By Bart Farkas, Jeff Govier

Rated

This book is meant for those home theater enthusiasts with some working knowledge of personal computers (PCs) who want to create the ultimate home theater experience. A Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC) is basically an ordinary PC used in conjunction with a high-definition-capable television, monitor, or video projector, and a sound system.

The book is laid out chronologically and follows the authors' activities as they assemble two HTPC systems, starting with a detailed background of video and audio technologies to help readers understand what the HTPC can do.

An HTPC can do much more than play DVD movies on a HDTV-ready television. The convergence of computers and digital entertainment formats means that the PC platform is well suited to reproducing audio in many formats such as mp3, including converting older analog recordings to digital. It is also great for capturing and editing home movies, implementing a personal video recorder, creating slide-show presentations with digital pictures, videoconferencing, and much more.

This book shows how to set up an HTPC for the most complete home theater experience available.