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It's amazing what people will put up with. I built a media center PC running Windows 7 using a guide like this[0]. It was the best decision I made. I just torre

It's amazing what people will put up with. I built a media center PC running Windows 7 using a guide like this[0]. It was the best decision I made. I just torrent content on my desktop, access it over the network share on my HTPC, and everything's good to go. You can get a 10' UI using XBMC if you want, and you can access the full versions of YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, (and HBO Go, I presume) etc. - no restrictions. No transcoding, no syncing - if it works on your PC, it works on an HTPC. 0: http://lifehacker.com/5936546/how-i-built-the-media-center-of-my-dreams-for-under-500 http://lifehacker.com/5936546/how-i-built-the-media-center-o...

ricardobeat 14y ago
Yes, because downloading torrents + network share is just the same as streaming + airplay. This guy already has a cable set top box plus an Apple TV that can stream from HBO and network sharing. Airplay is another matter, you can't mirror/stream from your mobile to your HTPC.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  > Yes, because downloading torrents + network share is just the same as streaming + airplay. No, it's much better. It's free and completely automatic. Set up an RSS feed for your favorite shows and tell XBMC to monitor the download directories. It's a truly breathtaking experience. > This guy already has a cable set top box plus an Apple TV that can stream from HBO and network sharing. Compared to a full-blown HTPC, an Apple TV (or any other device without a full OS) is very limited in its functionality. > you can't mirror/stream from your mobile to your HTPC. Oh really? This article would beg to disagree: http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-mirror-your-ios-or-android-device-to-your-pc-mac-for-the-ultimate-big-screen-gaming-experience/ http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-mirror-your-ios-or-android-...
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - malyk 14y ago
    It's also illegal and some of us actually believe you should pay for other peoples creative work.
    - xaphod 14y ago
      I'd like to think that's his point.
    - w1ntermute 14y ago
      Then use legal services with your HTPC. I listed several of them in my initial post. I just also shared my personal approach, since I find it to be technically superior and thought that some other readers might benefit from the information.
    - jhenkens 14y ago
      I believe I should pay as well. And I happily would pay the $120 monthly the cable company wants for two years if I could get a license that let me download all the content via newsgroups and have non-DRMed MKV's that I can use wherever I want for my PERSONAL use. I do not want to pay for Comcast's awful distribution, I want to pay for a license to download the content for my personal use, regardless of what distributor I use.
      - lukifer 14y ago
        I have long thought that there was a potential insurgent business model here: sell a lifetime license to a particular piece of content, which the user is now allowed to acquire by whatever means they choose. In essence, you pay for the content holder to waive their right to sue, and nothing more. It'd be a tough sell for Big Content, but once it generated sufficient revenue for indie and niche stuff to prove the model, eventually they would come around if it meant an excuse to charge you for the White Album yet again. You could also collect pledges or pre-payments from users so that they could put a dollar value on how much revenue they're missing out on.
    - CamperBob2 14y ago
      Then how about some of you actually take my money when I offer it?
chucknelson 14y ago
I love how the first paragraph is basically "you can just pirate everything instead!" The second paragraph is a little more relevant.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  Actually, the main point of the first paragraph was that it is easy to build an HTPC, which can be used to avoid the incompatibilities that exist with virtually every non-PC device. The fact that it makes it downright simple to watch pirated content is just a nice side-effect. The services mentioned in the second paragraph, such as YouTube and Hulu, often restrict access to certain content when accessed from non-PC devices. Using an HTPC solves these problems.

ricardobeat 14y ago

Yes, because downloading torrents + network share is just the same as streaming + airplay. This guy already has a cable set top box plus an Apple TV that can stream from HBO and network sharing. Airplay is another matter, you can't mirror/stream from your mobile to your HTPC.

w1ntermute 14y ago
> Yes, because downloading torrents + network share is just the same as streaming + airplay. No, it's much better. It's free and completely automatic. Set up an RSS feed for your favorite shows and tell XBMC to monitor the download directories. It's a truly breathtaking experience. > This guy already has a cable set top box plus an Apple TV that can stream from HBO and network sharing. Compared to a full-blown HTPC, an Apple TV (or any other device without a full OS) is very limited in its functionality. > you can't mirror/stream from your mobile to your HTPC. Oh really? This article would beg to disagree: http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-mirror-your-ios-or-android-device-to-your-pc-mac-for-the-ultimate-big-screen-gaming-experience/ http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-mirror-your-ios-or-android-...
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- malyk 14y ago
  It's also illegal and some of us actually believe you should pay for other peoples creative work.
  - xaphod 14y ago
    I'd like to think that's his point.
  - w1ntermute 14y ago
    Then use legal services with your HTPC. I listed several of them in my initial post. I just also shared my personal approach, since I find it to be technically superior and thought that some other readers might benefit from the information.
  - jhenkens 14y ago
    I believe I should pay as well. And I happily would pay the $120 monthly the cable company wants for two years if I could get a license that let me download all the content via newsgroups and have non-DRMed MKV's that I can use wherever I want for my PERSONAL use. I do not want to pay for Comcast's awful distribution, I want to pay for a license to download the content for my personal use, regardless of what distributor I use.
    - lukifer 14y ago
      I have long thought that there was a potential insurgent business model here: sell a lifetime license to a particular piece of content, which the user is now allowed to acquire by whatever means they choose. In essence, you pay for the content holder to waive their right to sue, and nothing more. It'd be a tough sell for Big Content, but once it generated sufficient revenue for indie and niche stuff to prove the model, eventually they would come around if it meant an excuse to charge you for the White Album yet again. You could also collect pledges or pre-payments from users so that they could put a dollar value on how much revenue they're missing out on.
  - CamperBob2 14y ago
    Then how about some of you actually take my money when I offer it?

chucknelson 14y ago

I love how the first paragraph is basically "you can just pirate everything instead!" The second paragraph is a little more relevant.

w1ntermute 14y ago
Actually, the main point of the first paragraph was that it is easy to build an HTPC, which can be used to avoid the incompatibilities that exist with virtually every non-PC device. The fact that it makes it downright simple to watch pirated content is just a nice side-effect. The services mentioned in the second paragraph, such as YouTube and Hulu, often restrict access to certain content when accessed from non-PC devices. Using an HTPC solves these problems.