Anyone have a HTPC guide? (Hmm... proximon???)

Anyone link me a guide to a good HTPC components guide, like proximon's sticky at the top?

I just recently built a gaming comp a few months ago and am looking to build a HTPC. From what I've read in the forums, (and please correct me if im wrong) HTPC is basically opposite of a gaming PC...
-Low power/heat consumption
-More CPU intensive than GPU, meaning I dont care about GPU performance that much except for the connections (DVI, HDMI)
-AMD>Intel processors are generally better for HTPC
-Size, not performance matters for HDD (something like WD Green?)
-No overclocking (more heat)

here's what im hoping to do on my HTPC:
-watch .mkv files that i ripped/downloaded
-lightly browse the web
-Tivo and DVR stuff not important at all (i rarely record stuff)
-Watch DVDs for now, upgrade to blu-ray drive eventually.
-Connect it to my 1080p 46" samsung lcd tv.

Questions:
-How to choose AMD processor/Mobo for HTPC
-How much power PSU needs
-I see that everyone has a TV Tuner. If i dont want/need DVR and own a comcast cable box, do I still need one? If so, how to choose?
-Does the DTV transition affect anything?

Thanks to everyone on TH forums!

proximon!! thanks for your help.

i have compiled my components so far:

CPU:
AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103255

MoBo:
ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131324

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136317

PSU:
Antec earthwatts EA380 380W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371005

GPU:
SAPPHIRE 100252HDMI Radeon HD 4550 512MB 64-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Low Profile Ready Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102819


questions:
-why the 5050e over the 4850e?
-if i choose either the gigabyte mobo you linked me or the asus mobo, do i even need the 4550 GPU? is integrated good enough for 1080p blu ray watching? (also, which is better)
-im planning on using W7 but can't decide whether to get 2GB of ram+32bit W7 or 4GB+64bit W7
-is there anything worth waiting for between now and the end of the year? im not in that big of a hurry.

thank you proximon! you helped me on my last gaming build and i appreciate your time.

^ IIRC that GPU is the HD3200 which is def. capable of hi def, and its even paired with a dual core 2.5Ghz AMD Athlon shouldn't be a problem.

If you have 2GB you probably don't need the 64-bit OS. You won't see much difference, my HTPC rig has 1GB DDR ram its plays VC-1/ Bluray fine. Browsing is quick and applications are fast anyways.