i know that i’ve talked a lot about the dns-323 and how great the NAS is, and don’t get me wrong, it is great, but the one thing that i have really been struggling with is the PS3 support for video codecs. it is something that continues to be the bane of my existence when it comes to downloaded content. for some reason, some of the tv shows that i get are encoded in some kind of variant of xvid that the ps3 just can’t decode.

i’ve finally had it and have decided to build my own HTPC. the criteria here is to create a budget HTPC. though i want it to look good, i want to try to keep it on a small budget. i don’t need blu-ray playback as i still have the ps3, so this is really more of a media extender than anything else. i will install a tuner in it though, so i can use it as a DVR.

here’s what i’ve decided to go with:
antec fusion black 430 htpc case
gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H motherboard
4GB RAM
avermedia avertv combo
intel 2.5GHz E5200 cpu
seagate 1TB hard drive

i’m going with the built-in video card on the motherboard. it’s a geforce 9400, should be plenty for my needs. all the parts are ordered, now it’s a waiting game!