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May 19 , 2005 - Podcast #8
Our email address is hdtvpodcast@mac.com
This weeks show Today we will tell you what's going on in the HDTV world and take an in depth look at HTPCs HTPC Overview The Home Theater PC is all about convergence - one device that takes the place of several others. Your basic HTPC should provide functionality that would eliminate the need for: DVD Player
The availability of a reasonably priced DVD-ROM drive is what really made the HTPC market come alive. The combination of hardware and software found in even a basic PC can produce stunning progressive scan DVD video, rivaling even the most expensive DVD players. HTPC, Exciting applications Audio/Video server/library - As prices drop on mass storage devices (hard drives), the idea of a massive DVD library on your HTPC becomes very enticing. TV On Demand - Forget movies on demand, what about TV on demand? Not quite legal as of yet, but that should change soon. Whole House Automation - Watch as expensive, proprietary automation systems go extinct. The HTPC offers a standards-based means of connecting all the controllable systems in your house into one common interface. A touch screen display that controls lights, shades, HVAC, security, irrigation/pool, and, of course, the home theater. Complete convergence - What if all of this technology was built into your 60 inch NED TV, the one that's supposed to be very affordable? No boxes, no wires, no hassles. All you need is an amplifier, which (if we allow for a slightly increased cabinet size) could probably be built into the TV as well.
A suggestion for a Macintosh Version of HTPC
Subtotal $1,102.00
Either of the two devices will set you back $100 You can use iTunes to catalog and organize your music and with version 4.8 it will organize video. With Audio any other computer on your network will have access to the music on the Mini with zero configuration. The technology is called Bonjour on the Mac. This technology doesn't work for videos. I hope Apple will provide it soon. Then you could rip all your DVDs and have them available to the whole network. To get TV into the system I would recommend El Gato's EyeTV 500. The EyeTV 500 is digital TV recorder for OTA and unencrypted digital cable (Clear QAM) television. The recorded shows can be exported into different video formats for further editing an archiving. This device will set you back another $350. If you plan on ripping a lot of DVDs I recommend an external bus powered hard drive. That will ad an additional $250 for a 100GB version. If you don't mind an extra power cord you can find a 250GB version for about the same price. The total cost $1802. The best part of this set up is that your Mac Mini is now a video server. If someone knows how to allow iTunes to share videos across the LAN please email me at hdtvpodcast@mac.com. Or, you can wait for Apple to release a home media device that does all of the above right out of the box ;-) If you are interested in any of these products please buy them through Amazon using these links. It will help support the show. Apple Mac Mini 1.42GHz
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