Home theatre PCs: That's entertainment

Modern PCs aim to be the ultimate home entertainment system. They're capable of playing DVD movies and the best 3D games, as well as handling vast collections of music, photos and videos. It's even possible to access TV schedules and time-shift shows as ably as any TiVo.

Annoyingly, modern PCs also tend to be large, noisy beasts that we're only willing to tolerate in the spare room or office. Few ever get invited into the living room, which is a shame given their capabilities and growing media collections.

Fortunately, there's a new type of PC that combines the best in entertainment capabilities with the looks and operation of a consumer electronics appliance.

They're called Home Theatre PCs (that's 'theatre' as in the American term for 'cinema') but this is commonly shortened to HTPCs.

In the following pages, we'll tell you everything you need to know about HTPCs, whether you're in the market for a high-end system or simply want to connect your existing machine to your TV and hi-fi.

We'll explain which software and accessories can transform a normal PC into an HTPC, and find out why Microsoft has even developed a new version of Windows for this market.

So if you're looking for a new PC or maybe some new home entertainment kit, why not combine them and get the best of both worlds with an HTPC? You'll be surprised at how well it can fit into your life and your living room.

Getting started
An HTPC is essentially just a normal PC equipped with a careful choice of components that allow it to work as an entertainment system.

Once in your living room, it can exploit what's probably your biggest screen and best sound system and most comfortable seating, and it's where you do most of your entertaining. Consequently, the first goal of any HTPC is getting hooked up to your existing TV and hi-fi surround-sound system.

Audio
Connecting a PC to a hi-fi is quite simple. Most amplifiers or receivers have a spare analogue audio input at the back and all you need to do is connect this to the line-out socket on your sound card.

So just go to your local electrical store and ask for a cable with a 3.5mm jack on one end (for your PC) and a pair of RCA jacks on the other (for your hi-fi).

While this analogue cable supports plain stereo, it can't carry digital surround sound from DVD movies and some games. For this you'll need a digital audio connection between your PC and surround-sound system. This connection is called an SPDIF and comes in two variants: optical and electrical.

Most surround-sound amplifiers have inputs for both types, but sound cards are generally equipped with one or the other. If yours doesn't have the right one to match your surround system, you'll need to fit a new sound card or an external USB audio device.

Video
Connecting your PC to a TV is less straightforward, as the standard computer connection to a monitor doesn't match that on most TVs. The only exceptions are plasma screens and projectors, which often have direct computer inputs.

The solution is to fit a graphics card with a dedicated TV output. These are quite common, so your PC may already have one. Such an output will only carry the picture though, so you'll need to take sound from a sound card socket, as described above.

Usually, the PC's TV output will be available in either composite or S-Video format, the latter offering better quality. But where do you connect them?

Most relatively new TVs have a flip-down panel on the front or side for connecting a camcorder. There's usually a yellow socket for a composite video connection and, in most cases, a smaller, round, four-pin socket for S-Video.

You can connect your PC to one of these directly. If you want to keep things tidy and connect your PC to the sockets on the back of the TV, you'll need a cheap adapter to convert your composite or S-Video lead into a Scart plug.

Be aware that, while all TV Scarts can accept composite video, not all can handle S-Video, so check your TV manual.

Your PC can now be connected to your TV, but you'll normally need to make some adjustments for the best quality. Most TVs can't handle resolutions (the amount of detail shown in an image) above 640 x 480, so alter your PC's display settings to reduce the display resolution accordingly.

A TV has low resolution and, compared with a monitor, a low refresh rate, so it's not ideal for running Windows and its applications. The static nature of most Windows applications can also damage a TV screen through burn-in.

Where a TV comes into its own is playing games, DVD movies or photo slide shows. If you want to record TV shows on your PC, you'll need a TV tuner card, which costs around £30.

However, if you're going to upgrade your graphics card, a more sensible choice would be an all-in-one graphics card which normally combines a TV tuner, TV outputs and remote control.

Finally, if you'd like to connect your PC and TV together but not have them in the same room, you could employ a cheap wireless video sender.

These can be a good way to try out the HTPC concept without the messy cables but you'll also need a wireless radio mouse and keyboard with a decent range to control it.

Taking it to the next level
So now you've connected your PC to a TV and hi-fi or surround-sound system to fully enjoy movies, music, photos, videos and games, but how does using a PC for this kind of thing compare to dedicated consumer DVD players, video recorders and games consoles?

If you're using the right connections, a PC has the potential to produce as good a picture and sound as any dedicated consumer equipment.

If you're using a projector or plasma screen, a PC could actually produce the ultimate quality because it can be tailored to perfectly match the display's capabilities.

Where a normal PC falls down compared to dedicated consumer goods is in terms of looks, noise and usability. Fortunately, these are all issues a well-designed HTPC can address.

Looks
No one wants a large, beige box in their living room. Thankfully, transferring a PC's working parts into something more attractive isn't difficult.

If you don't mind the conventional PC shape, there are some smart aluminium cases from companies such as Coolermaster for around £70 each from Overclockers UK.

If you're after something that will blend in more with your existing hi-fi and video system, the choice is more limited. A good option is the Accent range of HTPC cases available in gold, silver and black from the Quiet PC website at £165 each.

