So I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while now and I wanted the collective genius of the The Tek Syndicate community to give me some answers. With all the advancements in Smart TVs [and gaming consoles can be included] like the Netflix app, other apps, web browsing, DLNA…Angry Birds jk :P Why should I still build an HTPC? I already have a gaming rig and prefer playing on my 23” monitor vs a 40”+ tv. Maybe light gaming like Minecraft or Fez on the HTPC, but I’ll game heavy on my other rig.
So what do you guys think, and please explain your rational too!
An APU would be fine for that. Personally, I would prefer to have the full functionality of a pc. The deciding factor will be whether or not you need that functionality. Would the simplicity of a bluray player/console/smart tv be more benefitial than the range of functions that a pc brings? Price and ease of use will be the things that you should be weighing. It is really all up to what you need.
Yeah, this is a hard decision. On one hand, Smart TV/Consoles have a simple GUI, everything you need is already in one box that gets the job done. On the other hand, an HTPC has so many possibilities and ease of upgrading that makes it hard to discount it. I guess I can sum this down to one question:
Will I get a better quality of picture and sound (for movies) from an HTPC with an APU and dedicated soundcard vs using a gaming console?
That is tough. The consoles will have an amount of hardware that is hard to beat at the moment in the same price range. Cost is a big issue. The picture and sound quality for video playback would be flawless on both an htpc and a console. The same goes for light gaming like you mentioned. If you are ok with both mouse/keayboard and a controller, then the decision is pretty difficult. I personally like that you don't have to pay for online anything (aside from internet access, obviously) with a pc. I don't know if that is the same for next gen consoles. Also there is the factor of video file playback. I don't know what file types will be supported with consoles and if that even makes a difference to you. Also, you will have to factor in whether or not you will want a bluray player. That is extra in a pc, but I expect that it is included in a PS4 (I could be wrong, but that is what I expect). This is really a question that only you can answer. Which piece of hardware meets your needs the best? Flip a coin, and if you catch yourself hoping for one over the other, then you know what to choose.
I personally own a Smart TV, and while I sometimes thank the quick access to Youtube and stuff, the performance is pretty bad( It's an LG Smart TV bought late last year). There is currently no app to watch live streams( The YouTube app doesn't support it, either), so I tried watching E3 in the browser. Sad to say it doesn't work well on anything higher than 480p, and as you might imagine on a 55"( or 52", forgot) 1080p TV, 480p doesn't look so good. So I just took my laptop and hooked it up. Plus, typing is a chore, worse than using an on-screen keyboard with a mouse. So, unless you don't care about live streams( or find one that has better support) and know of a one that supports keyboard and/or mouse, get an HTPC.
On to the HTPC vs Console bit. You will be able to build an HTPC with better sound quality while cheaper than a console( plus, I imagine, it'll have more support for various formats)( video quality is the same), but a console might be better if you actually plan to use it for gaming and stick to formats that it'll support.
HTPC hands down.. the smart TV functionality is really crippled plus the processors on those tvs are really bad, if there is something youtube or wathever eventually updates there is a big chance that TV function will go down the drain, plus there are more sites than the ones that are offered by smart TVs so you are stuck at the vendor specific sites.
as for home consoles those may have better performance and overall support but you are still tied to wathever the console vendor wants to include in your system, while an HTPC.. well can do and access wathever a PC can, and will probably be so for much more years than the console/smart TV
I like your idea of flipping a coin. If I get one answer and I’m still hoping for the other… then I know what I really want in my heart of hearts. There is just one problem: Now that I’m aware of this mind trick…will it still work :P
First off, thanks for the great replies. The collective genius of the The Tek Syndicate community has proven to be awesome!
I completely agree with all of you about the video play back. I’ve had problems with having to convert .mkv files to .mp4 so I could play them on my PS3 in the living room. That’s definitely a plus to HTPC, for having the ability to play almost any file type. And the video play back for Netflix on some smart tvs is just unwatchable because of constant buffering or poor picture quality.
And thank you Z and Ryoga for reminding how utterly poor the performance of smart tvs and the like are when it comes to apps or simply streaming music or video from my pc. On top of that, you are both right again with the fact that I am at the mercy of the manufacture to create and update the apps I need/want.
It sounds like I’ll be making me a mini-itx build with an APU and ASUS Xonar sound card (unless Asus makes a bomb mini-itx AMD mobo with great sound). I just have one more question. I’m going to be using this mostly for movie viewing and streaming music from another pc on my network. What do you guys recommend for the software? I really like the simple GUI of smart tvs and consoles (Click: Up, Down, Left, Right, Enter, Back), I want a simple way to get around the programs (and simply Windows OS in general too) without a mouse. I currently have Cyberlink Power DVD 13. Should I stick with Power DVD and use the remote app or buy a remote(which one for getting around Windows)… or maybe just get the LEAP Motion and become a Jedi?
You could look into media oriented linux distros. Also, look into Intel's NUCs. They are pretty neat.
There are some articles like this one around the web. Try googling something like "htpc operating system" or something. They will give much more information on the subject than I can give you, for sure.
Thanks for the information 1920.1080.1280.720p! I liked the article. When i finally have this bulit, i'll try my hand at Plex. You guys have helped me with my decision. Thanks again ^__^
Yeah, I have heard of many people saying abot serious performance issues with smart TVs. At first I thought this seems too good to be true but it turns out, "damn I'm right, sarcastically."