Do it yourself, do it all Media PC for $600

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If you are going to "Cut the Cord" you are definitely going to miss the ability to record, pause TV and skip commercials.  Building a Media PC is the perfect solution to make the process painless and you will wonder why you never did it before.

So, what can this box do?

• Play and Stream most disc based media: Bluray, DVD, CD, etc
• Record, Pause, Playback High Definition Free Broadcast TV (no subscription needed!)
• Plenty of storage capacity (1.5TB = 100s of hours of TV)
• Place-shift live TV and locally recorded media (watch it anywhere)
• Play Internet content Hulu, Netflix, Boxee, YouTube, etc.
• Play (all formats of) videos stored on flash drives or usb sticks
• Streams Videos, Pictures, etc. from other computers on your network
• Surf the web with Firefox or your favorite browser with long range wireless keyboard
• Fully functional TV-style remote controls 95% of Media-PCs functions
• Stream music directly to your receiver without having your TV on
• Play PC or web-based games (power gamers will want to upgrade the graphics)
• Display 3-D media and play 3-D games
• Plenty of graphics and cpu horsepower for almost any media or server application
• Stays in standby mode when not in use (uses less than 2 watts! - measured here)
• Quiet (fans barely audible)

The list really goes on as this is a fully functional Windows Media PC and there is no limit to what you can do with this it  With Windows Media Center and some properly setup software, you can do almost anything you could imagine with ease in a family friendly package.

Note:  A Media PC is also sometimes called a Home Theater PC (or HTPC).  I prefer the term Media PC since it is a more general term that better describes it's capability and use.

Why do it yourself?

There are an endless list of stand-alone media/set top/DVR boxes you can buy (or rent), but in my opinion they are all flawed in one way or another.  Most of the problems with other boxes are:

1. Cable, Satellite, or IPTV DVRs have limited functionality and tie you to expensive monthly fees
2. Media streaming boxes can be limited to specific services and often will only play limited video formats.
3. Few devices will let you record broadcast TV (and usually come with monthly fees)
4. Few devices will let you surf the web (or if they do, come with crippled browsers)

There really is only one type of box that will have few compatibility issues and nearly unlimited functionality and that that is a Media PC.

Another advantage to building a Media PC is that you can replace multiple boxes with one device that really does it all.  In my case I replaced a DVD player, Slingbox (for placeshifting), Comcast Cable DVR and Squeezebox (for audio streaming) all with one Media PC.  As a bonus, I sold my old devices (Comcast took back my DVR) on Craigslist and recovered some of my project's expenses!

Some videos of the Media PC in action



Also, here are more pictures of what this box can do.

Build Instructions

First, since it is so important, here is a overview of the remote control options for a Media PC.

Steps:

1. Parts list
2. Assembly instructions
3. Setting up the BIOS
4. Loading the software
5. (optional) Turn your Media PC into a SqueezeBox Audio Streamer
6. (optional) Configure a recording light
7. (optional) Go wireless N for streaming Media
8. (optional) Tame your remote with an IR blaster and EventGhost
9. (optional) Setup your Media PC for place-shifting and remote access
10. (optional) Easily backup your Media PC  
11. (optional) Add multiple tuners to your Media PC 
12. (optional) add 3-D to your Media PC

Note:  As I add features, I'll keep this post updated so check back for changes.