Build Your Own Linux Home Theater PC

Filed in archive DIY on May 13, 2005

Looking to build that killer home theater system? We've talked in the past about building a Windows Media Center system and even a Mac Mini home theater system. Now it's time to talk to you penguin addicts out there. ExtremeTech.com has a great tutorial on building a Linux home theater sytem. The tutorial starts by saying:

So, before you embark on trying to build a Linux-based Home Theater PC (HTPC), you have to ask yourself a question: "How much time do I have to dedicate to bringing up a Linux-based HTPC?" If the answer is "not much," then a Linux-based HTPC is probably not something you should build. Assembling the hardware is pretty easy, and the physical assembly process takes a half-hour to 45 minutes. Installing the OS can be a very straightforward affair as well. But installing extra drivers as well as installing and configuring a PVR media application (and its required packages) are not trivial tasks, and the road ahead is laced with hidden potholes.

To paraphrase one forum quote seen during the research phase of this piece: "Buy the beer first, this ain't gonna be easy." But there is some good news here too. Getting a Linux-based HTPC has probably never been easier, though that is admittedly damning with Faint praise. So here then is the tale of our ongoing adventure toward building a Linux-based HTPC.

Obvious it'll take a little more patience building a Linux based theater system, but if you already use Linux you probably have more patience than the average bear.

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