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HTPCs in General
I like to define an HTPC as a computer that can easily present various audio and visual file formats to a viewer. You could of course present an OpenOffice document on your 32 inch plasma screen but... To this end, I required an easily navigable TV user interface that would allow me to play any audio/visual file over my TV and stereo using a remote control which could interact with the computer.

The main purpose for my HTPC is to record TV shows for later viewing, listening to internet radio and as a music jukebox over my stereo system, as well as photo editting and video editting of my home videos. Hardware-wise, any modern PC can do audio with a fairly cheap audio card. But to do video properly one needs a fair amount of power to get satisfactory results. And storage space, lots and lots of storage space. For software, you could use separate programs for audio and video presentation, but an all-in-one solution really is best.

General HTPC Links
AVS - General Home Theatre
AVS - PVR
Computer Video
Miniing Co Video
Digital Canada HTPC
Whining Dog HTPC
ARS RS Technica article
Ultima8PC

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