HTPC Benifits

July 22, 2008 · Filed Under HTPC Information

A HTPC solution is not for everyone. If you are the sort of person that doesn’t like tinkering with things, then a HTPC is probably not for you. On the other hand if you are the type of person that enjoys fixing things, then a HTPC is for you. Even if you don’t know a lot about computers, it is not too hard to get a HTPC set up and working, and with our help you will be on your way in no time.

To help you on the decision on if a HTPC is for you, we outline some of the pros and cons of having a HTPC.

Pros
- Price - A HTPC can be can be built for a lot cheaper than many of the components that only have a fraction of the functionality that a HTPC does. For example, here we show you how to build a HTPC for $550, that will do most of the things you would expect from a standard HTPC.
- Upgrading – to upgrade items in a HTPc is usually quite easy. When new technology comes out it is just a matter of buying a new component and putting it in your HTPC, rather than having to buy an entirely new device. Also many new terchnologies can be fixed with a software solution, for example when new video formats such as xvid or divx come out, it is just a matter of downloading software that will play these.
- Flexibility – as mentioned in the What is a HTPC section, there are many things a HTPC can be used for. Examples of this include, TV recording, Digital Phot Viewing, Playing music and media, playing DVDs, gaming, and normal Pc use.
- Physical Space – A HTPC will take up a lot less space than all the different components that would be needed to provide the same functionality.
- One media location – you can keep all your movies, music and recordings on the one device, making it easy to know where you have put everything.
- Quality – for a cheaper price a HTPC can make great full HD picture and surround sound, that can rival expensive dedicated home theatre equipment.

Cons
- Setup – setting up the HTPC can be hard. Unless you buy a prebuilt HTPC, getting all the right components for your system is going to require some learning. But don’t worry, it’s not too hard, and we have an excellent Hardware Guide to help you get started.
- Ease of Use – once it is all set up, a HTPC is very easy to use. For example you can just insert your DVD and pres play. However before it gets to this stage there is some customization work to be done, and it does take some work to get it all setup and working flawlessly. Thankfully these days there are many software solutions designed to make it easy, such as the media centre included in vista, or mythTV for linux. See our HTPC software section for a detailed discussion on this.
- Noise – a HTPC can be made to be silent, however this is something you have to design when building it. You don’t want to just throw together any PC components, as you don’t want to be able to hear your HTPC from the couch where your sitting.

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