Digital Home Thoughts: Roll Your Own HTPC

"These days, it’s easy to build a PC that’s quiet enough to be virtually unheard, yet powerful enough to play all the high-definition video that’s currently available. And making the proposition even more appealing, there are software frontends like Boxee and the new Hulu Desktop that let you harness all that hardware power in an easy-to-use, remote-friendly interface that combines the massive library of streaming video on the web with the DRM-free content you rip from discs or purchase legally on the web. We’ll introduce you to a couple of the options, then help you configure our favorite. By combining a few hundred bucks’ worth of hardware with a free software app and your broadband connection, you can reduce the money you spend on entertainment from $100 a month to $100 a year."

Agreed, depending on your watching habits, paying for cable these days can be quite a rip. If you can get the networks over the air in high-def for free or via Hulu and are willing to pay a couple of bucks for some on-line rentals you can get a lot of entertainment for a little money. If you are also willing to kick in for Netflix, between their Watch Instantly feature and DVD plans, you should have most shows and movies covered for significantly less than cable.