If you're a hardcore HD guy (which I think you are), you would quickly outgrow your storage space needs. The NAS route is the way to go.

Oh, don't go with the wifi router. Get a proper Gigabit switch (or a Gigabit / Wifi combo switch) if you're gonna stream HD files. Else, go with the homeplug thingy but you would still invest in a switch.

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Added on November 3, 2010, 4:18 pmHow to overcome? Get a switch (if you don't have one) and get a localised network storage area (NAS) for file storage. Transfer your files over the network. Stream your files over the network. No unplug / plug of hard disk.

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Added on November 3, 2010, 4:20 pmHow fast does a 1080p file transfer over a Gigabit network? An 8GB file would take less than 1.5 minutes. That's assuming your NAS and the hardisk in your PC is able to handle more than 100MB/s transfer. I've tried transferring large files over wireless. Before you know it, your wireless will drop connection and you have to start all over again.

I download straight to NAS and then automatically unrar the files. If you don't store a lot of HD files, then perhaps the NAS solution is overkill. But if you have a media player, I assume you'll be playing a lot of movie files?

This post has been edited by jchue73: Nov 3 2010, 04:20 PM

Try http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/

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Added on November 4, 2010, 12:01 pmThat's correct. I myself am still learning and the amount of info out there is too much that it's very confusing. Anyway, because of the myrid of ways media files are encoded, you would be able to tweak the PC while you would need a firmware update from the manufacturer of the media player if they ever get to updating firmwares.

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Added on November 4, 2010, 12:02 pmI'm just using an old ATI 2600XT. With the latest drivers, I'm quite satisfied with the DVI / HDMI output. I'm just using analogue audio. Nothing fancy at the moment. What problems are you facing? Judder?

If it's choppy, perhaps the player is not configured to use DXVA. It's probably using pure CPU power to decode and the problem would be made worse if you have a weak CPU. You can check via Task Manager to see what is the percentage of CPU usage during playback.

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Added on November 4, 2010, 12:03 pmI always think it's way overpriced. RM 2400 can buy you a lot PC related stuff.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Nov 4 2010, 12:03 PM

You need a lot of CPU power if it's solely using CPU to decode If you use a weak CPU like AMD or even lower end Intel ones, you would not have enough horsepower. Trick is to configure the player to use DXVA acceleration.

Concerning quality of 720p and 1080p files, it depends on how they are encoded and more importantly how good the source is.

On HDMI cables, if you don't have a more than RM 20k TV or TV with 3D support or if you're only using not more than 1.5m cable length, you will be hard pressed to see any difference between the cheap and expensive HDMI cable. My advise? Stick with what is comfortable with your wallet.