Best living room computer

[50words]

I was looking at the Mac Mini, but the new Dell Studio line is pretty sweet.

Requirements:


Small
Good-looking
Slot-loading drive


The System76 Koala Mini is, unfortunately, just too ugly to sit in my living room. We have a sleek, "mod" decorating style, and the computer needs to fit in.

I am neutral on OS choice, as well.

It does not have to be fancy; I just want it to sit in the living room, serve up movies and music, and occasionally do computer-y tasks.

What would you get, and why? (Clarification: I am not interested in making my own. At all.)

[tuxxy]

It you just want to serve up movies and music and the odd task for you, I would choose Ubuntu.

[50words]

That does not really help me determine which computer to get. :(

[tuxxy]

Well if i wanted to run Ubuntu then it would be a Dell but I always prefer making my own :)

[renzokuken]

+1 for making your own......there are some very cool minicases about

[mips]

I would build something that was fanless (the fan noise is annoying) and put it in a nice wide/flat multimedia case designed for this purpose. Headless or otherwise a small touch screen would be cool.

[madjr]

http://www.zareason.com

has some nice small ones

also, the everex gPC mini is good too

[billgoldberg]

I would get a shuttle pc.

They are great and come with windows or foresight linux.

And I think they look great.

http://us.shuttle.com/KPC/index.htm

[Dr Small]

I would build something that was fanless (the fan noise is annoying) and put it in a nice wide/flat multimedia case designed for this purpose. Headless or otherwise a small touch screen would be cool.
I love fans! I have a big 120mm fan in the back of my system running on high :)

[50words]

I would get a shuttle pc.

They are great and come with windows or foresight linux.

And I think they look great.

http://us.shuttle.com/KPC/index.htm

I forgot about the Shuttles. They are pretty nice-looking, but no option for a slot-loading drive or for Vista Premium, which is required for Media Center.

Too bad, though. I like them.

[50words]

Headless or otherwise a small touch screen would be cool.

I intend to have this hooked up to a 37" flat panel, not headless. I want this to be the media center, not just a file server.

[madjr]

I forgot about the Shuttles. They are pretty nice-looking, but no option for a slot-loading drive or for Vista Premium, which is required for Media Center.

Too bad, though. I like them.

they got drives now: K4800

Optical Drive
The KPC K4500 comes without optical drive to keep it simple for users who use the system mainly as an Internet box. It’s also a great feature for users who wish to minimize the risk of data leaks – making it more difficult to copy large files to disc. For users who desire a bit more expandability, the KPC K4800 comes with a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive (DVD+-RW optional).

http://us.shuttle.com/KPC/Kseries_Images/Kseries_opticalDrive.jpg

this one got drive too:
http://www.zareason.com/shop/product.php?productid=16164&cat=0&page=1


vista for?

[50words]

Problem is that it looks terrible with that DVD drawer. I'm not sure the graphics card would drive a big TV, either. It's a couple generations old.

Vista Home Premium is the cheapest Vista that comes with Media Center, which does the whole FF/RW live TV thing. I'm not all that interested in setting up a MythTV box.

[geogur]

i have a hp 17"w(note book),it`s been in the living room all it`s life. the case has a carbon fiber like treatment it looks as good closed as it dose open . having it on a glass table helps with the cooling. the reason it stays at home it could get damaged lugging it around . i run cad software on it, it can handle design and tool path. for a minimalistic living room a good note book works no wires. HP Pavilion dv9000 . i really like mine.

[billgoldberg]

Problem is that it looks terrible with that DVD drawer. I'm not sure the graphics card would drive a big TV, either. It's a couple generations old.

Vista Home Premium is the cheapest Vista that comes with Media Center, which does the whole FF/RW live TV thing. I'm not all that interested in setting up a MythTV box.

Try this ubuntu based distro:

http://www.earos.dk/

[50words]

Try this ubuntu based distro:

http://www.earos.dk/

Oooh, that's pretty! I might have to give that a try!

[gn2]

The Dell has a laptop CPU so should run very cool and quiet.

It is very expensive though, in the UK you can buy a (Ubuntu friendly) C2D laptop with HDMI for less.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/147937