Home Theatre PC (HTPC)
For quite a while I've thought that it would be useful to have a computer in the living room. It could be connected to the television, stereo and Internet, and would serve many functions:
- Personal Video Recorder (PVR) - like Tivo, with which you can watch, pause, rewind and then fast forward live TV, make quality recordings of shows, browse an interactive programming guide (like the ones on digital cable or satellite service), search for upcoming episodes of my favourite shows, and easily schedule recordings in the future. The DVD writer allows burning of recorded shows to disc.
- DVD Player - with basic software like Intervideo's WinDVD (or even Microsoft Windows Media Player), and onboard digital sound, the DVD drive and sound card in the HTPC could replace my seperate DVD/CD player. When connected to an HDTV, DVDs can be scaled up using software to higher resolutions than normal, improving the viewing experience.
- MP3 Music Player - because the HTPC is connected to the home network and to my stereo receiver, it would have access to the entire MP3 music collection stored on my file server, and I could play music through the receiver for high quality sound.
- Game System - of course, the computer can run any software designed for PC, including video games, some of which are much more fun to play on a large television screen. Emulators, which let you play all of the old arcade and console classics, are also fun on the TV. USB game controllers could be connected to the front panel of the system, just like with a console system like the XBox or Playstation, and digital 5.1 surround sound through the stereo receiver could be used for immersive gameplay.
- Photo Browser - the HTPC could be used to view all of my photos stored on the file server.
- Internet Browser - all Internet uses would be available, including web browsing, email usage, file downloads, etc.
- Anything else a computer is used for - since it is just a regular PC in disguise, the HTPC can be used for anything else that I would normally use my desktop PC for.
After consulting websites about HTPC components and software, I sought out the components for my own system with a few design goals: (1) the HTPC had to be quiet enough that it couldn't be heard while audio was playing, (2) it needed to fit in with the rest of my stereo equipment, and (3) it needed to have enough performance to play high quality video and sound, and to play most games with reasonably high quality graphics. I found the parts at local computer stores, built it, and installed it in my stereo rack.
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