building an entertainment computer?

Question

Hey everyone! I am new to making computers but wish to take on a project over the next year of making a computer with a distinct focus on entertainment, specifically film and music.
What I am wondering is if anyone with good, solid computer knowledge can help me answer a few questions about if what I wish to do is even attainable and perhaps give me pointers or guide me to some sites that might help me.
What I want out of the finished product:
-Allow me to 'plug in' a record player/cd unit
-Allow me to use a 22 inch w/s monitor for movies/etc
-use a 17 inch monitor to place on coffee table for messaging, homework, etc.
-solid audio and output capabilities

What would you reccommend to me, and how much should I set aside for the computer itself?
THANKS GUYS!!
I appericate your help, and hope to learn alot along the way!

I would like to BUILD the computer
buy the box, components, etc myself for the learning experience and customization

I won't be doing video editing or anything0
Just watching tons of movies and listening to lots of music... maybe using the monitor to play PS2 but thtat's about all aside from some simply browsing, downloading music and text word stuff

Answer 1

As long as your not into gaming, a MacPro would be the way to go.
http://www.apple.com/macpro/
they can run Windows too.
FAQs about Macs
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2007-12-05-mac_N.htm
FrontRow
http://www.apple.com/imac/software/frontrow.html

Answer 2

The record-player plugin might be so simple as finding an advanced sound card that has external inputs. The CD player is something you should consider having as a matter of course anyway since your software will probably be distributed on a CD. In fact, a DVD player would be better since some things now come on DVD. Not to mention that it gives you more latitude in music sources.

For the range of monitors you want, look for video cards that have S-video output. ATI has a few. nVidia has a few. Others have the ability as well.

The "solid" audio and output capabilities? Here's the rule of thumb for designing something. Put your money where your goals lie.

You want flexible video? Don't buy a low-end card. ADD to that, don't buy low-end monitors, flat panels, and/or other devices for video. Look into video projectors that take S-video inputs as a possibility.

You want excellent audio? Don't buy a low-end card. ADD to that - don't buy low-end speakers. Check for the styles of speaker setup supported by the cards. Some only allow two channels for stereo. Some allow a third channel for a separate woofer or sub-woofer. A few will go all the way to full Dolby (TM) 5.1 or higher. Read the specs on the audio card.

Now... one more issue. To support this, consider adding a lot of memory. Not just 1 Gb, but maybe 2 or 4 Gb to allow for maximum buffering of the data being read by the players. I won't say you would absolutely need a dual-core system, but they are so common now that it would not hurt to get one. I am going to guess you will need 2.4 GHz+ for the base rate to handle DVD and video out for full sized TVs. Higher rates help.

If you are going to do your own video editing, consider getting a big disk or adding a big disk. If you aren't going to store and edit videos, you don't need quite so much space.

Since we are talking "heavy-duty" video and audio cards, you want to be sure your power supply is slightly bigger than normal and you want to assure that you have proper ventilation. Really good fans will make a difference. The reason is, of course, that you will be pumping a lot of stuff through these cards. Keep 'em cool.

Notice I did not say whether to get a Pentium P4 or an AMD of any type? That is less important than the video card and audio card choices.

If your video includes minicam inputs, some minicams use memories such as SD or SmartMedia or other types of, essentially, big memory chips. There is an interface you can buy based on USB technology that allows you to use seven different types of chip. That makes downloading even easier than firewire or ethernet connections. But only you know what you wanted to do in specific. So take that as an "If" suggestion.