Build the Ultimate Home Theater PC

by Tittel, Ed; Chin, Mike

• ISBN13: 9780471755494
• ISBN10: 0471755494
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-12-12
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The best of both worlds-now THIS is entertainment You love tinkering with technology. The digital lifestyle is your lifestyle. So building your own Home Theater PC just might be as entertaining as using it. In these pages, a couple of fellow tinkerers explain the components and subsystems of a Home Theater PC and help you choose and pur- chase parts, assemble and test the PC, install Windows(r) Media Center Edition, and get the whole thing up and running. Then, invite your friends over and watch 'em turn green. All you need to know Clear, step-by-step instructions, complete with parts lists, pictures, and diagrams * What makes it an HTPC * Choosing the CPU and memory * Graphics, video, and HTPC audio * Monitors and displays * Networking your HTPC * Remotes-and how many you can lose * Installing MCE 2005 * Your choice-P4, Pentium M, or Athlon 64 * Maximizing your multimedia experience * . . . and more!

Author Biography

Ed Tittel has been involved with computers for nearly 25 years. Since 1994 he's been a full-time writer and tech editor. Among his many book credits is PC Magazine: Fighting Spyware, Viruses, and Malware, also published by Wiley.

Mike Chin has been a gadget geek since before he learned to read. After dabbling in business journalism and home audio, he settled into technical writing and consulting. He created www.silentpcreview.com, the leading online authority on computer acoustics.

Table of Contents

Dedication.

About the Author.

Credits.

Acknowledgements.

Introduction.

PART I: MEET THE MODERN MULTIMEDIA PC.

1. Basic PC Components and Elements.

2. Bringing Media to the PC.

PART II: PC PIECES AND PARTS.

3. The HTPC Case and Power Supply.

4. The PC Motherboard.

5. The Central Processing Unit.

6. HTPC Memory.

7. Hard Disk Drives.

8. Optical Storage and HTPCs.

9. HTPC Graphics and Video.

10. Sound Cards and HTPC Audio.

11. HTPC Audio Setups.

12. Monitors and Displays.

13. Networking Your HTPC.

14. The HTPC Remote and Controlling Your Set-Top Box.

PART III: PLANNING AND BUILDING YOUR MEDIA CENTER PC.

15. Planning Your HTPC.

16. Assembling an HTPC.

17. Installing Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

PART IV: MEDIA CENTER PC PROJECTS.

18. Building a P4 HTCPC.

19. Building a Pentium M HTPC.

20. Building an Athlon 64 HTPC.

PART V: APPENDIXES.

Appendix A: More about Media Center PCs and MCE.

Appendix B: HTPC Hardware Information and Resources.

Appendix C: DVD and Movie Information and Resources.

Appendix D: Digital Music Information and Resources.

Appendix E: Windows Radio: Finding Stations and Recording.

Appendix F: PC TV and Related Hardware Information.

Appendix G: Home Video Hardward and Media Information.

Appendix H: PC Audio Hardware and Playback Information.

Index.