Building HTPC Cheap

[Angrboda]

I've tentatively decided to buy a standalone blu-ray player for the bedroom, as that will allow easy access for insertion and retrieval of media, and the htpc itself can be operated completely wirelessly. (My Harmony One remote will control up to 15 devices, and a wireless keyboard with or without mouse/trackpad should suffice. That will probably thinly cover both rooms, especially if I use the remote for control of room fans, lights, or other appliances. I've got a Philips 7-in-1 remote which is easy to program with arbitrary codes, though its memory is somewhat limited; I may use that and one like it for things like fans and lights.)

(ETA: Looking at what's on sale at Target... A Samsung with a reputation for freezing up, and a Panasonic that doesn't support Amazon Prime. I've got a Sony which doesn't play DVD files from the USB port. I think I'll watch for a Philips; I've had many Philips DVD players and they've all been fantastic, being both good performers and feature-filled at a bargain price. Toshiba is another possibility.)

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Oh sigh. The Lite-on BDR drive is on sale for $25, and there's a no frills LG for $35 (it doesn't even have ethernet). I'm leaning towards the Lite-on so that the sound won't have to be reconfigured in switching from and to Blu-ray.

Correction: I purchased the Lite-on, as TigerDirect is offering free shipping on it today, bringing it to $20 after rebate. (Though I'm beginning to regret purchasing the case with the bold red stripe on the front of an otherwise black case.)