Home theater PC

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A home theater PC, or HTPC for short, is a personal computer connected to a television. It is often used as a digital photo, music, and video player, or as a Computer and video games device. Adding a TV tuner card allows an HTPC to record television as well. 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.

Contents

[edit] Advantages

[edit] 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 video and turn up the lights until the person returns from the lavatory.[citation needed] Another example is if the phone rings to automatically pause the video, turn the lights up, and display the caller's details on the screen.[citation needed] This degree of automation is not easily attainable with most normal home theater setups.

[edit] Quality

Unlike common home theater components, which generally support only high-definition television and stereo sound, HTPCs are more likely to support high-definition television and surround sound. Upsampling DVDs to 720p for display on a connected HDTV will give a picture that rivals far more expensive dedicated home theater equipment.

[edit] Digital video recording

Computer-based digital video recorder software that enables the PC to record video from the television signal generally has no monthly subscription fees. The user can schedule recordings from any computer or mobile phone on the Internet. Recording space can easily be upgraded, and/or shows can be burned to DVD or other removable media. These features are also possible with HDTV when using an HDTV tuner card & appropriate software.

[edit] One media location

HTPCs often include online storage of music and movies, usually copied from the original media or downloaded from the Internet onto the HTPC or media server. This allows more convenient access to the content, as well as searching by artist, genre, director, etc.

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

[edit] Gaming

Advantages over video game consoles include the ability to play games produced by developers who lack the clout to land a publishing license with the console manufacturers, such as amateur developers or smaller studios.

[edit] Disadvantages

[edit] Noise

HTPCs, especially less expensive ones, are built on commodity PC hardware. They tend to produce more heat and thus have louder cooling systems and disk drives than most dedicated DVRs and game consoles. One workaround is to use special low-noise fans and heat sinks are available Putting the operating system on solid-state storage (such as flash memory) and keeping the media on a separate file server elsewhere in the home eliminate the noise and heat generated by a hard drive. liquid cooling is a relatively expensive but effective solution to noise. All three of these techniques are used in the Xbox 360 console, which has some HTPC features.

[edit] Cost

In general, PCs sold as HTPCs tend to be more expensive than ordinary PCs or than dedicated devices. Not all PCs include a TV tuner, a remote control, and a flash memory card reader for loading digital photos. It's common to overengineer the hardware slightly so as to keep playback and recording smooth at all times; this increases cost. A special computer case designed to sit near a TV and look like a DVD player may also increase the price, and some of these need smaller motherboards.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Gaming

Few computer games are designed specifically for home theater PCs. This generally means that each machine allows only one player, and multiplayer gaming requires more than one PC. This makes it difficult to find counterparts to popular party style console games such as Bomberman or the Super Smash Bros. series.

[edit] List of commonly used HTPC software components

[edit] Digital video recording software

[edit] HTPC hardware

  • Hauppauge WinTV PVR Cards
  • nVidia TV-Tuner Cards
  • ATI Theater Cards
  • iMON IR Remotes
  • MCE IR Remotes

[edit] 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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] HTPC manufacturers

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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