Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Display
Sharp LC-42SB48UT
(
http://www.sharpusa.com
)
The most prominent component of any media center system is, of course, the
display. Our old analog 27” television obviously wasn't going to cut it as a me-
dia center display, so with some trepidation we visited the Costco website.
Our two primary criteria were full HDTV 1080p support (1920
×
1080 resolution)
and a 40” to 42” screen (about the largest we have room for). We expected the
model we'd want would cost $1,500 or so.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that 1080p support is now almost univer-
sal, and that 42” models were quite affordable. After carefully checking specifi-
cations and reviews, we settled on the Sharp LC-42SB48UT, the least expensive
42” 1080p model that Costco offered. The price was only $600.
The LC-42SB48UT lacks some of the bells-and-whistles features of more expen-
sive models—LED backlighting, picture-in-picture, picture-outside-picture, and
so on—but it's more than adequate for our needs. The image quality is excel-
lent, and the unit provides a plethora of I/O connectors, including no fewer
than four HDMI/HDCP ports. At 6.5 ms, the response time is fast enough even
for most gaming.
Obviously, you needn't buy a display if you already have a 1080p HDTV with
the necessary inputs. If you have a 720p HDTV, make sure the video out on the
motherboard or video adapter you choose supports 720p resolution.
CaseandPowerSupply
Antec NSK-2480
(
http://www.antec.com
)
Antec Fusion Remote
(
http://www.antec.com
)
If appearance doesn't matter, you can, of course, build your media center sys-
tem in a standard computer case. But for many people, the critical
Spousal-
Unit Approval
(SUA) criterion (otherwise known as, “You're not putting
that
in
my den!”) demands a case that matches standard home-audio components
in size and appearance as closely as possible. Barbara has a sense of humor
about these things. Many spouses do not, so it's worth checking before you
purchase a case.
When we were designing our media center system, we visited NewEgg to
see which media center cases they offered. There were 77 media center cases
available, ranging from $40 to $60 no-name units we wouldn't use on a bet to
a $600 Zalman unit that we wouldn't pay for on a bet.
Decide first if you need a front-panel display and, if so, which type. Many me-
dia center cases use LED or LCD displays, which we think are less than ideally
suited for that purpose. Some media center cases use a
vacuum-fluorescent
display
(VFD), which we prefer. Particularly if you intend to include PVR func-
tionality in your media center system and will use a 10-foot interface rather
than a standard PC desktop interface, the display
may
be worth having. Oth-
erwise, we consider it a distraction, and an expensive one at that.
