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 gaming 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] HTPC characteristics

Beyond functioning as a standard PC, all HTPCs 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 HTPCs are designed to be connected to a television. All HTPCs should feature a TV-out option, using either a HDMI, DVI, Component Video, VGA (for some LCD televisions), or S-Video output.

[edit] Quiet / minimal noise

See also: Quiet PC#Silencing methods

A common user complaint with using standard PCs as HTPC units is background noise. This is especially important in quieter scenes of films. 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, low-speed fans, vibration-absorbing elastic mounts for fans and hard drives, and other minimal noise devices are used in place of conventional cooling systems. Putting the operating system on 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. In fact, some HTPCs will be inaudible from a viewer's position.[citation needed]

[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. Due to restrictions on internal space for hard disc drives and a desire for low noise levels, many HTPC units utilise a file server across a network. Some HTPC units also feature a DVD writer to help users copy and move their media.

[edit] Advantages

Advantages over dedicated media devices may include the following:

[edit] Quality

HTPCs may support high-definition television and surround sound. Upsampling DVDs to 720p, or even 1080p/i, for display on a connected HDTV will give a picture that rivals some 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, except for some premium HDTV channels, which are encrypted and can only be time-shifted with a CableLabs-certified device like a TiVo Series 3.

[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, which tends to use more power and produce more heat than dedicated media devices. The less expensive fans and drives used in entry-level HTPCs are quite noisy.

[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 easy for the average computer user to set up. 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 theater setups.

[edit] Gaming

Computer games work on HTPCs, but few are designed specifically for them. Games designed for a generic PC also tend to draw text using small fonts that are difficult to read on a standard-definition TV. Generic PC games also tend to allow only one player per machine, 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

[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 manufacturers

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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