what is the point of an HTPC?

[exia]

please enlighten me. I don't watch much TV but i usually download whatever shows I want to watch on my computer and watch them at my convenience. I never understood why you need a computer connected to the TV. what you most of you people do with your HTPC? maybe your suggestions will help me see things in a new way and perhaps get an HTPC myself

exia

 

[JAG87]

Watch what I want, how I want, and where I want.

 

[mshan]

Convenience, primarily.

You can probably also get more bang for your buck in terms of processing power / video quality than buying prebuilt from someone else: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972

Geeky tweakability, too.

 

[vi edit]

Imagine doing exactly what you are doing...but instead of hunched over a desk in an office chair watching it on a 20" computer monitor you are doing it from the comfort of your cozy couch and watching it on your 50" HDTV.

 

[Soundmanred]

Imagine doing exactly what you are doing...but instead of hunched over a desk in an office chair watching it on a 20" computer monitor you are doing it from the comfort of your cozy couch and watching it on your 50" HDTV.

Exactly. I use mine with my 42" 1080p set and 7.2 surround setup.
Internet, games, movies, shows, music, how I want, when I want it.
I can't imagine going back to sitting at a desk with a 20 something inch monitor.

 

[erwos]

please enlighten me. I don't watch much TV but i usually download whatever shows I want to watch on my computer and watch them at my convenience. I never understood why you need a computer connected to the TV. what you most of you people do with your HTPC? maybe your suggestions will help me see things in a new way and perhaps get an HTPC myself

Let me guess: you don't have much of a home theater setup. There's a reason it's called a HTPC, which is to say that you get the most bang for your buck when it's connected to a real home theater. If you don't have one, yes, you'd have trouble comprehending the usage.

And, of course, I note the "I" in your sentence. Ever tried watching Hulu with the spouse when huddled around the computer? Kinda sucks.

 

[JulesMaximus]

A good friend of mine had one hooked up to his 50" LCD in his livingroom. Other than waiting for the computer to boot up for watching TV there really wasn't any difference. He also had access to a bunch of programming downloaded for viewing whenever he wanted it...not sure where he got that stuff but it was good quality programming, current movies and TV shows.

 

[sivart]

Well, since I only have TV via an OTA antenna, it is a nice HD DVR (leave it in sleep mode and it almost boots up immediately). I tired using the PS3, looked at some media streamers online and couldn't find one that would play all the file formats (.tp, .iso, .mp4, etc, etc) in one unit.

The HTPC was the route the go.

Throw in a media center receiver and a Harmony remote and I only pull out the keyboard / mouse to do Windows Updates. So, to me, it is a glorified TiVo that will play anything I can throw at it with a nice UI that can be seen from 10 feet away.

 

[kalrith]

Well, since I only have TV via an OTA antenna, it is a nice HD DVR (leave it in sleep mode and it almost boots up immediately). I tired using the PS3, looked at some media streamers online and couldn't find one that would play all the file formats (.tp, .iso, .mp4, etc, etc) in one unit.

The HTPC was the route the go.

Throw in a media center receiver and a Harmony remote and I only pull out the keyboard / mouse to do Windows Updates. So, to me, it is a glorified TiVo that will play anything I can throw at it with a nice UI that can be seen from 10 feet away.

This is what I do as well. I canceled DirecTV and switched to free OTA using my HTPC as a dual-tuner DVR. I also use it as my media server and can watch shows on my other computer.

I've got it set up with a media-center receiver and harmony remote. I still use my keyboard and mouse quite a bit, but it's usually to surf the web or stream something online, because I've been too lazy to integrate that into Mediaportal. I have a dinovo mini, which is a small and sleek keyboard-mouse that looks quite nice sitting on my coffee table next to my Harmony remote:

 

[Booty]

I have a dinovo mini, which is a small and sleek keyboard-mouse that looks quite nice sitting on my coffee table next to my Harmony remote:

I have a DiNovo Mini as well, and, after seeing mine, so do all my friends who have HTPCs. It's a must for anyone who uses the HTPC for tasks other than just VMC/7MC, and even there is has its benefits (mainly for me having a full keyboard to type out searches).

