[Tfug] My next HW/SW integration masterpiece

[ewf]

       I have a 1.7Ghz machine that's just sitting around. I want it to 
replace several components
in my entertainment center, namely the TV set and the  DVD. A TV set is 
actually two componenets
1) a receiver/decoder of NTSC signal and  2) a display.  The computer 
can obviously do 2), but
can it do 1)?  I think the answer is yes, because you can get a PCI 
component with a TV tuner
on it to plug into the PC, but what about the SW to support this? Is 
there S/W that decodes
NTSC? No, I'm not going to get into digital TV reception since the 
subscription rates are high
and I have poor control of content. (Comments anyone?)

        A computer with a DVD R/W is obviously better, (and probably 
cheaper), than a stand-
alone DVD component with R/W capability. Adding a 120G drive makes it a 
TiVo, (without
the snooping that that company does on its subscribers),  (Comments anyone?)

        Adding a NIC as a final touch allows you the ability to 
edit/save MPEG data in the
comfort of your study instead of fiddling with buttons/wires at your 
entertainment center.

       Maybe this isn't practical. You're talking to a guy that's always 
found more entertainment
in the back of a TV set than in front of one :-)


                                                                        
                                                                        
Cheers,
                                                                        
                                                                        
Erich