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All means of control from a PC. Combine all media in one system: television, games, movies, music can be watched and kept in one place.
A Media Center PC or Home Theater PC or HTPC for short, is a personal computer connected to a TV. E 'is often used as a digital photo, music, and video, or as a computer and video game device. Adding a TV tuner card lets you record an HTPC also for television. They can also be defined as systems Media Center The overall goal in a HTPC is usually to combine many or all components of a home theater setup in a box.
A Media Center PC is a convergence device that combines the functions of a personal computer and a digital video recorder. A Media PC can be purchased preconfigured with the required hardware and software needed to add television programming to the PC, as is commonly done with Windows Media Center Edition (MCE), or can be custom built of discrete components.
Media Center PC - What you need to know.
This is not typical any PC that is being built. You live in your family room (or where you have the TV and spend most of your time). This means that, well as a PC, is to look good and run very quietly.
These are the most important components in your Media Center PC:
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE)
Case
TV or (e) receiver HDTV card
Sound card
CPU Cooler
Power
Wireless Keyboard
Remote Control
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows XP Media Center Edition (code-named Symphony) is a version of Windows XP designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. The latest version, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is was issued October 12 2004.
Windows XP Media Center Edition (XP MCE) is distinguished from other versions of Windows XP by an exclusive preinstalled application, Media Center, which provides a great character, remotely accessible interface for viewing TV on your computer, and the recording and playback, DVD, playback video, viewing photos and playing music.
Although MCE is based on Windows XP Professional, Microsoft has disabled its ability to adhere to a Active Directory domain post install. In this way, excludes the use of Media Center in a corporate environment. Media Center still retains most other Windows XP Pro-specific functions, such as Remote Desktop and Encrypting File System.
Because of stringent hardware requirements, Microsoft has chosen not to supply Media Center as independent version. Microsoft distributes only to MSDN subscribers and OEM System Builder in some countries. Consumers generally purchase Media Center preinstalled on a new computer, or from a dealer that sells OEM versions of Microsoft software.
Windows XP Media Center Edition (2005) Update Rollup 2 (codenamed 'Emerald') Issued at the end of 2005, this was a collection of updates including support for features DVD changer and connect to Xbox 360.
Windows Media Center in Windows Vista (2006) (code name 'Diamond'): Generally available to the public January 30 2007.
Media Center PC Case
The first hardware that you need to take into account is the chassis. Technically, any type of casing is acceptable, but since we are building a media center here, is important because it must look presentable when placed in the living room. Even more important, the ventilation system used for the cover should not be too noisy - do not want to sound like a vacuum cleaner when you are playing a DVD, do you?
Media PC cases have been on the market for some time now. Generally referred to as desktop cases instead of home theater PC cases. The design of each is just about the same - is the functionality that set a Media Center PC over a desktop case.
Some of these features include hardware as simple as a small power supply or case smaller fan. Many Desktop cases are smaller than mid tower chassis with hardware in smaller footprints should be used. Other features, working as a media PC center, as an integrated text display and infrared receiver, are some of the things that a Media Center PC just that, a Media Center PC.
TV Tuner Card
When you choose how you intend to use your Media Center PC for viewing on TV, you need to put some questions:
I have one cable? Or do I have multiple cable boxes, cable or a satellite box +?
Can I have more the air HDTV reception where alive?
First of all, you really need to get a TV Tuner card, regardless of the answer to any of the above questions. The only real question is whether or not to get a card that has a tuner or two.
If you have more than a source of regular TV (from question 1 above), then you need only a single TV tuner. If you have 2 or sources, or even consider obtaining a second cable or second source, you should get a card that has 2 tuners in it.
HDTV and your Media Center PC card
When you connect a high definition TV (HDTV) antenna to a Media Center PC that has a HDTV tuner card, you can experience:
Digital-quality video with support widescreen: Watch local TV broadcasts in HDTV quality up to 10 times the quality of a standard TV signal.
Theater-quality audio: Enjoy the boom bass and crystal clear Surround 5.1 which is available with many primetime programs.
HD personal video recording: pause, rewind and record at the local level, over-the-air TV programs in HDTV, as is done with the standard television programs.
