how do i get to watch t.v. on the projectoe i love to watch sports, and i'm new to this love to find out if it can be done thank eddie g

You need a signal converter like the ViewSonic N6. That's what a lot of us are using.

where would i find the viewsonic n6 and the cost thank you

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc....-116-003&depa=0

If anyone else has found a new (not refurb.) N6 for under $175, post a link here.

Best available price is $169 from J&R Music World, and it also has a $30 mail in rebate. Link to N6

But I would go with a full fledged HTPC if you can afford it (or build your own like I and most others have done and a save a bundle).

Spudd could you elaborate on what you have in your pc. Can one really save a lot of money by building one from scratch? I'm not really interested in recording or games. I'll be using mine for just DVD's and DIshnetwork satellite. What would I need for this?

carter,

Much cheaper to build one yourself, especially if you buy a cpu+motherboard bundle from a place like fry's electronics (they have an online site). you can buy only stuff needed for the htpc, and look for rebates and such onmemeory which are readily available on-line and with ofice max, best but, CC etc.

Sure. This is my HTPCs system right now:

AMD Athlon 2400+ XP, Mobile, Barton CPU $76
Corsair 512MB DDR400 RAM, 2.5 CL $65
120GB Maxtor HDD 7200RPM 8MB cache $75
Epox 8RDA+ NForce 2 motherboard using optical out for audio to the receiver $65
Sony 16X DVD drive, model DDU1613/B2s $35
ATI BBA 9600Pro, with 128MB of DDR RAM. $88
Hauppauge 250PVR MPEG2 hardware tuner card $80
DViCO FusionHDTV3 Gold Q high definition tuner card $150
Microsoft Windows: Media Center Edition 2005 operating system $120

Antec CS400B case $60
Wireless HTPC keyboard $20
Fortron 350W PSU $30

Total cost = $864 with today's prices. I've saved thousands of dollars by building my own computers since 1999 after I finally tried it. Before that, I was a slave to the Gateway, Dell etc. computers and their ungodly proprietary parts/assembly.


As far as just watching a DVD and some tv without the ability to do much of anything else, just get a cheap external tuner like the ViewSonic Nextvision 6 and a cheap DVD player. Hook that up to your receiver and speakers, and you're good to go with a real basic setup.

I just dont think I would be able to trust a place called Fry's Electronics for my computer needs. It would be like going to the hospital to have surgery performed by Dr. Death.

if all you are looking for is to be able to add TV, and that is your MUST, then just get a LCDTV. Will have all the imputs, just make sure it is of higher resolution (stay AWAY from the Aquos) and employs the Faroudja scaler inside. They will tell you if they do..........

Else, HTPC is by far the best option for all around scaling.

http://store.yahoo.com/directron/nextvisionn5.html

It doesnt seem to be refurbished unless I missed it.

Still sitting around wondering what type of scaler to go with. HTPC or a simple n6. If I knew that the difference in images were substantial, I would probably go with the HTPC. I would like to see several comparisons and understand what exactly the differences and benefits would be. I plan on watching direct tv and dvds mostly. As far as gaming, we have an X-box. I alread have a tivo. Heck, I guess I need to make up my mind. Had thought about buying a n6 and then, over time build an HTPC. Only thing I hate to pay 160 + for this thing when this could go into parts for an HTPC. A decent HTPC, from what I can gather, can cost between 500-$800. Adding this to a $500-$600 PJ and we are getting into a little change. Decisions-decisions

By the way Mark, my kids had a doctor named Dr. Shotts and I once had a company Doctor named Dr. Die. My kids currently go to a dentist named Dr. Butcher.

It ticks me off. After I finish my projector I'll still need 175 lousy smackers just to be able to connect my stuff to it.

edit: sry NM

delete me!

If you connect it to a PC that you already have there is no cost.
If you purchase a monitor it TV inputs you have no cost.
The N6 is a low cost way to remove the need for a computer.