The home theater PC is fast becoming an essential gadget for the well planned home theater setup. The flexibility and features that are possible with a well designed HTPC system can eclipse even the best commercial home media centers by essentially marrying the abilities of a home computer with the convenience of a set top DVR box. With a home theater PC a user can record television programming, play DVD's, play audio files, and potentially even receive radio broadcasts while at the same time being able to access Internet resources, online streaming video, and run any program that could be run on a normal desktop PC.
For use as an HTPC unit smaller is often better. The smaller units fit more effectively into the smaller spaces used in home entertainment centers and allow additional room around them for air flow and additional gear. Although almost any small profile computer with a modern processor will do, there are several that stand out as good potential candidates to use as an HTPC. The Dell Inspiron Zino HD starts as low as $229 but with the appropriate upgrades including a TV tuner card the Zino HD can be used as a fully functional Home Theater PC. From Aspire the Revo AR1600 also has been reviewed quite highly as a potential candidate for being used as a home theater PC.
Of course, if the prices on these ready-made units are too high for your budget you may want to consider building your own HTPC for around $200. It requires a little bit of technical skill to do so, but the end result will be similar to that of the full featured units listed above. For around $1000 you can build a very powerful and capable HTPC including a wireless keyboard thanks to the advice from the guys over at Engadget.
