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Home theater PC

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HTPC is an acronym for Home Theater Personal Computer, describing certain personal computer systems designed solely to be connected to a television for entertainment purposes, such as watching TV, playing DVDs, CD music, or viewing digital pictures. They may also be referred to as media center systems or Media Server units. The general goal in a HTPC is usually to combine many or all components of a home theater setup into one box.

Advantages

Automation

Having all home theater components in one box allows for a much higher degree of automation between different devices. For example, (using the right components) a motion detector might be set up to look for motion only during DVD or TV playback. If motion is detected it might automatically pause the movie/TV, turn up the lights, and play intermission music until the person returns from the lavatory. Another example is if the phone rings to automatically pause the DVD/TV, turn the lights up, and display the caller's details on the screen. This degree of automation is not easily attainable with most normal home theater setups.

Quality

Video output from a HTPC is a much higher resolution than common standard definition home theater components. Upsampling DVDs to 720p for display on a connected HDTV will give a picture that rivals far more expensive dedicated home theater equipment. Depending on the equipment used, audio can also experience a noticeable quality improvement.

Digital video recording

Computer-based ReplayTV-like software that enables the PC to record video from the television signal generally has no monthly subscription fees. Television shows can generally be set to record on your HTPC from any computer in the world with an Internet connection or even your mobile phone. Recording space can easily be upgraded, and/or shows can be burned to DVD. These features are also possible with HDTV when using an HDTV tuner card & appropriate software.

One media location

HTPCs often include online storage of music and movies, usually "ripped" from the original media onto hard disks. This allows more convenient access to the content, as well as searching by artist, genre, director, etc. This can be located in a media server that the HTPC connects to.

Other common features of a HTPC might include digital photo albums, weather information, news headlines, whole house lighting/appliance control, caller ID, and the ability to use your current remote for all your HTPC devices.

Disadvantages

Noise

If not built properly a HTPC can be quite noisy. Most of the noise is produced from the fans that are needed to cool the heat-producing parts of the computer. The balance between noise and operational temperature needs to be considered to avoid noise or operational problems. Fortunately there are many products designed with quiet operation as a priority, such as low-decibel fans and heat sinks.One method of reducing noise in an HTPC is to use a flash drive on a basic computer, and run just an operating system and the media software from the flash drive, while the media files that are accessed are stored on another computer in the network (files generated from PVR are also saved on the network computer.) This solution allows for the HTPC to have minimal parts, reducing noise from the hardrive, as well as reducing heat generated by a harddrive. Liquid Cooling is a relatively expensive, but quiet solution to noise.

Setup/maintenance

Because HTPCs are far from mainstream, a lot of the commonly used software is not user friendly in respect to the average computer user (difficult to set up, not necessarily difficult to use). Generally, setting up HTPC software seems to be geared for people who are already very comfortable behind a computer. As HTPCs become more commonplace in the home, software companies will probably pay closer attention to this issue. If one is not comfortable taking a computer apart, editing XML files, and digging through the registry or config files, then setting up a HTPC might be a bit overwhelming. However, once properly set up, they can be easier to use than most component home theatre setups.

Cost

Building and maintaining a HTPC is usually quite expensive. The minimum hardware requirements are attainable on an average consumer budget, but the kind of people who normally want a HTPC usually want more top-of-the-line hardware, so the price tends to run away more than they expected. For the hardware, at the very least the following is needed: computer-case, Motherboard, CPU, memory, Hard drive, DVD-ROM drive and TV Tuner Adapter. However the owner would probably want some optional/upgrade components as well, like a specially HTPC-designed computer-case (which normally looks like a stand-alone DVD-player or VCR), a computer IR remote-control, and a flash memory-card reader.

List of commonly used HTPC components

Digital video recording software

HTPC hardware

HTPC characteristics

Beyond functioning as a standard PC, all HTPC's have three additional characteristics in common:

  • Television connectivity
  • Quiet / minimal noise during operation
  • High storage capacities

Television Connectivity

Standard PC units are usually connected to a CRT or LCD display, while HTPC's are designed to be connected to a television. All HTPC's should feature a TV-out option, using either a HDMI, DVI, Component Video, or S-Video output.

Quiet / Minimal Noise

A common user complaint with using standard PC's as HTPC units is background noise. Most computers are designed for maximum performance or clock speed, while the functions of a HTPC system may not be processor-intensive. Thus, passive cooling systems, enhanced "quiet" fans & other minimal noise devices are used in place of conventional cooling systems.

Higher Storage Capacities

Due to the nature of the HTPC, higher than average capacities are required for HTPC units to allow storage of pictures, music, television shows, videos, and other multimedia. Designed almost as a "permanent storage" device, space can quickly run out on these devices. Some HTPC units also feature a DVD writer to help users copy and move their media.

HTPC Manufacturers

See also

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