Need a new *snort guffaw* htpc

[Le Chuck]

My WD media player bit the big one the other day.  I went and bought a cheapo LG bluray player because I read on the AV forums that they play most digital media thrown at them. 

It's no XMBC but it is a useable interface BUT it doesn't play some of the older codecs it seems and I'd say 20% of my digital media doesn't play now.  I'm probably just going to move that unit to a different TV and I want to get something new/used/cheap but mostly cheap for the living room. 

My requirements:

DVD drive (BluRay better but I'm okay)
HDMI out
Plays everything.  Avi, Mp4, stupid weird codecs, the werks. 
Can display media list graphically (kids and wife like sorting movies by their posters/covers rather than the names)
Be rectangular is more long ways than tall ways (needs to fit in the E-Center... so a tower is out)

I've been looking at cheap-o XP capable mini PCs.  That way I can throw on MALA and use it as a media/game FE by running VLC through the command line.  I just haven't found one yet and I'm open to other solutions.     

R2MU already does this but the wife doesn't like it in the corner of the living room for some reason.  (women....)

I'd like to spend a stupidly small amount of money, like 100.  Maybe 150.  Recommendations? 

[emphatic]

If you have a Windows (Vista or newer) PC, I'd go with MediaPortal as software: http://www.team-mediaportal.com/

It's totally free, takes about 30 minutes to (basically) setup and their community is awesome. Video quality is IMHO way better than XBMC. You have a configuration backend app where you setup media paths etc so your wife and children won't mess things up too easy.

[yotsuya]

I've messed with Media Portal as well. It's pretty good.

What's running on R2MU?

[Le Chuck]

R2MU is running MA as the FE for now.  I did some creative rewriting to get it going for movies and whatnot as well as games.

I'm good on software, I'm needing elcheapo hardware.  That said, i welcome all new recs and will go check out the links   

[emphatic]

If you feel good about MediaPortal, I can write up a "quick install" guide with appropriate links to the MediaPortal forum threads that matter. I've been using it on a daily basis for the last couple of years and its' become essential in the household.

[lilshawn]

geexbox.

can't beat xbmc...or linux...or free

http://www.geexbox.org/

get yourself a itx board and small case and bam, you are future proof.

[ark_ader]

geexbox.

can't beat xbmc...or linux...or free

http://www.geexbox.org/

get yourself a itx board and small case and bam, you are future proof.

 

[Le Chuck]

I'm familiar with geekbox, was hoping for like links to cheap systems or a parts list or something rather than software but I do love me some free linuxy stuff 

[lilshawn]

small formfactor HP computer from government auction... P4HT 3ghz 1gb ram -  $110 for a pallet of 8 or so units... so ~$13 

geexbox - free

harddrive (used old drive) - free

VGA cable - free

total cost - $13

don't need anything too crazy...you are just playing video.

[ark_ader]

I like how USB DVD drives are so much more quieter than stock 5.25, and they are getting cheaper too.

[lilshawn]

older drives used to spin really fast to lower the latency of waiting for the disk to rotate around to access information on the disk.

these new USB drives have huge caches in them so they pre-fetch the data in one rotation and feed it to the computer as it requests it.

remember whn thos 56xmax drives came out and CD's where exploding cause they rotated at 50 billion RPM?