The Problem:

It has been decided that we need a home theater computer (HTPC). Cases designed for the purpose are either expensive, ugly, or they won’t fit properly with the rest of the audio/video components on the shelf. Besides, building one will be much more fun.

The Solution:

I found a nice Sony 5-disc CD player at a yard sale for $5. The plan is to cram a micro-ATX motherboard complete with all the necessities for a fully-functional machine inside. There are plenty of boards with on-board graphics and digital audio that can handle HD video as well as surround sound, so that will help keep costs down and the build simpler. The case is just about the right size for a standard power supply unit, and there should be no need for add-in cards with Ethernet, video and audio all on-board. I also plan to install an LCD display to replace the one in the original CD player.

The Results (So Far):

First, disassembling the CD player. This involved a lot of unscrewing, but not much else. Fortunately, even though the outer casing was screwed right into the internals of the CD player, the four parts that make up the case fit together quite nicely afterwards.

The CD Player	Taken apart
Another view	Reassembled, minus the internals