I can't really compare having an HTPC to a Tivo, DVR, PS3, or XBox because I've never owned any of those. I used to always want to hook my PC up to my TV and surround sound to play FPS games and access all my music. After building the HTPC earlier this year, I finally truly have all the functionality I want - I literally have zero complaints about my setup... from a functional standpoint, at least. I could always use a bigger screen, better speakers, etc...

 

[dfn]

I am just as curious as the OP.
Not being familiar with how people use their HTPC systems, I see the following advantages:

1) capturing (recording) stuff from tv
This eliminates need for DVR/PVR/whatever else

2) not having to stream/transfer/burn movies you download and watch on PC
So, if I download something on my PC, I can either watch it there, or stream it/burn it to media, and watch on my home theatre system. HTPC makes this more convenient as I either don't have to stream or don't have to burn discs.

3) Use my home theatre system for gaming and general computing (this assumes you have a home theatre system better than your PC, better speakers, bigger/better tv, etc.)

What are the OTHER benefits?

I've had a home theatre system for a long time (and a PC), and I've never really imagined my life being more convenient by combining them. I like the option of being able to watch TV and do something on the computer simultaneously. Of course you can do the same with HTPC, but it requires a second PC. More importantly, I think, I can't envision a physical setup for gaming, where my keyboard and mouse are where *I* want them, without moving some sort of desk into my HT space. So with a HTPC, I'd have to either ruin my HT space, or constantly move stuff for my keyboard/mouse. Also...cables...ugh. Don't like wireless keyboard/mouse.

If you buy a second PC to be your HTPC, you then get benefits I listed above, without the drawbacks - but then it most likely isn't good enough for gaming, photo/video editing, and so on - so you go back to main PC for that.

So anyway, what are the other benefits? Is there anything I've said that can easily be remedied (keyboard situation, etc.) and I'm just missing it cuz I'm HTPC-ignorant? Please don't take this post the wrong way, I'm not trying to be insulting or anything, I genuinely am curious because I think HTPC is an option I should consider for myself.

 

[sivart]

I tried to "stay away" from the HTPC, especially after trying to use Windows XP Media Center edition. It wasn't very good. Vista is much better.

I tried the PS3, but I couldn't get it to play all of the files on my PC without me having to go through each one and re-encode them...too time consuming. I looked at some media streamers, but it seems they all had some downside. I ended up selling the PS3 because I didn't really play any games and already had a combo HD DVD / Blu-ray player.

Sure, I have a desktop PC and a laptop, too for my daily computing (paying bills, surfing this forum, etc). My HTPC is basically a DVR/DVD player combo on steroids. Hulu desktop is nice also.

It does require more maintenance than your average media streamer / gaming system, but for me, the trade off is worth it.

 

[scootermaster]

I thing 2010 might be the year of the HTPC. With the cheaper ATI cards that support bitstreamed HDMI audio (51xx something-or-other series) as well as unlocked cable card support, you'll see plenty of "reasons" for an HTPC.

Depending on how crazy you get with the cool HTPC looking case, you'll be able to do all of the following for like $600
- Full Bluray player, supporting all the audio you'll need over HDMI (i.e. bitstream or PCM)
- 4 tuner digital DVR including premium channels
- "Media Server" (think AppleTV)
- Online video streaming (Hulu desktop, etc)
- Oh yeah, it's also a computer.

But to be able to replace a Tivo/Monthly DVR fees, a BD player and an AppleTV, as well being able to access all the online content from your living room sofa, I think that makes a lot of sense to a lot of people. When the aforementioned hardware comes out, I'm going to jump on it and build a central HTPC/media server that lives in my living room, and I'll have my laptop which can stream all of the files up in my bedroom.

Makes sense to me!

Edit: Without the full DVR and BD capabilities, I agree, it probably doesn't make sense. To have to worry about HD antennas and things like that probably aren't compelling reasons to bother with one. But if you're going to spend $200 on a BD player, or pay $15 a month for Tivo, and you can avoid doing that, while getting all the other benefits, it's a no brainer for me.

