Which digital media player plays full ripped DVD's ?

I should add that the htpc article you link to is from 2006. There are integrated graphics on motherboards that can do native blu-ray decoding and output the audio and video on hdmi to a receiver. Here is a suitable motherboard (I recently used this for a build): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394. I paid extra for a 45W rated cpu and use a mini-ninja heatsink to keep the noise down.

I don't have any pictures of my setup to hand. I built this a year ago with a slightly earlier motherboard into an Antec htpc case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129054 (I disabled the garish in-case screen & IR receiver as the iMON software sucks) and have a discrete IR blaster instead.

The first time this thing switched on it was so quiet that I didn't realise it was on...

The block diagram is htpc -> receiver -> tv, all over hdmi. The audio is processed by the receiver and the picture passed on to the tv. Haven't measured the power draw of my htpc.