

Thanks

ch424

 

A review of the Belkin MediaPilot keyboard vs. the new Microsoft MCE one, including anything else for media PC control (AIW remote/MCE remote etc.) for a true comparison.

 

Informations/reviews about - small (up to 7") LCDs/touchscreens for use in HTPCs,LCD TVs-which ones are the best for HTPC setup and tons of software reviews...

 

Info on software configuration and programs for DVD playback, TV tuning and recording, etc.

 

seconded im particuarly interested in the belkin mediapilot.

 

How to incorporate home automation into your HTPC would be nice too.
-Fiz

 

I'd like to see the obvious, video cards & tuners. However, not the cutting edge stuff but good quality gear that gets the job done. Many people want to build an htpc, but with the prices of dvr's being so inexpensive, it's impossable to justify a $150 video card plus a $125 tuner.

 

im a person whos got mce running sweet on my pc and use it for tv use and recording, so id like to know like "things" that can be done to it for cheap and make it better, like addons or something like that?

 

I'd like to see a How To on how to build your own Kalediescape type system...

 

How to get a htpc system working with Telewest box's. Also guides on how to set up your media PC, Lots of guides on people building them, but I can never quite figgure how to get all the peripherals and software working together, or is everyone just using MCE now?

 

No, Dodge...not everyone does. Rest assured, that will be covered.

As for everyone else's ideas, keep 'em coming! I'm hearing a lot of good things I can do with this little shiny box beside me...heh heh heh...

 

How bout reviews on SFF hardware and stuff such as the VIA boards or anything like, and anything that has to do with making you HTPC quite, such as sound dampening material, quite fans, and effective yet small heatsinks. Maybe review mid range hardware that would be ideal for budget HTPC systems, as you don't need that blazing fast set-up to run your HTPC.

 

How about building a quiet HTPC? So finding cases with decent-sized fan mounts (i.e. not 60mm) or obvious modding potential?

 

You'll like where I take a lot of this, then, Phil7C. Silence is golden to me, and the wife will beat me with anything that's noisy. It will be incorporated into my reviews on any hardware, for sure!

 

Oh yeah you definitely have to hit on the WAF(wife acceptance factor) for every review!!!!

-Fiz

 

I'm down for TV Tuners, as well as how to capture in High Def, and how to get the best picture quality to your HD compatible Widescreen. How to incorporate HDMI?

 

I think a good article would be on looking at how you connect your htpc to your crt, lcd or plasma tv.

Its not just a case of svideo out to svideo in, or VGA to VGA. What happens if you have DVI and want to use your HDMI connector.

Also explain the issues with most LCD/Plasma manufacturers not following the EDID (Extended Display Information Data) guidelines. This will be useful for people to understand screen resolutions on new widescreen TV's

It's something I got caught out on, and have only recently managed to get full res on my widescreen TV by understanding the full functionality of the settings available in the nvidia drivers.

Another thing which might be of interest would be an article covering plug-ins to MCE (or if possible matching s/w available for linux variations of MCE) which provide additional functionality.

For instance I currently have the skype plugin for MCE which is starting to show true convergance of PC, TV and telephone in a living room setup.

 

I'd like to see alternatives to MCE. OSS would be great if there are any. You can probably tell I haven't done much research on the subject. I guess what I'm really looking for is free-as-in-beer alternatives.

 

It sounds like you have most things covered Da Dego but i too would like some reviews of SageTV and other alternatives to MCE so people understand its feature count and software compatibility is pretty poor.

One thing i would like noted in reviews for UK users is the limited options we have here due to our cable and satelite networks restrictions on dual tuners etc. Also the lack of programe scheduling makes it difficult for non MCE users to make a proper EPG.

Using PDA's to control you HTPC would be nice feature too.