 

[sdifox]

please enlighten me. I don't watch much TV but i usually download whatever shows I want to watch on my computer and watch them at my convenience. I never understood why you need a computer connected to the TV. what you most of you people do with your HTPC? maybe your suggestions will help me see things in a new way and perhaps get an HTPC myself

exia

ME 6TB HTPC is hooked up to me 1080p projector (shooting ~90") and me 1825 watt (8ohm rms, none of that PMPO shit) sound system. I watch hockey on it, when the camera is centre ice, the players are life size.

It's really what you are used to. I also have dvds/brds/hd dvds. My content cost me more money than my hardware, which makes sense, since the content is the important part.

 

[kalrith]

My main reason for purchasing an HTPC was to use it as a DVR with OTA. The best non-PC choice for that without a monthly fee was Dish's DTVPal. It had too limited capability and cost only $100-150 less than my HTPC.

Other than a DVR, I use my HTPC for the following things:

1. File server. I have all my pictures, music, movies, and tv shows in one place.
2. VOIP box with MagicJack. There's supposedly a way to get MagicJack to work without a PC, but my HTPC is on all the time anyways, so it makes for a great VOIP box.
3. Play all my music or internet radio on my HT system without having to hunt for CDs. All my CDs are on the HTPC in lossless format, and it's great to be able to stick all my CDs in a box in the closet instead of having them taking up space in the livingroom and having to dig through them to find just one song that I want to play.
4. Stream online content and download torrents. This is something that would be difficult to impossible with the other options (PS3, Dish DTVPal, etc.). I can just use my dinovo mini to go to history.com to watch Ice Road Truckers or go to justintv to watch non-OTA sports.

I have a PS3 that I use as a BD player or else I'd use the HTPC for playing BDs as well. I thought about somehow using either my PS3 (with linux) or my gaming PC as an HTPC as well, but it just worked better for me to build a dedicated HTPC. I spent about $400 including all the accessories to build a system with all new parts (I already had a case, power supply, and Windows XP). My main goal with the system was low power. I chose a motherboard and processor that can undervolt and draw very little power. The entire system draws 40-something watts of AC at idle and costs less than $20 per year in electricity to have it on 24/7. If I wanted an uber-gaming system as well or had used my gaming PC or PS3 as the HTPC, then my electricity costs would double or triple.

My true reason for getting an HTPC was to save money. If money were no object, then I'd probably still be paying $80/month for DirecTV and $60/month for my AT&T cell-phone package. I was able to reduce those monthly bills from $140 to about $18, thus saving about $1500 every year. My TV entertainment bill went to $0. My communication bill went to about $18 by switching to T-Mobile Prepaid and using MagicJack to supplement those minutes.

Even though my goal was to save money, I wanted a really slick setup, and nothing besides a dedicated HTPC would do everything I wanted it to. Now that I have an HTPC, and only miss about 1 or 2 shows from DirecTV, I don't think I would go back to that even if money were no object. The HTPC does everything I want it to, and I like that I can set it up exactly the way I want it and don't have to deal with using a DVR that often wouldn't do what I wanted it to. I would also rather spend $1000 every year on my HT setup than handing it over to DirecTV to be able to watch 10% more shows than I can get with the HTPC.

 

[sivart]

I tried the PS3 with Linux, but the video card (limitations applied by Sony) wouldn't allow for HD streaming. Sold the PS3, using my HTPC now....love it.

 

[kalrith]

I tried the PS3 with Linux, but the video card (limitations applied by Sony) wouldn't allow for HD streaming. Sold the PS3, using my HTPC now....love it.

When I was researching using the PS3 with Linux, the next version of YDL (released around Q4 2008) was supposed to lift the video-card limitations. I haven't looked into it since, so I don't know how well it works with HD content and the new version of YDL.

 

[jtvang125]

For my setup I have a dedicated server running Windows Home Server with 9TB of storage space at the moment. It's a 20 bay hotswap server case with only 10 bays filled so I'm no where near its full capacity yet. Since this case is huge and unsightly in my tv stand I have it stored somewhere else and stream all content to my HTPC through gigabit LAN. The HTPC runs Win7 with MediaBrowser on top of Windows Media Center in a nice looking HTPC case that matches the rest of my components. A 54" Panny plasma and 5.1 surround sound powered by Denon and Polk speakers round out the rest. Everyone who has seen and heard my setup wants a similar setup but most get turned away cause it isn't cheap.

