HTPC vs Xbox 360 + Tversity

[Scouzer]

I'm thinking about finally getting around to buying an HDTV and setup a nice little media centre. I'm not sure which of the three options is superior. Right now I have a leftover PC I can convert to an HTPC for about $70, but I don't have a 360. I'd have to buy one.

Specs on current PC:

X2 3800+
1GB RAM (would double to 2GB)
200GB HDD
Vista Premium 32
I would add a Radeon 4350 for the HDMI out

I suppose this way I'd control it with my MX1000 wireless mouse. It'd just be a PC onto an HDTV, really. I could get a Media Centre remote, but I'm not sure Media Centre can play all the codecs well...?

Or I could use the same PC to Tversity over to a new Xbox 360 and have a more elegant interface, plus a gaming console. I'm not really a console gamer though, so I'm not sure what other benefits this would have for me. I tested Tversity last night on my sister's Xbox 360 and it worked well except 720p and 1080p content the PC is too slow to allow for fast forwarding. It'd just crash if I tried to fast forward video.

Which leads to more or less the THIRD option, don't use my slow PC at all. I could use Tversity from my laptop, which is:

Asus G50V
9700m GT
2.8ghz

This would be considerably faster and probably would not choke on Tversity fast forwarding/rewind. Trouble being the laptop would be pretty tied up if my girlfriend wants to watch TV shows and I want to play PC games. I doubt 2.8ghz can power both.

Thoughts? Is there any other options I should consider, like a network media streamer box?

 

[s44]

PS3 + Tversity (Blu-Ray!)
Tivo + pyTivo

 

[jhh979s]

Originally posted by: Scouzer
I tested Tversity last night on my sister's Xbox 360 and it worked well except 720p and 1080p content the PC is too slow to allow for fast forwarding. It'd just crash if I tried to fast forward video.

How do you have the PC and 360 connected? I had a similar issue when streaming 720P content to my PS3 (stuttering playback) but it wasnt because my PC was too slow. I added a Gigabit switch to my network and that fixed the problem.

A PS3 may be a better choice since it also has Bluray, but its really up to your budget, 360s are $199 now.

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: jhh979s

Originally posted by: Scouzer
I tested Tversity last night on my sister's Xbox 360 and it worked well except 720p and 1080p content the PC is too slow to allow for fast forwarding. It'd just crash if I tried to fast forward video.

How do you have the PC and 360 connected? I had a similar issue when streaming 720P content to my PS3 (stuttering playback) but it wasnt because my PC was too slow. I added a Gigabit switch to my network and that fixed the problem.

A PS3 may be a better choice since it also has Bluray, but its really up to your budget, 360s are $199 now.

They are connected via a TEW-633GR but just plain old 100mbps LAN. Not wireless.

I don't think PS3 is in the cards. I don't really care about Blu-Ray, really. I can also buy a BRD for a PC for much cheaper, lol.

 

[kalrith]

You can stream Netflix HD directly to an XBOX 360 now. They're supposedly going to try the same for the PS3, but there's no word on when that'll happen. This is another plus for the 360.

 

[erwos]

If you're just talking about what will play the most AV, an HTPC, hands-down. DVD Library on Windows Media Center is amazing. TVersity introduces some real video quality issues into the mix.

OTOH, 360s are awesome.

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: kalrith
You can stream Netflix HD directly to an XBOX 360 now. They're supposedly going to try the same for the PS3, but there's no word on when that'll happen. This is another plus for the 360.

Sadly, this is not available in Canada. Thanks to our communist CRTC (think FCC) they block almost all of the XBOX's streaming functionality. There is no TV, no Netflix, only movie rentals. And they are too expensive, IMO.

 

[RKS]

I just bought one of these: Text

They were on sale for $99 and play most files right off any HDD. I'm not sure if that is what you are lookibng for however.

edit: or a Popcorn Hour A110

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: RKS
I just bought one of these: Text

They were on sale for $99 and play most files right off any HDD. I'm not sure if that is what you are lookibng for however.

edit: or a Popcorn Hour A110

Huh. That WD box is really interesting. I have a nice 320GB External HDD already, so I'm certainly pondering that...

My psuedo-HTPC is having MCE problems (can't fast forward/rewind movies) so I'm tempted to go a different route. Decisions!