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When you realize your HTPC is part of a dying breed


frankmb

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frankmb

With cheap and powerful Android devices and local network game streaming available now, I guess HTPC are much less popular than they used to be!

 

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Edited by frankmb
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Guest asrequested

lol.... Well, popularity is often confused with quality. Convenience is killing the world.....faster and faster. I just can't bring myself to use any of the streaming services. Maybe one day, I'll be the last of my kind :)

Edited by Doofus
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Guest asrequested

But the reality is that HTPCs won't ever disappear. There are too many programmers and gamers that use their computers to watch media. Which is why we have great players like mpv. Many of the people that use it, are on Linux machines and build their own. And that's just one facet. Software isn't written on streaming devices, it's written FOR streaming devices, on PCs.

Edited by Doofus
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Spaceboy

But the reality is that HTPCs won't ever disappear. There are too many programmers and gamers that use their computers to watch media. Which is why we have great players like mpv. Many of the people that use it, are on Linux machines and build their own. And that's just one facet. Software isn't written on streaming devices, it's written FOR streaming devices, on PCs.

i think you are confusing this here a little, probably deliberately to support your point. Watching media on a pc does not make it a htpc. Similarly not all pcs on which code for streaming devices is written are htpcs. A htpc is a specific kind of pc. And interest in the is dropping significantly, to see that you only need to monitor this forum

 

But of course they won’t die out completely, there’s always people that like to spend ages tinkering with their classic cars to get a few miles out of them before they need tuning up again, rather than driving a modern car that just works 99% of the time

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But the reality is that HTPCs won't ever disappear.

 

I agree.  Some people still have Betamax and Laser Disc machines.  :P

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Guest asrequested

i think you are confusing this here a little, probably deliberately to support your point. Watching media on a pc does not make it a htpc. Similarly not all pcs on which code for streaming devices is written are htpcs. A htpc is a specific kind of pc. And interest in the is dropping significantly, to see that you only need to monitor this forum

 

But of course they won’t die out completely, there’s always people that like to spend ages tinkering with their classic cars to get a few miles out of them before they need tuning up again, rather than driving a modern car that just works 99% of the time

They absolutely are the same.

 

And to be clear, I don't disagree they are a dwindling tech, but only due to convenience.

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Spaceboy

They absolutely are the same.

 

And to be clear, I don't disagree they are a dwindling tech, but only due to convenience.

well that’s just daft. You are saying that any pc that either has at some point in its life played a movie file or been used to write some code for a device such as a shield is a htpc [emoji23]

 

Well in that case they’re not dwindling, that covers pretty much every computer ever [emoji23]

 

No, they are pc’s, I know you know but the ht stands for home theatre

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Guest asrequested

well that’s just daft. You are saying that any pc that either has at some point in its life played a movie file or been used to write some code for a device such as a shield is a htpc [emoji23]

 

Well in that case they’re not dwindling, that covers pretty much every computer ever [emoji23]

 

No, they are pc’s, I know you know but the ht stands for home theatre

Apart from my surround sound, mine is just a computer connected to a display. It's my computer that I do everything on. And I also watch videos on it. But it's mostly used as a regular computer. So yes, it's absolutely the same.

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Guest asrequested

If I connect my computer directly to my TV and use it in the exact same way, you're saying that changes the designation of my computer? Don't be silly.

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If I connect my computer directly to my TV and use it in the exact same way, you're saying that changes the designation of my computer? Don't be silly.

 

Yes, actually, it does because the designation of HTPC is specifically a PC used for a Home Theater.  So, when you connect it to your TV that's what it becomes.  And very few people are doing that anymore, not out of convenience but because it simply isn't necessary to get what they need anymore.

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Guest asrequested

Yes, actually, it does because the designation of HTPC is specifically a PC used for a Home Theater. So, when you connect it to your TV that's what it becomes. And very few people are doing that anymore, not out of convenience but because it simply isn't necessary to get what they need anymore.

I don't agree :)

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1. Convenience

2. Price

3. Ease of use

 

The HTPC has none of those going for it. That is the issue it is facing. It is a dinosaur and the asteroids keep hitting. 

 

1) It is nowhere near as convenient as "just push play" can get like most streaming boxes are.

2) The price is nowhere near as competitive.

3) It requires setting up and knowing how or "bribe" a family member with baking cookies for them or similar.

 

The HTPC is the "Okay, Boomer" equivalent of speaking to someone. It isn't competitive anymore to make the sacrifices(cash, time to setup, the aformentioned bribery seeking ingredients/mixing/baking, etc) it takes to make the HTPC competitive.

