What would you look for in an HTPC?

Red Dragon Audio · « **on:** 27 Dec 2004, 03:26 am »

Hi All,

My brother and I are starting a small HTPC (home theater personal computer) company and we would like to know what features people want, what price people are looking for and any other information would be useful.

Thanks for your feedback and input.

jermmd · « **Reply #1 on:** 27 Dec 2004, 03:54 am »

Stability and ease of use are most important for me. I've spent more time tweaking Dscaler, FFDShow and Zoomplayer than I care to think about. But if you get it right, the picture is awesome. You'll need a sound card or motherboard with a good digital out-I don't think many people will use the HTPC for DAC/processing. HDTV PVR would be nice. You could preload EAC and Foobar as well. Finally, if you could offer something like the DEQX Calibrated™PDC-2.6P (Preamp Model):-Speaker, Room and Recording Correction Preamp in conjunction with the HTPC, that would be unique and potentially unbeatable. Tons of storage and a variety of screen options (FP, RPTV, LCD DLP, whatever) and your good to go. Oh yeah, the processor will have to be able to keep up with the latest games.

Joe M.

cjr888 · « **Reply #2 on:** 27 Dec 2004, 04:04 am »

I don't think my answer is the kind of 'features' you're looking for feedback on, but I'd say the features you should aim for are ease of use, customer service, and stability.

I'd say stick to a few configurations, more than anything so that you know them in and out from a support and 'get it right' perspective.

I'd say that if you're going to use off the shelf software and say customize/rebrand it only, aim for value. If you're doing something truly new or different, then up things a bit.

You figure that rather computer savvy people are going to build their own for the most part, and anyony else wants it to be flexible, but simple ten times more....

Be ready to provide support and good support, and if it is truly to act as an appliance, make it function as such. Put training wheels on the system and interface -- keep people from thinking its a PC, and if you do, lock it down to some extent. If you don't, you will find that 90% of your time is playing PC Helpdesk for free... Also if you don't, people that don't know computers will blame you, not themselves.

Consider options that allow secure, remote support and/or updates.

Marbles · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 Dec 2004, 02:02 pm »

Make it easy with a remote control, and make it QUIET, QUIET, QUIET.

tom1356 · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 Dec 2004, 05:06 pm »

Do what these guys do, only cheaper.

http://www.alienware.com/main.aspx

shokunin · « **Reply #5 on:** 27 Dec 2004, 07:01 pm »

Just as others have mentioned, easy to use and quiet which usually means lower heat and less fans in the case. I'd try and promote the client/server approach, a remote storage server as an option and the remote HTPC client that basically has a single small boot drive, possibly even 2 drives in Raid 1 for some redudancy and a processor with low heat but fast enough to run a variety of filters, FFdshow, reclock, NVDVD, WMVHD, etc. For audio use, a slow processor passively cooled is fine, but HTPCs using FFDshow require some serious horsepower.

It's easy to make a fast, loud, big, heavy HTPC. It's another to make it quiet and easy to use. Whatever you build, put it on your audio rack or next to the TV, sit on your couch with only the HTPC on, can you hear it running? If so, it's too loud. Even some of the quietest case fans and processor coolers are still too loud IMO. A low voltage server processor or mobile cores will produce less heat and provide decent performance.

Here's a great cool-looking case to use:

http://www.standsunique.com/Claritas.html

too bad, I was quoted 100 GBP in shipping plus the $400 for the case.. uh no thanks...

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #6 on:** 27 Dec 2004, 09:46 pm »

My priorities:

1- Dead silence. An HTPC needs quiet drives & fans, including PS fans.
2- Good user interface. It should be easy to use, even for non gearheads.
3- Reliability. It must be stable. No overclocking or radical configurations.
4- Storage. It needs plenty of HD space. I'd like a min of 2 x 300 HD drives.
5- Good sound. Obviously you need a good sound & video card.

JoshK · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 Dec 2004, 12:51 am »

I tend to think CJR is right. I think one needs to examine whether you can actually make money off of this. The people like myself aren't going to buy one, because if I go the HTPC route, I'll build it myself, because I am moderately savvy. So one should assume that if someone is going to pay for a pre-built solution it needs a few things. Most of all easy of use, stability, support, plug and play component like feel.

If it isn't seemless I think you'll find that you are supporting it way too much and it will be a loosing proposition. This is the businessman in me.

Jon L · « **Reply #8 on:** 28 Dec 2004, 02:33 am »

It's gonna be a tough market, mainly b/c there are very good DVD players out there that are cheap as dirt. A lot of them also offer DVI or HDMI digital output and "upconversion" to 1080i.

