Media box

Hey world, I thought I'd start blogging a bit of information about some of the things I'm actually working on in particular my media box. I'll introduce you to the hardware and software over the course of the next few weeks. Firstly I'd like to introduce the hardware and a bit about my choices. My media box is built using an ASUS Pundit-R barebones system which consists of a case and ASUS motherboard. The system has an integrated ATI video chip that features shader support, it's not state of the art graphics but it's got enough power to make a very slick media box. Inside the box there is also a 2.4Ghz Celeron processor, 512MB DDR-333 RAM, 100Mbit network support, a 4-in-1 memory card reader, PCMCIA slot for easy hardware expansion, a DVD writer, 160GB hard drive. I've also with a lot of force and a bit of modification managed to cram in my Nebula DigiTV DVB-T card to provide digital TV support. As a temporary measure I've used a USB 802.11b wireless adapter to allow me to make a wireless connection to my home network and Interent connection. Ok enough of the stats, maybe you are curious as to the reasons for my choices? I choose the Pundit-R as it had one of the most suitable form factors at least for the limited budget I have, a Shuttle would not sit near a TV with its cube shape, this case although not the smallest is about the same size as a VCR although slightly taller. The motherboard inside the Pundit-R is well specced with 2 PCI slots allowing me to fit some extra hardware for media duties. The memory card reader on the front was an important consideration as I envision being able to plug memory cards directly into the system for instant slideshows or transfer. The PCMCIA slot allows for easy upgrades and gives that little bit more flexibility. My use of a Nebula DigiTV card is that despite its price it is one of the best TV cards out there, with excellent software and one of the few cards you can actually acquire an SDK for, also the remote control is a useful added bonus.

Anyhow that's a brief run down on the hardware for now, look out for more information and hopefully some pictures of the hardware and software.