Mini-ITX Motherboard and Case – How Small Can a HTPC Get?
Intel has announced the release of the DG45FC, which is the most powerful mini-ITX motherboard available.
Don’t be fooled by this mini-ITX motherboards size, because inside it is really a beast. It has just about everything integrated onto it, including graphics with HDMI and DVI support, 7.1 channel inbuilt sound and Ethernet. Read more
Which HTPC Linux Distro is Best?
For lots of people Linux is their operating system of choice for their HTPC. Why? Because it’s free. Most people don’t want to pay for windows again just for their HTPC (it’s expensive).
Although it will take longer to set up if your new to Linux, once it’s all set up you probably won’t have to fiddle with it again (unlike your normal PC that does everything, your HTPC has a set task, and once you’ve set it up to do this, you can just happily use it).
The main program used on Linux for HTPCs is MythTV, which provides everything you need to use Linux as a HTPC Read more
All-in-Wonder HD TV/Graphics Card is Back for the HTPC
In the old days, the ATI All-in-wonder cards where the cards of choice for a HTPC. For those of you that don’t know what these cards are, they are basically an all in one solution card for the HTPC. It basically has a TV tuner card and a graphics card all in the one package. Read more
Controlling your HTPC with your iPhone
Now you can control your HTPC with your iphone! Why is this so great? Well let me tell you…
The thing I like most about the iphone is having everything in the one device. My phone music etc. I always carry it around with me. So to not have to have a remote, but rather I can just get my iPhone out of my pocket and control it. This is really useful, because if I am in the kitchen, or on the couch, or doing something around my living room, I don’t really want to carry my big remote with me.
The other really cool thing about this is that you can use your iPhone as a visual HTPC remote. Read more
Is the 9500GT the ultimate HTPC video card?
The new NVidea 9500gt was released the other day, and on the outside it seems like the perfect HTPC video card. But how does it really compare to what is currently available?
This video card is basically a revamped 8600gt card, is doesn’t really provide much better performance (only about 20% improvement), but it has PCIe 2.0 compatibility, lower power consumption and better PureVideo Hd decoding, making it great for a HTPC. Read more
Popcorn Hour Media Player A-110 – Does it stack up?
I’ve had a request to cover the popcorn hour that is being newly released. So what is the popcorn Hour some of you might be asking? Well it’s a new media box being released, that is very reasonably priced. It can stream movies, act as a torrent box, and play almost any format you can throw at it. Read more
Build a Budget $550 HTPC – Part 2
Welcome back. In part 1 we looked at some of the features of our HTPC, and some of parts to building it and why we chose them. In this part we will finish off our HTPC, and install an operating system to get it all set up and ready to use.
HDD: Western Digital SATA 7200rpm 640GB
When it comes to hard drives you want the biggest you can get in your budget. Recording TV, especially HDTV, takes up a lot of room, and you don’t want to run out of space. Read more
Build a Budget $550 HTPC – Part 1
This is an affordable HTPC. We want to show that you can build a great system for about the same price as a standard DVD recorder or PVR, while getting a lot more functionality.
This HTPC will be an all in one solution, making it do everything that we would normally expect from multiple devices. We want it to be upgradeable in the future, and offer a lot of storage and a decent performance. It also has to look nice, as it will be in the living room either on its own, or in a rack with other devices. Read more
Is Apple TV as good as a HTPC?
If you are in the market for a Home Theatre PC, or any type of home theatre media solution, you might be considering the Apple TV. This article will not go into the technical specifications of the Apple TV, but rather if it is a better choice than a HTPC for your home media solution. Read more