SmilingHeadcase
Standard Member
As with every purchase we always get a bit freaked out with the usual questions, am i buying the right thing, what if a new product is on the horizon, etc.
Here's my quandry, i want to upgrade from my current set up which is the 3 year old WD TV (doesn't play DTS). I have a basic 1TB NAS My Book World, on the network, as well as a 2TB usb HDD.
My options are
HTPC, WD SMP or Dune Smart D1.
So far....
I have a pretty good Dell at home, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 GHz
4 gig Ram, ATI Radeon HD 2600HT, 640 gig HDD. I tried to set this up as a HTPC, using both Boxee and XMBC but i found the lack of a remote control to be a right pain. Plus the pc seemed to struggle on some of the bigger file sizes (15gig +)
Should i give up the ghost with this PC and just use something newer? Whats the best way to remote control the content?
I could swap this out for a pc with this specs
Intel Core i3-2100 Processor (3.10GHz, 3MB)
Memory : 4096MB (2x2048) DDR3 Dual Channel
Hard Drive : 500GB Serial ATA (7200RPM)
Graphics : 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6450
at no cost to me.
The WD SMP looks great, but being based in Ireland many of the online functions aren't available here, plus it doesn't support DTS-MA or Bluray menu's. I do like the fact that it downloads the artwork and description for the videos.
Dune Smart D1..... now i think this is where my heart lies. It can do everything i want, but having to use a third party product like Zappifi or MyMovies to look at cover art and descriptions is a let down. Plus, from reading around the sites, there may be a new sigma chip on the way, so should i hold off?
So, all 3 have there advantages and disadvantages, any advice?
Here's my quandry, i want to upgrade from my current set up which is the 3 year old WD TV (doesn't play DTS). I have a basic 1TB NAS My Book World, on the network, as well as a 2TB usb HDD.
My options are
HTPC, WD SMP or Dune Smart D1.
So far....
I have a pretty good Dell at home, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 GHz
4 gig Ram, ATI Radeon HD 2600HT, 640 gig HDD. I tried to set this up as a HTPC, using both Boxee and XMBC but i found the lack of a remote control to be a right pain. Plus the pc seemed to struggle on some of the bigger file sizes (15gig +)
Should i give up the ghost with this PC and just use something newer? Whats the best way to remote control the content?
I could swap this out for a pc with this specs
Intel Core i3-2100 Processor (3.10GHz, 3MB)
Memory : 4096MB (2x2048) DDR3 Dual Channel
Hard Drive : 500GB Serial ATA (7200RPM)
Graphics : 1GB AMD Radeon HD 6450
at no cost to me.
The WD SMP looks great, but being based in Ireland many of the online functions aren't available here, plus it doesn't support DTS-MA or Bluray menu's. I do like the fact that it downloads the artwork and description for the videos.
Dune Smart D1..... now i think this is where my heart lies. It can do everything i want, but having to use a third party product like Zappifi or MyMovies to look at cover art and descriptions is a let down. Plus, from reading around the sites, there may be a new sigma chip on the way, so should i hold off?
So, all 3 have there advantages and disadvantages, any advice?