Motherboard/Processor combo?

[DynamoBen]

I have the following already:
Power supply
HDs (1 gig for OS using 98lite, 40 gig for data)
Case (hold ATX MB)

Here is my question. I would like to stick with an ATX motherboard, allows for future expansion later.
I'm creating a Tivo style box that will also do some lighting control/caller ID stuff. I'm not planning on doing any DVD playback/recording.

Here is my question what size processor should I be looking at? Anything special I will want on the MB? (IE onboard audio, onboard video, onboard S-video out)
Should I do onboard s-video out or PCI with VGA and S-video out?
Also companies like tiger direct run MB/processor combo deals....anything like that out there so this can be a one stop shop?
I want to spend the least amount of money but still ensure that I have the hardware in place for future expansion. (IE more tuner cards)

Any other comments or things to consider while building my htpc?

[Crazedz]

Well i went with a metis 266 case which is a low profile case with a VIA KM266 Chipset atx board in it. I plan on putting my old athlon 1.4 gig (which im useing in my desktop at this time running my system and temperary sagetv system setup till my htpc system is ready) i got a couple years ago into this box and use the new 2500+ i just got in my new desktop system, though i could just as easily have put the 2500+ in the metis case as the proccessor does work in it. The 1.4 gig works just fine for sagetv with only 24 to 30% cpu usage even with 3 tuners encoding and decoding.

As for the s-video out i intend to get a half hieght geforce fx and put into the agp slot on the board and use the hardware asisted decode for less cpu usage on the system during playback. I'll use the onboard 5.1 audio for sound onboard eathernet for internet connection and disable the onboard video since I want to go my own route for video and 6 usb2.0 ports for future expansion via usb tuners if i need more than 3.

Their are atx and mini atx boards out their that can be had for $50+ that will work just fine and from what i have seen the via 266 boards from MSI will work with the newer barton cpu's for better performance and less heat from the cpu (im not so worried about that as the metis case has a vent at the top of the case right above where the cpu sits so a quieter fan can push the cpu heat right out of the case very easily).

Now obviously I don't recomend aMetis 266 to anybody at this point unless they want a low profile system and don't already have tuner/video cards for their HTPC setup as it would be a more expensive route. But for $116 shipped for case and mobo off of Accupc is a nice price when you consider the prices of some cases and mobo's seperately that is of course if you don't already have one or the other.

The one thing i would sugjest is not to go with an onboard intergrated video unless it has hardware asisted video decoding and a onboard s-video or rca out at least. Would be better though if their was also a dvi out for future hdtv support. So i would recomend a seperate video solution or at least a board with the option for offboard video preferably agp which was one of the things that attracted me to the metis it's onboard agp. As agp cards tend to be less expensive than their pci equivelents that i have seen and preform better as well.

Anyway i personally would recomend an offboard video solution to get the benifit of the hardware asisted decoding and for better video output options for now and in the future as better video out options on future video cards come along. And just about any of the newer cpu's will handle multi tuner setups under sage just fine even a now old athlon 1.4 gig cpu or slower should handle sage just fine.

P.S. this will be my last post for a week or so as im disconecting my system so i can finish tearing out the last parts of the old walls in the room so i can finish the remodeling. Something i have been putting off doing up till now ( I expect PC withdrawl symptoms to follow soon after) hopefully i'll be back up and running in the new room before sage 2.0 comes out.