We got an email from a small local telecommunications firm a few weeks ago to inform us that they are now offering fiber optic TV/Web/Phone service in our area.  We aren’t interested in TV or phone, but I think I’ve been clear that I’m interested in internet service.  When we moved in four years ago this local outfit was circulating some polls to find out who was interested and what their market might look like.  They were quoting some pretty high preliminary pricing and I was offended having just moved from a place where there were options, but as someone reminded me, I now had no options.  So fine, yes, proceed!  Make it so.

Wait four years.  Tada!

Unfortunately for them, and I may have already mentioned this, Fairpoint has also in that time committed itself to providing service.  And while the little guy’s pricing is a little more competitive now than it was theorized and their website lists all the reasons Fiber is better, they’ve gone and offered a service which is none of those things and still comparatively higher than Fairpoint.  I pulled my car over a few weeks ago and engaged a Fairpoint lineman in a conversation wherein he revealed they’d be throwing the switch on that box down the street by September, maybe earlier.  I’ve waited four years, I can wait four weeks.

What I could not wait for was the home theater PC.  I had wish listed all of the items for a DIY machine featured here back in May but was sitting on it.  In the interim, I purchased two 2 terabyte drives (4 terabytes total) and put them inside this box.  I then set about filling them with all my video media in anticipation of the HTPC.  Now that I can definitely gouge myself with internet today or wait a few weeks with the hope for a cheaper option, I couldn’t resist putting together the PC.

So I ordered it almost exactly as I specified originally.  The motherboard was discontinued along the way and I had to find a substitute.  I also found a newer, more efficient and powerful processor for only a few dollars more.  But it’s basically the same.  Stuff changes rapidly.  The parts will be here this week hopefully and it’ll be generally operational before internet arrives.  I did a mock-up of the media center with my laptop where it was online and it scraped the internet for cover art and movie/TV summaries automatically.  It was awesome, I’m psyched!

Oh, I went with this handy remote for it.  I do have two apps on my phone for controlling the media center and the PC but it’s really only a novelty.  They’re a little awkward and what are you supposed to tell someone visiting who doesn’t have the apps?