HTPC building

["Chris Miles" <chrismiles@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

who here has built their own HTPC? Any specs and pictures to show?

I have fiddled about with my own media PC for a while but want to do it
properly now.
I have my server cupboard and I am unsatisfied with the embedded media
centre
solutions - mostly due to the absolutely terrible user interfaces - I am a
programmer
by trade so would love to do my very own custom media and automation
software
rather than hacking together multiple different things.

Now my first idea was a Mini-ITX solution - I already use a Mini-ITX (Via
based) system
for my in house server, but I am probably certain a embedded 1Ghz via CPU
would not
handle DIVX/XVID very well - has anyone experimented with it before?

Failing that I need to down the standard ATX route. I need to find a nice
looking ATX
rackmount case - has to be 19" wide, 2U high, and no more than 300mm
deep. It will
probably be the depth that is going to screw me, because my rack cabinet is
only 300m
deep.

Video-Out - Whats the best video card to use for outputting to my TVs - Can
you get
high def resolutions from a composite output or does it need to be a
special purpose
output? I am running over my CAT5 video senders that only send composite
anyway.

I am sure I will have more questions when I wake up :)

Chris

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