Home Theater PCs
A Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC), also called a media PC is the name given to a hybrid device, combining a personal computer with media center software that features music and video playback, and sometimes also allows for a digital video recorder. The use interface spans 10 feet, and is connected either to a TV or to a computer display that is the size of a TV. An HPTC can be used to portray digital photos, play music and movies, receive cable television, record videos and all this can be controlled with one remote control.
Creators of the HTPC were aiming to combine several important aspects of a home theater and entertainment system into one setup that can be placed where the consumer desires. Most HTPC systems are controlled by a remote control, while the 10 foot interface serves to provide comfortable viewing even from a significant distance. When purchasing an HTPC, you can ask for the required software and hardware to be pre-configured for your ease.
HTPC’s can function as a regular PC, but they do have additional characteristics. While normal PCs are designed for connection to an LCD TV or CRT display, HTPCs are made to be connected specifically to a television. HTPCs therefore have a TV out cable, and can be used with a DVI, VGA, HDMI or Display Port.
Standard PCs produce a large amount of noise, especially if a film is being watched on a CD or DVD. This is because PCs are designed to perform as best as the can, and the bulk of this performance is carried out by the processor. This is not the case with a HTPC. An HTPC uses passive cooling systems, vibration absorbing mounts for hard drives and fans, and low speed fans instead of the conventional cooling methods to ensure that noise is kept to a minimum so as to enhance the user experience.
Since an HTPC combines so many different components into one machine and has to function differently to a standard PC, it requires a storage capacity that is much higher than would be needed by a regular PC. The HTPC storage has to allow room for television shows, movies, videos, music, pictures, games and other forms of multimedia. It is designed to be a permanent storage device, and space can quickly run out on it because of the large nature of the files stored within it. To overcome this barrier when it comes to storage capacity of hard drives, combined with a need to keep the noise level low, HTPCs use a Network Storage Device, or similar file servers connected to a network. Some HTPC units include a DVD writer feature, which allows users to copy and move multimedia so that more room is made for newer items.
HTPCs require a TV tuner card, which is a component that allows a computer to receive television signals. TV tuners are also used in the form of video capture cards, which allow a user to record TV programs onto a hard disc.
Since the HTPC is mainly meant to be a home theater system, it has to be as comfortable as one even thought it is a specialized PC. Reaching for a mouse, and typing in instructions does not appeal to the use, and so a remote control is designed in order to integrate the HTPC into the living room. Some HTPC systems make use of in-air mouse pointers such as the Wii Remote, which can control a cursor from a distance. Common wireless keyboards, along with other peripheral devices can be used to obtain the same effect, however the range will not be similar to that of a traditional remote control.
