[Serenus]

I'm from group #6. Which one should I go for?

Zotac ZBOX-AD02-PLUS-U

vs

Apple TV 3

Pros and Cons?

If I opt for the first one, the ZOTAC, which remote control would you guys suggest I pick up? Will I need any additional IR receivers?

[problaze]

From the word go I'd suggest the Zotac over ATV.

You can just do more with a pc than an apple tv....greater "expandability" factor
Plus theres no guarantee when the new ATV will be JB'd etc.

Remote wise try a Harmony remote..(i've got a 650)...

check out pulse eight's remote adapter...or use HP's ir receiver!

[vskatusa]

I would strongly suggest you wait till ATV3 is jailbroken! This is IMHO the best for XBMC.

Acts really like an appliance, quite, consumes very little power and is small!

The main bottleneck in building one, is the complexity of software esp O/S. Microsoft OS does not give you an appliance feel and so is LINUX - Sometimes getting HDMI sound out of LINUX is really bothersome!

[problaze]

vskatusa has a good point.

While you may be group 6 what do you actually need it for? HD-audio, tv tuner etc...
Thats the best way to decide.

[gabbott]

Another thing for the ATV3 is the ease of using netflix if one so wants. With a Zotac you'll pretty much need to run windows as your OS for that to happen and it won't have quite the appliance factor as an ATV3.