Probably the best-looking case we've seen is the pre-built Hush Technologies Mini-ITX system. It may not be as fast as a typical Pentium or Athlon PC, and it's particularly poor at 3D gaming, but it can run most other applications adequately and play DVDs smoothly. Best of all, the Hush system is almost silent, which leads us to the next crucial issue to be addressed in an HTPC.

Noise
The fact is that normal PCs generate a significant amount of noise when they're on. While this can be tolerated in most offices or spare rooms, it's just not acceptable in the living room.

Fortunately, it's possible to effectively silence a PC by replacing its biggest noise maker - the cooling fan - with something quieter. The best place to find out more is from the appropriately named Quiet PC website.

The theory behind quiet cooling systems is actually very simple. Most normal cooling fans are relatively small and have to spin very quickly to generate sufficient airflow and this high speed makes them noisy.

You can, however, use a larger fan that matches the required airflow by spinning more slowly and, therefore, quietly. Physically larger and better designed heatsinks can also remove heat more efficiently.

So, to make a PC quiet, be it an HTPC or otherwise, simply swap the main processor, heatsink and fan for a larger, quieter combination, and replace the tiny fans on graphics cards and motherboards with large heatsinks.

The final step is to replace the power supply with a quieter model. All of this can be done for around £100, which is money well spent for literal peace of mind.

Usability
The final issue for a successful HTPC to address is usability, for which existing consumer electronics appliances are an excellent guide. You'll notice that DVD players, VCRs and games consoles don't have keyboards, mice or high-resolution displays.

Instead, they're simple devices designed to be operated by remote control from a distance. When any options appear on a TV screen, they're readable at a distance. All of this makes a normal Windows PC pretty much unusable in a living room.

The answer is to replace the normal Windows Desktop with something much more appropriate for use on a TV. Ideally, this new user interface should give you easy options to play DVDs, music, videos and photos, and also be operated by remote control.

Several such interfaces are available, designed specifically with HTPCs in mind. They work with existing DVD player software to play movies and - equipped with a TV tuner and connection to the internet - can even download programme schedules, mark shows for recording and time-shift others.

One of the most popular of these applications is ShowShifter, which can 'pause' live TV, play your music, photo and video collections, access online TV schedules and play DVDs.

Of course, you could already do all of this with an existing PC, but programs like ShowShifter tie it all together and present the controls in an easy-to-use fashion. The basic version of ShowShifter costs around £35 direct from its website.

Offering similar features to ShowShifter is SnapStream, while a more basic (and less straightforward) alternative is My HTPC.

Finally, there's Microsoft's own Windows XP Media Centre, again with similar features to ShowShifter but annoyingly only available on new pre-built HTPCs.

Accessories and extras
The most important accessory for an HTPC is a remote control. While remotes are normally supplied with all-in-one graphics cards or some TV tuners, these often have limited functionality in terms of what they can operate.

We've found the best PC remote control to be a device called the Evation IR Man, available from Intolect for £22. This small box plugs into your computer and, with clever software, can be made to learn commands from any existing remote control and apply them to PC functions.

As the industry standard PC remote device, it's also directly supported by programs such as ShowShifter.

While most of the day-to-day operation of an HTPC will be with a remote control, there'll still be times when you'll need a keyboard and mouse.

Wireless models are most appropriate for use in a living room (we recommend Logitech models) but, if you don't have a flat surface nearby, consider a mouse which can be operated in the air, such as those by Gyration - it's a wireless keyboard and mouse combination that costs £90 from Quiet PC.

Finally, there are a number of small utilities that can transform a good HTPC into a great one. The most important is Powerstrip, which allows you to tweak display settings so you get the best picture possible.

It can be very fiddly to use but worth figuring out for the best quality pictures, especially if you're using a projector or plasma screen.

Money to burn?
While basic but effective HTPCs can be had for little more than standard systems, you could splurge a considerable amount on the ultimate home entertainment PC if you have the budget.

In such systems, the PC is the absolute centre of all entertainment and communications. As well as delivering a great picture for TV programmes and DVD movies, it can also possess multiple TV tuners, allowing it to record shows on different channels simultaneously.

It can also act as a huge media server, capable of distributing music, videos and photos simultaneously to screens in rooms all around the home. One or more wireless handheld computers could be used to control the system from any location.

Such features are available today but, unsurprisingly, they're not cheap. They're not simple to set up either, so if you fancy trying your hand with one, we'd suggest you start by visiting forums frequented by like-minded enthusiasts who've already solved many issues. One of the best is the HTPC section of the AVS Forum at www.avsforum.com.

The future of home entertainment
An HTPC could effectively replace your CD and DVD player and VCR, while additionally offering unique features such as maintaining huge music collections, not to mention traditional PC functions like email and web access.

As such, this single device could save you some money, especially if you were considering buying high-end separates.

However, building your own HTPC requires considerable technical knowledge and the time and patience for a lot of tweaking, and is therefore only recommended for advanced enthusiasts.

The rest of us can, of course, buy a pre-built HTPC. The launch of Microsoft's Windows XP Media Centre this Christmas should kick-start the UK market.

Even so, remember that all HTPCs are PCs underneath so are only really suitable for those already familiar with Windows.

Any current HTPC owner will have to accept some tweaking and teething troubles, but currently there's no other single device that can deliver their level of functions.

One day, all home entertainment systems will be run by PCs but, if you're willing to put in some work, you could enjoy it all today with an HTPC. Your effort will be rewarded in owning the ultimate in home entertainment systems.