First HTPC Setup on a budget

[Vail3r]

Hi there,

I'm new but have been browsing on here for some time. I finally decided to register as I need some help.

I have just bought one of these:

Its the Acer Aspire L3600

• Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor E2140, 1.6 GHz
• 1-MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB
• Intel G31 + ICH7-DH Chipset Motherboard
• 1-GB DDR2 667 MHz PC4200 SDRAM, expandable up to 4.0 GB in 2 DIMM slots
• 160-GB Serial-ATA Hard Disk Drive, 7200 rpm
• 16X DVD Supermulti Double Layer (8.5 GB) DVD Writer Drive

Now I know this might no be the most powerful system in the world but I bought it second hand as my budget for this project is very small.

Currently I have an iMac in my room running Plex with all my movies and tv shows on my iMac.

What I want to do:

- Stream content from my iMac
- Rip DVD's to the HTPC
- Watch and Record TV
- Upscale STD DVD Rips to 720p
- Upscale freeview??

Unfortunately the model I have bought does not have the built in TV tuner so I could do with something cheap that plugs into a USB.

What sort of software shoild I be looking at, It would be nice if everything could integrate with Media Center as I need it to be easy to use for the other people in the house.

Any input you can give me will be greatly appreciated!