Almost everything you want to know about building a HTPC

[jackfalbey]

I was going to do a DIY HTPC recommended build thread like my DIY NLE PC thread under the "Computer Issues" forum, but in my research I came across this extensive and highly-detailed post which pretty much sums it up:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthre ... st18333748

[Chuck Engels]

I hate to admit that I had to look it up, but HTPC stands for Home Theater Personal Computer

[jackfalbey]

It's the wave of the future, Chuck! (At least until the next "wave of the future" ) Having been without cable TV for the last 6 months, I have realized that I don't need it. Streaming video from Netflix and Hulu pretty much offers everything I could want for movies and TV shows. We've been using my laptop as the "family TV" but I wanted to explore the possibility of setting up a dedicated PC that could connect to an HDTV. The conclusion of my research is that it is not only do-able, but relatively inexpensive depending on the desired capability. I'm going to turn my old Dell 8400 into an HTPC, archive our DVD collection, home movies and family photos on it and use it as a media hub for our household. Nothing like repurposing a 6-year-old computer into a 21st-century gizmo!

[Jayell]

I hate to admit that I had to look it up, but HTPC stands for Home Theater Personal Computer

Thanks, Chuck .. I didn't have a clue what it meant either.