Jason Dunn
11-14-2004, 05:53 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.jakeludington.com/archives/000465.html' target='_blank'>http://www.jakeludington.com/archives/000465.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"There are two distinct methods for getting a home theater experience from your PC. You can buy the pre-packaged solution from a Microsoft OEM partner, in the form of a Windows XP Media Center Edition PC, which means the entire package is ready for you to connect the cable box to the back of the PC as soon as you unpack the shipping crate. At a starting price of $1000 and the addition of a new PC to the family, this option isn't for everyone. The second alternative is to do it yourself and build your own box or add-on to an existing machine. The second option is considerably more affordable and offers more versatility in picking components. The options for features like remote control, PVR, and media management are numerous, however many options fall short of meeting expectations. The shining star in the crowded galaxy of ala carte home theater is SnapStream, with Beyond TV for time-shifted television viewing and media management, and Firefly remote control for interfacing with DVDs, movies, music, and photos from the comfort of your couch."</i><br /><br />Jake walks us through the SnapStream offering in a review with a really big font. 8O The review is great though, and if you've never investigated what SnapStream has to offer, I'd urge you to do so. This is what I'm using as my PVR right now, and it works very nicely.