Home theater PC

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A home theater PC (HTPC) is a personal computer that replaces components in a home theater system. The general goal in a HTPC is usually to combine most (or all depending on the setup) of a home theater setup into one box. There are many advantages to this type of setup.

Contents

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Advantages

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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 bathroom. 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.

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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.

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PVR features

Computer based TiVo-like software generally has no monthly subscription fees. You pay for the software once and never have any other fees. TV 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. See PVR entry for more details.

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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.

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Disadvantages

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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.

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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, 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.

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List of commonly used HTPC components

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PVR

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See also

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External links

es:HTPC fr:Home Theater Personal Computer he:HTPC ru:HTPC fi:HTPC sv:Home Theatre Personal Computer

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