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Now that the war was won, I guess I should no longer postpone entering into the Hi def field, at least as far as any new DVDs I buy. I gather that the higher resolution is well worthwhile even if you don't run a 1080p but a 720p projector.
So now the question is, where can I buy a BLU-ray player/tuner that also includes a hard disk recorder. As far as I can see the answer is pay a whack of money ($1K+ until prices come down)- but you'll have to wait awhile for them to be easily available, OR - build one for about $900 - it will just come in the form of a specially specced computer.
Has anyone gone the PC route, and if so, what did you think of it?
Follow Ups:
there are some gotchas - it's still early days and the software/hardware haven't fully matured. but it's a workable and usable solution (most of the time).
Make sure you buy the absolute latest/greatest in video cards, ie. something with PureVideo 2 or AVIVO 2. do not consider anything less, otherwise you may get jittery video for high bitrate Bluray discs.
Audio - there's no easy way to send high resolution audio out of the PC, so stick with a good on board audio solution and send 7.1 analog out to your processor/pre amp/receiver. i have been using my E-MU 1820M successfully.
Drive - get the LG universal GGW-H20L (it's a Bluray recorder as well)
Software - unfortunately, no real alternative apart from PowerDVD. The latest version is Profile 1.1 compliant and will support high resolution audio (ie. does not downsample unlike previous versions). also get AnyDVD which will make your player region free. some people recommend vista, but i'm currently using XP Media Center Edition.
the rest is up to you. i strongly recommend making your pc as noiseless as possible - 120mm fans, passive cooling whenever possible, boot off SSD. you may be able to get away with just 2 120cm fans (one built into the power supply, the other for the case) - everything else, even the cpu cooler, can be passive. silentpcreview.com is your friend. it is definitely possible to make your pc so quiet you can't hear it.
use a separate power circuit for the pc compared to your analog audio equipment, if possible, and keep the pc well away from your other equipment (even 1-2m will do) to reduce RFI.
...a pain in the rear to me, especially on the audio side.
I'm no computer geek.
I like to plug the stuff in, press a button...and it works.
*** I like to plug the stuff in, press a button...and it works. ***
consumer players aren't any better. lots of problems with current generation players, requiring firmware updates, ethernet connectivity, byzantine setup menus, some discs don't work ...
at least on the PC side, you are not dependent on the manufacturer releasing a firmware update to fix a problem ...
Thanks Christine.
Tempting, but I may just go with a dedicated player until the technology is a little older in the PC area and someone comes up with a better user interface for AV use. I know if I went the PC route I'd probaby spend MANY hours on it as opposed to plug and play......
Actually, the whole point of using a PC is that it *does* have a better interface compared to typical consumer electronics devices. Having gone through lots of byzantine setup menus in players with poorly documented setup options, I don't believe consumer electronic devices are any easier to configure or optimize.
Once everything is configured correctly, just load a disc and playing starts automatically. No keyboard or mouse required, everything can be controlled via a remote just like a dedicated player.
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