HTPC

so, what is an HTPC? it’s a Home Theater Personal Computer. why would i want a computer in my home theater? do i even have a home theater? well, it seems that nearly everyone is getting a large format television and surround sound system these days. these are the basic components to any home theater. you may not think of your tv as a theater but it is the center of your home entertainment. the HTPC is a tool that can enable a number of functions within the realm of home media. the basics include storing you entire cd collection or home movies, your digital pictures, recording tv, accessing news or information from the internet and displaying it all on your television set instead of a tiny computer screen. some of those options may be less useful than others but the versatility of the pc platform enables this device to play many roles. you can add or remove functionality as you see fit. don’t need to browse your photos, no problem. decide you need a dvd jukebox with all your movies accessible with a button press, no problem. and it can be upgraded. with the commoditization of today’s pc parts, it is cheap and easy to add storage or increase the computing power of your own HTPC. still not convinced? that’s okay. maybe having a look at some of the things i do with my htpc will help you understand. keep checking this site since i’ll be adding to it in the near future.

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My HTPC Specs
Hardware
Case: Silverstone Lascala SST LC03B-VFD
Power Supply: 320W Enermax Noisetaker
Motherboard: Albatron KM18G Pro micro-ATX
CPU: AMD Duron 2500+
RAM: Crucial 512MB PC2700 DDR
Hard Drive:

Seagate 160GB 7200rpm (system+media)
Seagate 160GB 7200rpm (media)
Samsung 120 GB 7200rpm (video) in External USB housing

DVD Drive: Compaq DVD (rescued from old Compaq)
Video: Gigabyte GeForce FX5200 128MB
Sound: NForce2 MCP on motherboard
Capture/PVR: Hauppauge PVR250
Remote: Logitech Harmony 680 remote using Hauppauge Silver Remote codes
Keyboard/Mouse: FTRIR9703 cordless keyboard/mouse

Software
OS: MS WindowsXP Professional SP2
Front end: Meedio Essentials 1.38
PVR: BeyondTV 4.1
VFD control: LCDSmartie 5.3