I have a similar problem in my bedroom - I have a small laptop running win7 with a busted monitor though... picked it up for nothing. It is thin enough to fit under the bottom edge of the TV I have in there, and if it is turned so that the DVD player is forward, I really have no need to access any other part (there are 2 USB slots on the same side. I won't turn it on and off much, letting it sleep so that I can turn it on with WakeOnLAN, or I'll have to mod it for a switch on that side... still a pretty good solution.
I'd like to find an IR activated switch so I could turn them on with a clicker, but I haven't found a suitable candidate yet.
Another really good option is a Rasberry Pi, if you don't mind Linux...
But to each their own.
I’d forgotten about Raspberry Pi .... I’ll have to investigate that. Thanks!