This is a tough problem. To watch full HD movies on a computer, you need something which is beefy enough to decode H.264 and VC-1 and yet quiet -- and still, does not cost a fortune. At this moment, you are looking at an Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 CPU at least. Building a whole machine around it will set you back about $5-600 . And then you need an OS. Windows? Codec hell, if you do not firewall it off from the 'Net, a security nightmare, costly... So, we pick Linux. By picking Linux, we exlude ourselves from playing back Blu Ray discs. Ah well. I do not know whether Macintosh is capable of playing these discs -- I suspect not. Heavy DRM only hurts customers...

There is another, less known, but much better (IMO) way: the Networked Media Tank (NMT). These devices use a dedicated Sigma Designs chip to do the heavy lifting, so they are absolutely silent -- only the hard disk will make a sound. This stuff can play back anything you throw at it, and costs a mere $230 without a hard disk and backed by an awesome community.

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