Origen AE X15 home theatre pc chassis.
A Home Theatre Personal Computer (HTPC) is a computer which interfaces with your entertainment system. The most basic type is able to play video and audio through the entertainment system. Most people choose to add a TV tuner, which allows for for PVR functionality. This wiki will be a guide to all components of a HTPC. For a simple comparison visit the HTPC vs PC page.
Hardware[]
Cases[]
There are many cases specifically designed for HTPC use. The market is expanding rapidly.
The goal with these cases is to make the HTPC look and function as though it is a piece of home-entertainment equipment, therefore being considered welcome in a typical household living room. This is usually achieved through black or natural-finish brushed-aluminium fascias and use of a vacuum-fluorescent display for enhanced status-information display.
Functionally, the cases are designed for low mechanical noise whether the HTPC is being used or not. This is usually achieved through mechanical damping for secondary-storage devices and a lot of emphasis is focused on passive cooling so there is less reliance on a continuously-operating fan to keep the system cool. If a fan is needed, the fan that is used usually is a larger design that can achieve the same airflow at a lower speed as a smaller design running at a higher speed. Even the power supply is optimized for low-noise operation, with such concepts as larger low-speed fans and demand-responsive fan operation.
Capture Cards[]
Capture cards are able to take a video signal from an antenna or cable feed. There are two types, hardware encoding and software encoding. A hardware encoding card will take alot of stress off the CPU, it is slightly more expensive then software encoding cards.
Software[]
Windows[]
Popular programs include Sage, BeyondTV, and Windows Media Centre. There is also a program available called Mediaportal which, unlike the others, is open source and completely free.
Linux[]
Popular programs include MythTV and Freevo.
External Links[]
- Custom PC Guide A regularly updated PC/HTPC buyer's guide.
- Home Theater Guidelines Guide to integrating home theater components.
- HTPC Guide for Beginners Beginner's Guide to HTPC.