Digital TV Program Guide: easily find listings for local channels that are integrated HDTV with the TV standard in the Guide on your Media Center PC.
Antenna signal strength: A built-in signal strength meters helps you adjust your antenna to get the most possible channels.
Connect your Media Center PC to your surround sound system
N. home theater PC is complete without good audio.
Depending on your sound card, you may need to connect the Media Center PC to your speakers using a single digital connection, or a set of multichannel analog connections.
You may need to connect the digital or analog multichannel surround sound
Ultimately, both types of connections result in surround sound audio from DVD or HDTV media you are playing. The main difference between the two is where the decoding of surround sound signal occurs.
When using a single digital connection, the sound card in the Media Center PC passes the audio signal directly to the surround receiver to decode the audio and play through the speakers.
With a multichannel analog connection, the sound card decode the surround sound signal, and then passes the decoded signal to receiver. The receiver then outputs the sound of speakers suitable for surround sound effect.
Silent CPU Cooling
Equally important is the CPU cooler. Ideally, you want a very quiet CPU cooler, but does a good job to keep the processor cool.
The manufacture fan that comes with the original sound of the CPU as a vacuum cleaner when running in full-speed (controlled by the motherboard depending on the workload of the CPU) and the noise is unbearable if you sit near the computer. This certainly is not an ideal situation for your Media Center PC.
Quiet CPU coolers are designed with the use of conductive copper heat to high and a larger, efficiently designed, heatsink surface to radiate heat far more effectively than a standard Heatsinks. These coolers move heat away from the CPU with the final performance, so that may be associated with the fan spinning slower. Really quiet CPU coolers include the following features:
Large Heatsinks which can radiate more heat away from your CPU
The use of copper at high efficiency under or around the sink
Large fans that move more air in relation to their rate of spin
Smooth fan bearings
Efficient, good fan design
Solid, smooth, quality heatsink
Inclusion of heatpipes to facilitate the transfer Heat
Power Media Center
As the digital world infiltrates the room, silent operation becomes the key. More and more people are investing and building home theater PC.
The quality of power that are supplied to the components of the system is more important to realize that most users. A poor quality power supply can cause many problems and, in some cases, can also destroy the hardware of the system. A PSU (Power Supply Unit), which under 3.3 volts, 5 or 12 volt line may cause corruption of data, the system hangs, and program crashes. In one of the most serious cases, in addition volts can fry components.
Often one of the biggest noise maker in a PC, the DC power supply provides regulated voltages to various components. Computer PSU are types of switching modes, which provide relatively high efficiency at low cost. They make use of cooling Forced air, usually a 80 mm fan, and sometimes include a second fan. The fan is the main source of noise in a PSU. Reel in a feeder can buzz and hum, especially when pushed under high loads, but usually the noise of the fan coil noise masks. Typically, the fan is rated higher than the maximum air flow needed to keep the ballast cool.
The most quiet PSU or not at all a fan or fan running at low speed under most conditions. Please note that the components tend to run slightly 'hotter than usual as a result of reduced air flow. This can be a problem if the normal ambient temperature is high or if the components used are very hot. The best fan-cooled models normally have low fan speed, and allow the fan to ramp up to full speed only when really necessary.
Fan-less Power Supply sets the bar high when it comes to power, efficiency and low noise of operation.
Remote Control
Integrating Media PC in your living room means that you must in some way to control your computer from the couch. While you can use a wireless mouse and keyboard on these devices are usually intended to close by using a hard surface like a table.
Many TV tuner / capture cards include remote controls for use with the applications that came with the card, but to integrate Windows MCE in your living room you will need a certified Windows MCE remote control.
Wireless Keyboard
For most of the things you have to do with your HTPC, using the remote control of Windows Media is sufficient. However, There are some activities that are much more convenient when using a keyboard.
You need a wireless keyboard (preferably a radio frequency instead of IR so that you do not have a line of sight infrared transmission restriction) that has integrated the mouse. Why? So that you can sit on the couch and type away. You will enjoy a decent keyboard when you are trying to correct the spelling of a CD Artist, label or a folder where I'm downloading all those images which took your last vacation from your memory card into the PC.
