OT: Are PCs getting more difficult or is it just me?

Got a big telly.

As the telly had a PC input, realised it would be nice to grab an older PC and connect it into the telly. Dell reappears from the loft, blinking in the light.

Realise that for PC to give of its best at higher resolutions, the on-board graphics aren't up to it so seek out a new graphics card that's capable of 1080p and fits the Dell (PCI) motherboard, and get a cable to go from the DVI to HDMI

Brilliant. I can't read the screen from my chair at 1080, but it's still lovely.

Decide that it's a shame not to use the screen for hi-def video, so buy an LG blu-ray/HD-DVD drive.

Realise that the drive is Sata, which is beyond the Dell motherboard.

Find a new tiddly mini-itx motherboard with a PCI slot for the new graphics card and sata controllers for the DVD (and hooj HDD I bought a while back but didn't use).

Build it all up, install Vista. Marvel at the lovliness of it all, and celebrate by taking advantage of the HMV sale buy scoring 3 HD-DVD films for about £9.

Then I run the HD video checker that came with the drive. Oh yes, everything's wonderful and it should play high def films fine except for one little thing... the graphics card doesn't support HDCP.

Bugger.

And is there a PCI HDCP compliant card out there? No.PCI-E, yes, PCI, no.

So can I fit a PCI-E card on the motherboard? No. It's got one slot and that's PCI. Decide that the best course of action is to leave the PC as a small and perfectly formed DVD-based media centre, and consider getting a standalone blue ray player next year.

None of which will play the HD-DVD disks that should be dropping on my mat tomorrow morning.

Bugger.
--
Gyp
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