Physical media like DVDs and Blu-ray discs aren't dead, but it's now possible to get your home theatre fix with a broadband connection and a computer.
The main advantage of owning an HTPC (Home Theatre PC) is that you're only a software or small parts update away from complying with the latest standards. You reduce the gradual build-up of expensive metal boxes. Why buy a hard disk video recorder when you already have a hard drive and can simply download a program to do it for you? Why buy a complete Blu-ray player that may go out of date when you can buy a Blu-ray drive for your PC? A properly-equipped HTPC will not be cheap, but it can replace a DVR, VCR, a DVD Player, CD player and Blu-ray player and a digital HDTV set-top box, and it can do things like playing and organising your MP3s and—and for some people this is the kicker—games.
There are ready-built home entertainment-oriented computers out there, and some of them are pretty slick-looking machines. Built-in LCD touchscreen to control playback, serious-looking case design and quiet operation. All of these are assembled by experts and will deliver a stunning high definition experience.
However, each of these qualities can be achieved piecemeal, and so you're almost certainly going to save money, if not time, by constructing your own media PC, and you will almost certainly get better performance.
The first important rule is to resist the urge to cut corners. You will regret any area in which your system is lacking. Well-specced machines also last longer, and more power and capability means they work less and run cooler and quieter.
The choice of operating system is up to you. Whether it's the ease of installation of Windows Media Centre Edition (and its ability to play games) or the stability, lack of cost and minimal security worries of Linux MCE, you decide what you need.
Step 1 - Choosing a Case
There are more computer cases available than it's possible to describe. You can pick a vertical or midi tower to conceal somewhere or a one of the new horizontal HTPC cases that allows you to visually integrate your PC with your audio-video receiver and DVD or Blu-ray player.
For the ideal home theatre PC, you're going to want as silent a computer as possible, and numerous manufacturers are scrambling to produce the quietest PC possible. The quieter fans and better sound insulation available now make the standard beige box of yesteryear sound like an industrial vacuum cleaner.
Looks-wise, companies like Antec, Thermaltake and Silverstone have finally applied to PCs the standards and finish you'll find on proper home theatre equipment. Metal plating, clean lines, LED or or even touchscreen LCD status displays and no ugly, flimsy plastics.
Step 2 - Choosing a Processor
Home theatre duties can be demanding on a processor (CPU), so don't skimp. The rule of thumb is to look at the bleeding edge processors and then back off one or two notches. The more powerful a processor you choose, the less it will have to work, and the less cooling it will need, which means less noise. Either AMD or Intel, the choice is yours.
Do go for multi-core CPUs, especially with strain that the new high-definition formats can provide. Always buy as much RAM as you can afford. RAM not only increases performace but reduces wear on your hard drive.
Step 3 - Choosing a Motherboard
The motherboard is the bottleneck of any computer system. Buy a cheap and cheerful motherboard and everything else will be subject to its failings. The more slots it has, the more your HTPC will be able to do.
On a happy note, there are now motherboards featuring video and sound components that are not a poor substitute If you buy an integrated motherboard with up-to-date onboard or integrated graphics and audio chipsets, then you will be able to skip the following two step. This can be a huge saving, and provide the simplest path to an HTPC.
Step 4 - Choosing a Graphics Card
The big one. The video card, graphics card, or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), will be the part of the system that powers the display. Most modern cards will sense the size of your screen and automatically adjust the resolution to fit, but if you have an older set with a resolution other than a full high definition 1920x1080 pixels (many older sets feature a native resolution of 1366x768), you may need to run a program called PowerStrip to fill the screen properly, or your picture quality will be spoiled by scaling artefacts.
You're also going to need a video card that is HDCP (High Definition Copy Protection) compliant, or you will not be able to pass an HD signal to your display.
Video Cards also have fans, so if you're going to be sharing a home cinema with your HTPC, it's a good idea to check the specifications and see what the noise rating is.
