Looking around the industry as we put the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) behind us, there seems to be an almost palatable stillness in the air, something akin to the calm before the storm. It seems like everyone is waiting with bated breath for some kind of technology that will act as a “magic pill” that, when used with the general population, will suddenly bring the nirvana of the Connected Home to everyone. I am not quite sure there is such a thing…
In a recent article, a contributing author for a well know website claimed that the “Home Theater PC is dead!” in his subject line for a recent article. As with other times I’ve shied away from the “shock” titles, I find myself needing to politely disagree with the author. I’m sorry Buddy, the HTPC is not dead!
Although the “death of the HTPC” claim was overwhelmingly met with disagreement by readers, I suppose in retrospect the use of a “shock” statement as the subject line did work to bring in the readership (I also figure that gives me the right to use it, though my meaning should be obvious). In addition, I think that the author vastly underestimates how capable the “typical user” is by saying they have “a hard enough time using a PC to surf the web”. Perhaps this applies to some of the older generation, but considering that most of us have had computers around us for a large portion of our lives, I think that most people might be a bit more proficient on the PC than was alluded to. You might as well lump Macs in there too because there really isn’t a whole lot of difference in operation, sorry!
To proceed further, it seems necessary to define exactly what an HTPC is in the first place…
HTPC Defined…?
At its most basic level, I would define the HTPC as: A personal computer (Windows, Linux, Mac) that when configured properly and connected to an HDTV, allows the user to output audio and video either through the Home Theater system or directly to the HDTV.
The thing to realize here, and what validates my objection to claiming that the HTPC is dead, is that an HTPC can truly be built with just about any combination of hardware, operating system, and media center software you can think of!
There is nothing out there that says a HTPC has to be a full-blown Windows 7 Home Premium machine using only Windows Media Center 7. Is that what I am using currently? Yes, because it is a great set up, especially when combined with Windows Home Server. But as I just mentioned, a HTPC can be comprised of a whole range of options ranging from the hardware used to the operating system and media center software; so can its definition really be expanded beyond my over-generalized attempt?
Perhaps it would help us to define the HTPC better by first starting off with its potential uses…
HTPC! Uh! What are they so good for? Absolutely Everything!
Ok, perhaps not everything, but as mentioned above the HTPC’s most basic purpose is to play audio and/or video content through your Home Theater’s sound system and/or TV.
Beyond that though, the thing to remember is that anything you can do on your home PC, you can do on your HTPC as well; and every once in awhile it is nice to be able to kick back on the couch and surf the web on a big-screen TV while you are streaming Windows media from the web or your local collection or [Insert your own personal “vision” here].
Depending on the hardware and software choices you make when building or buying your HTPC, you can also use it to:
– Rip & burn (legally), compose, and stream audio content.
– Watch Blu-ray and DVD movies; even stream them to other computers (and TVs) throughout your home.
– Pause Live TV and catch all your favorite shows with a fully functional DVR (Digital Video Recorder) that can record up to 4 channels (with the right tuner card) of HD quality content.
– Surf the web. Trust me, having the ability to quickly look something up without having to pull out a laptop, netbook, or tablet is just as, if not more convenient! Imagine having to walk to the other room to use the Internet! Kidding, but you get my point…
– Play games. Perhaps you already have a console system, but there are always some games that are PC only. Enjoy playing any PC game in full HD glory with accompanying surround sound and you’ll see what I mean.
Thinking about buying a new Blu-ray player? How about a TiVo or other DVR? Why not use a HTPC to consolidate your DVD / Blu-ray, DVR, iPod dock, and other Home Theater components into one solid (and good looking) piece of technology that will keep growing and adapting to your Home Entertainment needs?
The Hardware
One of the best attributes of a HTPC is its flexibility. Whether you build your own HTPC or buy a high-end system that was built by a well established company, you have the choice over how much power you’ll need.
Getting into the details of what you have under your HTPC’s “hood” is outside the scope of this article but the specific features and desired functionality that you came away with from the list above will play a big part in the direction you go. The more functionality you would like with your HTPC, obviously the more powerful it should be within reason. What this means is unless you are doing a lot of video encoding or other CPU intensive tasks, you don’t need that much power. My personal HTPC is built from the guts of my old gaming rig from before Iraq, we’re talking about a Core 2 Duo and 4Gb Ram and it runs great! Literally 90% of my TV interaction is via my HTPC and includes watching TV, movies, streaming music, etc. I even write from there sometimes. It is easy, and it is comfortable…what’s not to like again?
More power typically means you’ll need a bigger case as well because you will need to fit a decent video card as well as a TV tuner or Cablecard. With the more horsepower, the bigger case becomes essential for cooling purposes and, to be honest, aesthetics. While any Atom based mini-computers out there can make for a pretty decent HTPC experience for a lot of people, you’ll need some more “oomph” if you’re looking to have decent DVR functionality or something along those lines out of this machine. Luckily for us, there are still a number of manufacturers out there that make amazing HTPC cases that fit perfectly in your AV stack or entertainment center.
Some cases, such as the Zalman HD160XT (my current HTPC case), have a small LCD screen on the front. The screen is obviously too small for manipulating the desktop for any amount of time, but if you split your screens between the 7″ and your HDTV, you can use the smaller screen for miscellaneous things like displaying time, weather, or other monitoring software. I like to throw Winamp over on that screen and have it playing full screen with the visualization going while I do whatever on the big screen. Basically, it’s your world to create; having this kind of flexibility gives you the ability to create your home entertainment environment to your tastes and specifications. Having options is a good thing!
Since we are skipping the details of the guts of these rigs for now, the only other thing left to discuss are your input options. I find it almost comical when I see some people’s posts about the notion of having a keyboard in ones living room and about how this concept somehow must be going against some unwritten rules of living room technology etiquette. It almost reminds me of a snooty person gasping “Why…I Never!”.
Really? Is it really so strange and taboo to have a keyboard in the living room? I suppose it depends on personal preference in the end but none of my friends have laughed at me for having a keyboard in my living room!;) While there are a bunch of choices for wireless keyboards and mice, my recommendation for interacting with your HTPC goes hands down to the Gyration Air Music Remote combined with the Gyration Compact Keyboard. The keyboard is nice and small so won’t look to out of place in the living room and both have a 30′ range due to being Radio Frequency (RF).
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