I use the Zenith DVB318, which I picked up for $160, that has fantastic picture quality over component or DVI, upsampled to 1080i. There's no software to mess around with, no freezeups, no bugs/quirks to work out. I pop in a DVD and it just plays. Bravo D2, Panasonic, Denon, etc, etc. do similar things.

Unless you can offer HTPC that equals or outperforms the PQ (VERY hard to do) and at very reasonable prices, I just don't think people will buy them.

shokunin · « **Reply #9 on:** 28 Dec 2004, 03:40 am »

Here's what I would want:

Multiple HDMI and DVI Inputs
5C Firewire input
Scaling HDMI inputs to 1080p or anything else
HD Recording (not just OTA)
Multiple Tuners 2+ HD Tuners
DVD player
Audio server Redbook + SACDs
DVR Functionality including HD
HT processing functions DD, DTS, bass management, with multiple digital inputs, room correction would be nice
8+ analog outputs all configurable

Problem is, the future is HDMI, HDCP, & 5C. However those interfaces don't exist within the HTPC realm. The future, unless Microsoft gets it's way is towards closed copy-protected scalers and systems that conform to HDCP rules.

My HTPCs are glorified DVD players, only one HTPC that I have can input and scale 1080i DVI (non-hDCP) and HD Component and scale it back out to 1080p or any other resolution.. but the Immersive Holo3dgraph is no longer being sold and software was so buggy I could not recommend it to anyone.

zybar · « **Reply #10 on:** 28 Dec 2004, 04:13 am »

Quote from: heavystarch

Hi All,

My brother and I are starting a small HTPC (home theater personal computer) company and we would like to know what features people want, what price people are looking for and any other information would be useful.

Thanks for your feedback and input.

Ryan,

As others have pointed out, this market is extremely competitive and the margins are very low. My buddy and I stopped building pc's a while back b/c it just wasn't cost effective. The people who are going to buy from you are going to be very labor intensive and will eat away your profits.

The only way this maybe makes sense is if you can go really upscale and cater to the total turnkey market. This will require that you have the latest and greatest features with an easy to use interface.

Best of luck.

George

Red Dragon Audio · « **Reply #11 on:** 28 Dec 2004, 05:05 am »

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

I agree with what everyone here has said:

DEAD QUIET!
Easy to operate
Cutting Edge Features
RELIABILITY!
High Quality product
Functionality

sponger · « **Reply #12 on:** 28 Dec 2004, 07:06 am »

Quote from: heavystarch

DEAD QUIET!
Easy to operate
Cutting Edge Features
RELIABILITY!
High Quality product
Functionality
[/list:u]

those sound like great attributes for your product to have, but I would expect them from just about anything I buy, except for maybe a car. I would want my car to be LOUD!

If a friend of mine who is very technically savvy still managed to spend over $2K on a bose home theater, one characteristic remains constant about the market: consumers are generally stupid.

I'm no market strategist; nor am I a certified audiophile. But, I would focus on product differentiation in this case. What sets a PC home theater apart from standard home theater so much so that consumers will want to spend the extra $$ purchasing one. Actually, that would just be a question that I have personally. Thank you for letting me share my opinion.

Red Dragon Audio · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 Dec 2004, 04:25 am »

Quote from: sponger

those sound like great attributes for your product to have, but I would expect them from just about anything I buy, except for maybe a car. I would want my car to be LOUD!

If a friend of mine who is very technically savvy still managed to spend over $2K on a bose home theater, one characteristic remains constant about the market: consumers are generally stupid.

I'm no market strategist; nor am I a certified audiophile. But, I would focus on product differentiation in this case. What sets a PC home theater apart from standard home theater so much so that consumers will want to spend the extra $$ purchasing one. Actually, that would just be a question that I have personally. Thank you for letting me share my opinion.

Thre are numerous reasons folks want an HTPC; the versatility and multiple integrated features they offer as well as upgradeability down the road.

An HTPC integrates TIVO capabilities with your DVD player which also rips DVD's and CD's. It will be a central nervous center for an integrated music/video system for your whole home where you can store music/movies/pictures etc. Not to mention you can play your favorite PC games on a huge projector screen then switch over to Monday night football and then to your email all from one location or a few locations in the house. Plus you will be able to integrate other features as well like controlling the lighting in your home, the heating/cooling system, alarm system and all sorts of other possibilities. Really I think you are limited by your imagination only.

Since processors are becoming so powerful and hard drives so large, we are able to do more and more with computers. It's almost inevitable that HTPC's will become the central nervous system for your home. They might not be known as HTPC's at that point anymore.

I hope that was a useful answer.