Well kids, I have been sitting on the sidelines for a while with the Windows Home Server, and I am still a little concerned about the data corruption issues they are trying to fix, but I have faith they will get it taken care of.  Plus, I just could not sit by and watch others put together entries for the Ultimate Media Center Enthusiast Setup and not join in.  I'm too competitive.

I also thought this would be a great excuse to blog about my experience setting up WHS with Media Center.  Yes, I know others have blogged about this, but I am probably the dumbest, so I am sure I will make mistakes they never dreamed about and this should help you avoid them.

Just to kick things off, here's a short list of the equipment I am using and/or have just purchased (don't tell the wife!):

Tried and true "workhorse" computer for burning DVDs, testing installs, etc.

Dell Dimension 8400 P4 3.2 ghz with upgraded ATI Graphics card (well, pretty much everything but the motherboard, case and processor are upgraded).  Runs Vista Ultimate.  I love this computer and plan to keep it running as long as I can.  This is my version of a 1954 DeSoto in the garage.

Windows Home Server

I went with the Velocity Micro NetMagix HQ Home Server.  I added one 500 GB HDD for a total of 1TB, which will still probably be stretched with the amount of DVDs I plan to burn.  It comes with 1GB of RAM and a Dual Core 1.6Ghz processor. 

I really liked the way the HP MediaSmart server looked and the awesome usability of the snap-in drives, but no matter how many people tell me I don't need a lot of power in these things, I got a queasy feeling when I thought of only having 512mb of RAM and a Sempron processor with a machine that was going to serve up so much media - possibly to 3 clients at the same time. 

Media Extenders

All media Extenders SUCK!   I can't believe that we cannot stream pure DVD files (Video_TS) to any of the existing Media Extenders (Linksys, D-Link, etc.).  I know there may be one or two exceptions out there, but they are typically no-name brands or have other flaws which make the DVD streaming not worth it.  So I decided to take it another way.

I need two extenders:  1 for the Master Bedroom and 1 for the main viewing area in the family room.  I want to have flawless performance an no issues with video streaming or other extender nonsense, so I threw out the extender completely and went with the HP Pavilion Slimline S3300f.  This is a MediaCenter oriented computer for under $1000 (I got mine at $779).  It comes LOADED with a Blu-Ray/HD DVD drive, 500GB standard HDD, 2GB of RAM (I'll probably upgrade that later), and an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ (2.8 GHz).  I'm sure I'll find some flaws somewhere, but how did they pack all of this into such a cheap computer?  The graphics card is an Nvidia 8500GT.  The only thing I may immediately regret is the onboard audio (HD 6 channel) but that remains to be seen.  There is a TV tuner included (and a MediaCenter Remote).  But I don't intend to try and watch cable through MediaCenter untilt hey fix the issues they have with HD cable and Switched Digital cable (see my earlier post on these shortcomings).

In the Master Bedroom, I decided to save money by going with a cheaper solution, which I believe beats any of the other extender options out there today.  It is called the xbox media center (xbmc for short).  If you still have an old xbox lying around unused (as I do), you need about $50 worth of equipment to modify it to use this software.  I would have blogged about how to do this myself, but the instructions are already well covered.  I have a buddy who is using this right now and I have seen first hand how it will play the Video_TS files flawlessly and it has myriad other features.

Router

To pass the wife test, I have to have minimal wires on this setup.  So I have decided to put a D-Link Wireless N router in the family room along with the cable modem.  This allows me to have wired connections to the WHS (required) and to the main media center box for optimal viewing.  It will also allow me to have the highest possible bandwidth available to my second extender and the "workhorse" machine.  Plus, this router also has 10/100/1000 capability.

And of course I am finding all sorts of additional knick knacks to purchase.  A pair of CyberPower UPSs, for instance, as well as two wireless N gaming adapters to connect the wireless machines.

Stay tuned, once the WHS arrives, I will cover the unpacking and setup closely to let you know what I find, what I screw up, and what I did right.

Cheers.