For starters the HTPC would not require a standalone BR player as you can get BR drives for PC's.
The 3808 has a built in media player which will play music and display pictures from any hard drive it can find on your network.
You could get a
Network Attached Storage to store all of your files on and then it acts as a server for all your media needs on your network.
Jakeman - good point on the 3808! I'll take a run at plugging in an external there first.
Really conflicted with some of this stuff.
Music would be the most important thing to do. If the USB HDD on the 3808 doesn't do it (and that only covers the HT, not the Great Room), a Squeezebox Duet and extra receiver gets me to both of my setups in the simplest way.
Pictures, video, DVDs - that can all be burned onto CD or DVD media and plopped into a player. Frankly, we don't watch alot of personal video/pics now. However, when the grandchildren start to come, that may change!
Internet - not reeally all that important. Can be done on a PC.
Other stuff in the equation. I am getting a laptop in a few months to use when we travel, but will it will also replace the iMac and we'll use it anywhere in the house.
I could plug the laptop into the HT setup in the basement and stream from there. OR I could refurbish the iMac (new/bigger HDD, more RAM, new burner/BluRay player, etc.) and stick it in the basement as a HTPC. I don't know if I am technical enough to pull that off.
Sigh!
