OTHER TECH

TV Tuner: AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe ATSC/NTSC/QAM TV Tuner Card ($84.99)

The whole TV tuner thing used to be a blast before all this digital cable hoopla, so if you live in an area that requires you to use a cable box, you'll probably want to forgo this add-on in favor of a CableCard setup from your provider. If you're able to get straight-from-the-wall cable (I can't get it in Boston without a box, for instance, due to rampant cable theft), then this AVerMedia card will record two channels at once and grabs HD and standard NTSC signals. It's a low-profile card too, so it'll easily fit in our MicroATX case.

Remote Control: KEYSPAN ER-V2 Silver USB Wireless RF Remote ($42.99)

All hail the RF remote, which can magically see around corners and through walls. We've opted for the long-range ER-V2 from KEYSPAN thanks to its low price and solid performance. You'll get a 90-foot range too, which should be enough for most people. I can't remember the last time I sat 90 feet away from a TV without it being inside a stadium of some type.

Operating System: Linux (free) or Windows Vista Home Premium OEM ($99.99)

If you want to keep your costs under control and you don't need a Blu-ray drive, then you've got plenty of free Linux-based options as far as operating systems go. I might suggest loading up Ubuntu Linux and installing the very-excellent Boxee as the UI for all your media files, or you can use any of the various MythTV distros or whatever version of Linux you're most comfortable with. If you don't mind paying a bit extra and you want Blu-ray though, the path of least resistance is to go with an OEM version Vista Home Premium, which has a pretty nice interface in its Windows Media Center that's available in the Premium and Ultimate editions. The Blu-ray format uses a DRM system that's supported by Windows but not by Linux, although it's not impossible to get a Blu-ray movie to play in a Linux environment (see here for a how-to).

Optical Drive: None (free) or LG GGC-H20L HD DVD/Blu-ray combo drive ($104.99)

What year is this? Who recommends an HD DVD drive? Normally I wouldn't, but this LG combo drive is relatively inexpensive at $104.99, and it just happens to play HD DVD discs as well as the current Blu-ray standard. Who knows, maybe you have some HD DVDs from the days of the optical format war -- they can be picked up for next to nothing too. If you're going to go the Linux route, you can do away with an optical drive altogether or use whatever DVD burner, CD burner, or combo drive suits you best. Most of the distros can be easily loaded from a thumb drive or over a network, though it might be nice to be able to burn discs of downloaded content. Plus, your PS3 or BD player are probably handling your optical duties just fine.

TOTAL COST: $562.92 (Linux version) or $767.90 (Vista version)

For our money, the cheap version is the way to go. You probably don't need that optical drive, even though it's nice to have a Blu-ray option, something the Mac Mini doesn't offer. Plus, you'll get a little extra enjoyment out of your digital movie collection when you know you're watching it on something you built yourself.