![]() ![]() MUSIC – Any music streaming platform (Spotify, Google Play Music, YouTube Music, iTunes, Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio + your local music collection).VIDEO – Any video streaming platform (Amazon Prime video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, YouTube, CBS All Access, Disney Streaming, iTunes + your local video files).You may be a YouTube music subscriber, but your device of choice may only support Spotify.Ī dedicated media PC is capable of doing nearly anything you throw at it: If you’re primary media device is a smart Android TV, you may not have access to Amazon Prime Video. Every other media solution has some form of limitation. The personal computer is still one of the most versatile and capable pieces of technology created to date. Put simply, the HTPC still makes sense when you want to have it all. While this middle ground does step up in price (typically $200-$400) it’s still far below the price of a HTPC. Gaming consoles too continue to step up their game by offering a lot of streaming capabilities beyond their singular gaming purpose. The shield also has a plethora of storage options allowing you to source a variety of local content. You can do quite a bit of gaming with the shield while still maintaining a lot of quality 4k streaming capabilities. The NVIDIA Shield in particular is doing a fantastic job of serving as a singular device that can do far more than a simple streaming stick. That doesn’t necessitate an immediate jump to a full blown HTPC though. Want to play local content files? Looking to do some gaming? Do you need some type of application outside of the devices ecosystem? A generic streaming stick can’t tackle these tasks. While great at what they do, streaming devices break down in capability pretty quickly. When you want to do more than just stream If you’re just trying to stream content to your TV, get a streaming device, or if you have a smart TV, leverage its native capabilities. They’re cheap, don’t consume a lot of power, and don’t have any of the complexities that come along with a full blown PC. Those streaming devices are built for a singular purpose. If your goals are to stream a bit of Netflix and Hulu that makes your comparison $1k vs a sub $80 streaming device like a Chromecast, Roku, AppleTV, or Firestick TV. Budgets vary wildly as you shop around with around $1,000 sufficiently satisfying a variety of entertainment needs. ![]() You can buy one pre-built or customize your own. If you prefer video format over written documentation I discuss this topic in the following TechThoughts video:Ī HTPC is a full blown computer, and is priced accordingly. Ultimately, I did decide to build a new computer for my entertainment center, but that approach may not be the best for your own media needs. In a sea of smart TVs, and cheap streaming devices, does the HTPC still fit in? I recently found myself faced with the decision of either upgrading my old HTPC, or abandoning it altogether. Today though, those same features can be had in the form of a $35 Chromecast. That HTPC supported 1080p, played DVDs, Blu-ray, streamed Netflix, Youtube, surfed the web, showed pictures of my kids, and played background music at parties when we had company.Īt the time, it delivered capabilities that most people’s entertainment centers couldn’t come close to matching. At the time, it added an unprecedented level of capability to my media center. It doesn’t seem so long ago that I built and hooked up my first HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer). When you want to do more than just stream.Reality Check – are you just streaming?. ![]()
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