Edited by speechles
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Spaceboy

1. Convenience

2. Price

3. Ease of use

 

The HTPC has none of those going for it. That is the issue it is facing. It is a dinosaur and the asteroids keep hitting.

 

1) It is nowhere near as convenient as "just push play" can get like most streaming boxes are.

2) The price is nowhere near as competitive.

3) It requires setting up and knowing how or "bribe" a family member with baking cookies for them or similar.

 

The HTPC is the "Okay, Boomer" equivalent of speaking to someone.

ok boomer [emoji23][emoji23]
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Guest asrequested

1. Convenience

2. Price

3. Ease of use

 

The HTPC has none of those going for it. That is the issue it is facing. It is a dinosaur and the asteroids keep hitting.

 

1) It is nowhere near as convenient as "just push play" can get like most streaming boxes are.

2) The price is nowhere near as competitive.

3) It requires setting up and knowing how or "bribe" a family member with baking cookies for them or similar.

 

The HTPC is the "Okay, Boomer" equivalent of speaking to someone.

That's what I said, earlier. It's all because of convenience. We're going to hell in a hand cart :D

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That's what I said, earlier. It's all because of convenience. We're going to hell in a hand cart :D

 

This is why those small "quickie mart" style stores still survive against BIG retail. They are "convenience" stores. :)

 

It has to keep pace with the realities of the market too. As the PC prices started to climb for things it became clear that longevity for HTPC would require serious investments in time to replace part as your HTPC ages. Otherwise the test of time spells its doom.

 

Time is the enemy of the HTPC. As time makes it less convenient as parts wear out much faster in a PC than say: a Roku, AppleTV or Shield. This is why the investment part comes in here. The other streaming devices are so cheap they require just "a whim" for an investment. Test out a fireTV stick or Roku express. Its less than $30. An HTPC makes you go.. oh boy.. Bust out another thousand.. its a BOAT... they both have four letters those are usually bad words.

 

For a mainstream cinema experience in your home that replicates that "exact feeling" of being in the cinema you are correct. There is but one answer, the HTPC.

 

But for every other media experience that doesn't require full immersion of all your attention while you graze on popcorn is okay to use the streaming stuff. It is casual. It is convenient. You experience it less fully but you don't need that full experience for watching some things. When you do whip out the HTPC and make people shut up and sit down in front and eat popcorn together. That is seriously the issue. People watch apart nowadays and not together as a family. This is why Netflix offers "family" accounts now. Because the trend is "watching your media your way on your device" which is what Emby is designed for.

 

There is no argument which is the better experience HTPC wins that argument hands down every single time.

Edited by speechles
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Guest asrequested

Computers will be around a very long time. An 'HTPC' is just a computer used for a lot more media watching. Can you use a gaming rig as an 'HTPC'? Of course you can. Can you use a store bought computer as an 'HTPC'? Of course you can. Whether or not someone will, that's irrelevant. The possibility will exist for a very long time. It's just another computer. Now, if we're talking about a computer solely being used as you would a streaming box thingy, that's a different conversation. My point of view is simply being able to enjoy your media on a computer. Just imagine how many people watch anime on their computers. And that's just one demographic. It just isn't going away. It'll change for sure, but it'll be around for years. And here we are with a media server, on a computer. And many people watching through a web browser.

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Been following this thread with some interest and for me after buying several years ago an Intel NUC with i-7 installing EMBY server, EMC, MPC-HT, madVR, PWDVD 17 plus the Throgsoft themes for EMC I have done nothing but just power up the NUC select from the libraries the desired video wall and play the content.

 

As far as maintenance is concerned OS updates and AV software updates are done automatically. No futzing about with settings after setup for the past years.

 

While I have toyed around with the idea to add a shield as backup, I hate to go through the setup hassle of setting up Kodi plus finding and setting up some theme that comes close to what Throgsoft delivers. Once the Home Theater setup works time should be spent viewing rather then tinkering. Plus there also is the very important WAF.

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clarkss12

That's absurd!

What can an htpc do that libreELEC/CoreELEC can't do??

 

Here is my HTPC connected to my monitor/TV.  I am playing Parsec on it right now.

 

post-38990-0-37947500-1575160449_thumb.jpg  post-38990-0-13537400-1575160469_thumb.jpg

 

post-38990-0-12054900-1575160493_thumb.jpg

Edited by clarkss12
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