Whether you choose to get a separate or integrated graphics card depends on whether or not you are planning to use your HTPC to play the latest games. For gaming, you'll want a more powerful card.
Step 5 - Choosing a Sound Card
Tough one. Sound cards supporting the new high definition audio standards are only just emerging. Currently the only card that is able to do Blu-ray's various Dolby TrueHD, DTS Master Audio and uncompressed LPCM (Linear Pulse Code Modulation) standards is the ASUS XONAR D2 HDAV1.3, and so that is the only recommended card at this point if you are intending to watch Blu-ray discs via your PC. In order to make it work with home entertainment equipment, you'll have to buy a graphics card that can feed it video info, which it will combine with its audio output into one HDMI cable.
Step 6 - Choosing a Hard Drive
You'll need a lot of space here. Fortunately, one can acquire a terabyte-sized (That's 1,024 gigabytes) drive relatively cheaply these days, but the catch here is that you're going to want to have more than one drive.
The reason for this is that your HTPC is a substantial investment and so is the software on your hard drive. You can get by with one drive and an external backup drive, but forget to back up and you'll lose everything with a single hard drive crash. The advised setup is to have two HDDs in Mirror RAID configuration. This simply means that they will be absolutely identical clones of each other, and that a crash of one will not disable your entire system or lose all of your stored media.
If you plan on having a home entertainment network, you'll want to consider getting yourself an NAS (Network Attached Storage) box. An NAS box is, in essence, a set of hard-disk drives that every computer connected to your home network, via ethernet cable or wireless. It's possible to buy ready-made NAS boxes, or if you're feeling adventurous you can assemble one yourself from basic, budget computer components.
Step 7 - Choosing Peripherals
Since an HTPC is best used from your sofa, you'll want to invest in a wireless controller or two. Wireless keyboards and mouses are easily available, but for a more satisfying couch-potato experience it's also possible to acquire a perfectly normal universal remote control that you can use with your HTPC just like any other remote control.
If you're feeling spendy, you can even get a programmable touchscreen remotes that are able to control every part of your system. One thing that is definitely recommended is to find a product that's illuminated, to make operating it in a darkened home theatre easier.
Step 8 - Choosing a TV Tuner Card
A TV tuner card will allow you to turn your HTPC into a digital video recorder (DVR) for a fraction of the price of a separate DVR. Ideally, get a double-tuner card so that you can watch one channel while you record another. There's no need to miss a thing due to poor scheduling!
Step 9 - Choosing a TV
The point of an HTPC is to be able to plug it into your TV. If you don't already have the TV you want, it goes without saying that your new HTPC-based system can only be as good as the rest of your equipment, so there's nothing to say here except: buy the best display you can afford. You'll never regret owning a good display, and while formats like DVD and Blu-ray may keep evolving, a full high definition television capable of 1080p resolution is going to be future-proofed for a while, whether you choose a plasma screen, an LCD TV or even a video projector.
Step 10 - Choosing the Sound System
Again, if you don't already have a home theatre receiver and Just like buying a display, there's no point in buying anything of lesser quality than you can afford. With the incredible new audio formats available on Blu-ray, you're going to want to get an up-to-date HDMI-capable receiver. If you already have home cinema speakers and a subwoofer, there's no reason to upgrade: speakers are still speakers. This stage doesn't have to be hideously expensive to yield great results, there are many home-theatre-in-a-box solutions that will wow all but the most finicky users.
If you're on a budget, with an HTPC there's one option that is not availble to a regular home cinema system: multi-channel PC speakers. Not the most elegant solution, but it'll do in a pinch.
Step 11 - Choosing Cables
The last accessory you need is the cabling to linke. You're going to need HDMI cables. All HDMI cables work perfectly and equally well (they're digital) and so the only important thing is that you do not buy them from a physical retailer. I repeat: do not buy HDMI cables from a brick and mortar retailer. Big box retailers gouge you at the till, knowing full well that you can't use your new gadget without the cable and that you're dying to get home and plug it in. Buy the cheapest HDMI cables online.