isnt your proposal of giving an example of working hardware, by using the hardware utilized to make the video, the same as this...
http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Video#Equipment_used_in_the_demoNowhere is there a complete description of an actual working useful LinuxMCE system.
but....isnt there? isnt that where you got your "design" from? how do you propose to make it better? you even say you are using whats in the video. are you going to use things that do not work "out of the box" and include simple instructions for getting these other parts to work also? i get a sense of what you are trying to do. if you just use the hardware from the video, theres not much setup required, other than personalization and the basic custom settings. i am not in any way knocking your hard work. its just that something very similar is out there already but you say it isnt. there are already instructions for settin up everything included in the video.
3.1 PC Preparation
3.2 [0:00] Install LinuxMCE
3.3 [0:22] Run the Video Resolution/Audio Setup Wizard
3.4 [0:27] The setup wizard
3.5 [0:30] Watch a DVD
3.6 [0:33] Connect the Gyro Remote
3.7 [0:35] Navigate the media
3.8 [0:38] Rip the disc
3.9 [1:08] Install the TV Tuner
3.10 [1:13] Wait for the guide data
3.11 [1:28] Wait for OrbiterGen
3.12 [1:31] Start MythTV
3.13 [1:36] Schedule shows to record
3.14 [1:38] Wait for MythTV to record some TV shows
3.15 [1:38] Connect a NAS
3.16 [1:40] Browse the media on the NAS
3.17 [2:00] Connect the TV and Receiver
3.18 [2:03] Add my cable box
3.19 [2:06] Use the cable box
3.20 [2:08] Connect the Jukebox
3.21 [2:17] Connect the ZWave Lighting Control
3.22 [2:25] Using scenarios and floorplans explained
3.23 [2:26] Connect the thin client in the kitchen
3.24 [3:05] Connect the thin client in the bedroom
3.25 still typing the rest
also, the bill of materials part.....its relative. people may find things cheaper or not want the same materials as you. they arent held fast to purchase hardware from only a few vendors. so they can search for what they need and prefer. 40 dollars for a fanless cpu cooler? what if someone finds a perfectly good heat sink with a fan? thats just one part. many people will want atsc tv cards also, which that 150 wont do. youve got the board on there from the video which isnt in production anymore....as you even say yourself. so, how do you propose people follow your design with equipment that is either very difficult to find or soon impossible to get at all? anyway, its a good idea. i think you should be a little more dangerous though if you really are that into it. try some things from the forums that people get to work well. maybe even ask other people to help you contribute what they have that works. a single system built on specs that are obsolete, hard to get, or not practical for certain people wont be of much use to many at all. anyway. i think its a good idea, but it could use a little work still.
I think that is a good idea and I was planning on doing the same thing when I installed mine from scratch. Right now there is a lack of info on how to setup things like security systems/HVAC controllers/Cameras and I know I have questions that havn't been answered. That would save some time for people I am sure.
thats what we need. things that are extremely lacking in testing and documentation. try some of those out and make reference designs for those pieces to work next. after you get your basic system set up and stable. that would be extremely helpful.