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This subforum is cool and all with lots of info on building an HTPC - but there's not a lot of discussion on how you guys use them, and what the experience is like. Maybe some of you guys who have it all figured out can share some experiences with us noobs, and show off a little bit! 
I think there's two camps with HTPCs, one group sees it as a complement to their current services - a way to do things better so to say. The other side I feel more in tune with, is that an HTPC opens up the possibility to drop pay services and get more for less.
Like many others, I'm very tired of paying an ever increasing cable bill loaded with stupid fees for hundreds of crappy channels. I personally don't watch much TV, but my kids and wife are a different story. So while pulling the cable TV plug and going with just an internet connection would be just fine for me, it's still got to work for the less computer savvy family members as well. I feel that if I built a solid HTPC, and picked up a few streaming subcriptions (Hulu+, netflix, etc.), I could dump everything but the internet connection and save some legitimate money.
So here's the stuff (to me) that seems like it would work well:
1) Getting a real antenna and picking up local stations for live TV (NBC CBS ABC, etc.)
2) Using an HTPC as a TV guide, and DVR
3) Using an HTPC for streaming services like netflix and hulu
4) Kid's shows streaming selection (spongebob, cartoons, etc.)
5) Using the HTPC as a media center for streaming my private library of music, photos, and music
6) Using the HTPC with my emulators - get my old school NES games back on the TV where they belong
But there's things I wonder about:
1) Even if I bump my internet speeds up - I'm thinking that a) me gaming while b) my family streams - isn't going to work too well
2) Can that be fixed with router settings? (I think hitting the upload limit is more limiting than download speeds - not sure that's fixable in my router) How does this work for you gamers / multiusers?
3) I'd like to stay away from pirating the "crappy" cable TV shows (honey boo boo, project runway, hoarders, you get the idea) but this is something my wife enjoys and I don't see any other legitimate options for this stuff other than "paying for all those crappy cable channels" For those with the significant other - where have you all found this stuff or have you just gone without?
4) Long time ago in a far away galaxy - my super massive college speakers with football field sized magnets erased a bunch of disks Is that still a concern? (although my speakers are much less obnoxious these days).
Advice? Agree? Disagree? Your experiences? What works well and what doesn't? Inquiring minds want to know from people who aren't stupid (most of the [H] crew).
I think there's two camps with HTPCs, one group sees it as a complement to their current services - a way to do things better so to say. The other side I feel more in tune with, is that an HTPC opens up the possibility to drop pay services and get more for less.
Like many others, I'm very tired of paying an ever increasing cable bill loaded with stupid fees for hundreds of crappy channels. I personally don't watch much TV, but my kids and wife are a different story. So while pulling the cable TV plug and going with just an internet connection would be just fine for me, it's still got to work for the less computer savvy family members as well. I feel that if I built a solid HTPC, and picked up a few streaming subcriptions (Hulu+, netflix, etc.), I could dump everything but the internet connection and save some legitimate money.
So here's the stuff (to me) that seems like it would work well:
1) Getting a real antenna and picking up local stations for live TV (NBC CBS ABC, etc.)
2) Using an HTPC as a TV guide, and DVR
3) Using an HTPC for streaming services like netflix and hulu
4) Kid's shows streaming selection (spongebob, cartoons, etc.)
5) Using the HTPC as a media center for streaming my private library of music, photos, and music
6) Using the HTPC with my emulators - get my old school NES games back on the TV where they belong
But there's things I wonder about:
1) Even if I bump my internet speeds up - I'm thinking that a) me gaming while b) my family streams - isn't going to work too well
2) Can that be fixed with router settings? (I think hitting the upload limit is more limiting than download speeds - not sure that's fixable in my router) How does this work for you gamers / multiusers?
3) I'd like to stay away from pirating the "crappy" cable TV shows (honey boo boo, project runway, hoarders, you get the idea) but this is something my wife enjoys and I don't see any other legitimate options for this stuff other than "paying for all those crappy cable channels" For those with the significant other - where have you all found this stuff or have you just gone without?
4) Long time ago in a far away galaxy - my super massive college speakers with football field sized magnets erased a bunch of disks
Is that still a concern? (although my speakers are much less obnoxious these days).Advice? Agree? Disagree? Your experiences? What works well and what doesn't? Inquiring minds want to know from people who aren't stupid (most of the [H] crew).
