We’re building a different type of computer here, so rounding up the usual suspects just won’t cut it.
We need to walk the razor’s edge between cool-running and smoking-fast performance. Here are our
recommendations for the right parts to build a great living room PC, based on our hands-on experience.TV TUNERS
We looked at a ton of different standard-
defi nition TV tuners, and realized one
very important thing: USB tuners are too
resource intensive to use if you want to
record from multiple sources at the same
time. So we focused our search on internal
PCI TV tuners.
Typically, the major differentiation points
among TV tuners are the quality of the bun-
dled software (which we don’t care about,
as we’re using stand-alone PVR software)
and image quality, although differences in
image quality are much less apparent than
they were even fi ve years ago. The rise
of Windows XP Media Center Edition has
forced all of the TV tuner vendors to provide
a higher standard level of hardware, includ-
ing hardware MPEG-2 encoding.
A recent trend has hardware manu-
facturers packing multiple tuners on a
single tuner card. Even if you’re going to
pull your signal from a cable or satellite
tuner, having multiple tuners is the onlyway you can record multiple
shows simultaneously.
Then there’s the HDTV
situation. Currently, the only
way to capture an HDTV sig-
nal is to hook up an antenna
and pull the signal over the air.
Unfortunately, you can’t really
capture HD from the most
common sources—cable and
satellite decoder boxes. We
expect that will change when
(and if) CableCard-ready tun-
ers begin shipping. With the
CableCard, you’ll be able to
insert a simple device in your
PC, which will be confi gured to work direct-
ly with your provider—at least if Microsoft
and the providers don’t screw up the devic-
es with Draconian DRM schemes.
So, which tuner should you buy? The
Hauppauge PVR-250 is the safest recom-
mendation. It’s compatible with every-
thing—including MythTV —its image qual-ity is good and it’s relatively inexpensive,
so you can buy a pair. However, there
are compelling tuners from ATI, nVidia,
and other vendors as well. As for HDTV
tuners, we recommend you don’t invest
in HD until CableCard readers become
available in 2007.REMOTE CONTROL
No self-respecting couch potato wants to
walk across the room just to control the
components in his A/V rack, and there are
few things in life more aggravating thantrying to fi nd the right remote among the
menagerie that seemingly breed on your
coffee table. That’s where a programmable
universal remote control enters the picture.
Ultra high-end remotes—think
Crestron or AMX—enable you to man-
age not just your home-theater system,
but everything from lighting, to motorized
window coverings, to your HVAC system.
Problem is, these devices cost thousands
of dollars and require professional instal-
lation. Here’s our alternative for ambitious
do-it-yourselfers: Logitech’s Harmony 890
and Z-Wave home-automation technology.
Z-Wave is a two-way, wireless (RF),
mesh network protocol developed by
Zensys, Inc. In a Z-Wave network, a remote
control broadcasts commands to every
device within range. Each receiving device
interprets the command; acts on it, if it’s the
intended target (or ignores it if it’s not); and
relays the command to every other Z-Wave
device within its range.
The Harmony 890 has a large libraryof built-in device codes; and like many
of its competitors, it can learn new com-
mands and execute macros. What sets
this device apart, in addition to its Z-Wave
compatibility, is the way it’s programmed.
Forget about teaching it one instruction
at a time; just plug the 890 into your PC’s
USB port and either download new codes
from Logitech’s website or program it from
scratch using Logitech’s software. With a
Z-Wave module and this remote, you can
control every aspect of your home theater,
including the mood lighting.
The Harmony 890 is pricey at $400, but
its whiz-bang features—color LCD, easy
programmability, rechargeable Li-Ion battery,
RF-to-infrared blaster, and more—easily jus-
tify the cost.
Lest we forget that we’re building a
home-theater computer , you’ll also need
a good wireless keyboard and mouse.
Microsoft’s Wireless Laser Desktop 6000
is a solid candidate; Logitech’s Cordless
Desktop MX 3000 is another good choice.You really can’t go wrong with a standard-definition
tuner, as long as you purchase something that works
with Media Center 2005.Push one button on the Harmony 890 (left)
and you can turn on your TV, PC, and ste-
reo, and start the movie. The Firefly (right)
is the preferred remote for Beyond TV.28 MAXIMUMPC OCTOBER 2006
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