Like others have mentioned it's the flexibility of a HTPC that makes it so great. You can store and playback all audio and video files in just about any format out there. Using WMC or the other dozen of frontends will give you a sleek looking interface that can be controled with a remote. With a tv tuner you can watch tv and record just like a DVR. Depending on your video card you can play the latest video games with jaw dropping graphics at resolutions no console could ever touch.

 

[erwos]

WHS+WMC = insane awesomeness with PP3. It took them a while, but Microsoft finally put the pieces together.

IMHO, the real question is how small, quiet, and fast you can build the WMC box. Atom setups are tempting, but I don't know if it's really got the horsepower to do four recordings AND play back a Blu-Ray AND stream to an extender AND do whatever else happens in the background.

I'm thinking maybe a quad-core Atom on a theoretical Ion 2 (which could bitstream TrueHD / DTS-HD) would be about where I would really start thinking about replacing the TiVo HD.

 

[exia]

i don't like the low resolution of HDTV, not good for internet use, I would prefer a display with 2560x1600 pixels

 

[BurnItDwn]

I'd rather watch a movie on my 61inch than on my 24inch.

Before I had digital cable, I used my HTPC as a DVR.

Now, my HTPC gets very little use, but that's ok, it's just my old socket 754 system.

 

[slag]

Why use WHS over Windows 7?

On a side note, I switched from Vista 64 bit media center to windows 7 32 bit media center and BIG mistake.

Transitions between live tv and movies to music is much slower. The entire system just feels sluggish now whereas it was snappy and fast before. I should have left well enough alone. In addition, I now get crashes every couple days on my windows 7 system where I had none for several months on the Vista box. Its really pissing my wife off, which, in turn, gets back to me.

Here's a picture of the entertainment stand I built on Monday. I still need to veneer it and stain it, but its too cold outside to do that right now (1 degree F when I left for work). Its 3/4 inch red oak skinned plywood with adjustable shelves. My HTPC isnt that great with the computer case, etc, but when I get the funds, I'll upgrade it.

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/slagdemon/IMG_0104.jpg

 

[kalrith]

i don't like the low resolution of HDTV, not good for internet use, I would prefer a display with 2560x1600 pixels

Yes, but if all you want to do is surf the internet, then you shouldn't be considering an HTPC anyways. My internet surfing on my HTPC is to check the weather or my email. That's about it. The main purposes are for media playback, and I'd much rather have that on my 50" TV and HT system than my 24" computer monitor and computer speakers. When I'm doing something that requires more screen real estate, I use my gaming PC on a dual-monitor setup.

It's kind of like owning a truck and a car instead of an SUV. Having a truck for towing and a car for traveling allows you to have two vehicles that are better suited for each task than if you owned something like a Nissan Armada and used it for both towing and traveling. I find better functionality from each computer system performing tasks they're better suited to than if I owned one system that had to drive both functions. I also would have to route cables from my gaming PC to the livingroom and somehow set it up so that my wife could be watching TV in the livingroom and I could be gaming in my office. I looked very much into that, and it just didn't make sense to me. Now, if your TV and computer monitor are one in the same, then I think one uber-powered HTPC would work great. In my situation a dedicated gaming/office-work PC and a dedicated HTPC work much, much better.

 

[shady28]

HTPC is essentially a convergence device for home entertainment. Just like the iPhone converges the cell phone, GPS, PDA, and MP3 player into one device the HTPC concept is to converge a DVR, online movie / TV rentals (like Netflix and Amazon's on demand), the Cable set top box, and DVD/Blu-Ray player into one. Apple's 'Frontrow' coupled with iTunes along with Microsoft's Media Center are narrow shots at this emerging market.

The tech isn't mature yet. The hardware is there and capable, but the software is disjointed and lacking in usability for the average consumer. I would say sometime in 3-5 years, someone will figure out how to converge and index all of the media with a usable application so that it gets out of the world of 'techies' and into the normal consumer space.

If you want to get a taste of what's out there now, download Hulu Desktop and check it out. Boxee is out there, but is more of a portal to multiple applications for watching internet media (including Hulu and Netflix).

While it isn't 100% consumer ready yet, the future of TV and media is pretty clearly streaming media via the internet and the HTPC is the way to get in on it early.