Kinda off topic, but is there a demonstrable NEED for an htpc to be located with one's playback system?
I'm doing a big remodel/rebuild on my house and am considering distributing hdmi throughout my house from a centrally located pc (actually through a pair of centrally located pcs with the ability to source select between the pcs at the various hdmi distribution endpoints). That way, I coudl either have the same music/video/radio/tv (windows media center) playing throughout my house (distributing the first computer's hdmi to all playback systems) or listen to tunes in the kitchen while my wife's watching tv in the den (send the first computer's hdmi output to the kitchen playback system and send the second computer's hdmi output to the den's playback system). I'm looking at doing this with hdmi>cat5>hdmi cabling (which I understand to be stable/relatively inexpensive for my requirements) -- this would enable me to put the traditional desktop cpus in a central location and remote control them through a combination of remote desktop access (when the playback system doesn't include a computer interface) or usb/wireless keyboard/mouse (when the playback system includes a computer interface). In non-critical listening environments, speakers would be in-ceiling . . . HAPPY to open a new thread on this if interest, but given the continued interest I see in traditional "local" hdtv boxes, I thought I'd see if I'm missing something fundamental here.
Thanks,