The Future of the HTPC

Many of you have HTPC’s (Home Theater PC’s) or something that could be used for this task. These systems have only been introduced recently and came about for several reasons. One of the most prominent reasons for the emergence of the HTPC is the availability of cool CPU’s such as VIA’s C3 that are able to run without a fan on the heatsink and still provide enough power to play DVD’s and perform other tasks rich with multimedia. Another advancement in computing technology has been onboard sound that actually sounds good. NVIDIA’s sound solution available in the nFroce2 MCP-T is a good example of this. Finally we come to form factor. Form factors have been shrinking, and the availability of systems with Mini-ITX boards and even Micro-ATX boards have pushed the HTPC market along. But what else is needed to take the HTPC from being a hobbyist/enthusiast’s arena and drive it out into the homes of mainstream consumers?