Since the “launch event” is done with Windows 7 seems to be here but quiet and little fan fare. No raging bulls calling for its dismissal and threats of removing it from systems. In all likely hood that is how it will be. Even Apple has nothing to say and its MAC vs. PC commercials are more boring than ever.
The PC World is Changing:
- Lets talk about Migrating or moving data. How about storage?
- Media and things done since Windows 7 launch to make the Home Theater PC (HTPC) a reality.
- Quiet Power and AMD has a new chip that helps.
Migrating and Storage
No matter what type of computer you have the workhorse in the system that is likely to have a mechanical meltdown and that is most sensitive to physical damage is the hard drive.
Hard drive technology is great and an inexpensive and quick hard drive is available to the consumer. So new computers with 500 or more gigabytes of storage are more and more common. The size of the hard drive is a selling point with the consumer thrilled at all the pictures, movies and videos that they can now store.
The risk however is great. The operating system uses a hard drive as a big part of its working memory management, temporary storage and just general scratch pad. Sit for just a few minutes and watch just how much the HD light flickers or remains on steadily. Even when you are doing nothing, the hard drive is hard at work.
While the new designs are safer and better built they are very much overworked by the operating system. So your five hundred gigabytes of pictures, movies and music are at great risk when something goes wrong.
Two approaches help reduce the risk. One is that the operating system only needs space of only a hundred gigabytes or so for a modern system. Give it a nice 160 gig to be nice. Still not spending much money. Then install a five hundred gig or larger drive as a second drive. Then when the main drive crashes; your system is backed up on the secondary drive and your pictures, movies and music are all safe. The added cost to your build is usually less than about $75 at today’s prices for the second drive.
A second approach (which I like) is for you to purchase a USB drive of the size and design that is right for you. It is easy to get a portable drive at 500 gig or more for less than or right at a hundred bucks. I prefer the smaller (2.5 inch) drives like the passport or similar. They fit in my pocket and away we go. The large drives run cooler, are more stable and sit nicely like a book somewhere on the desk. Usually they require a separate cord and power supply.
With this secondary storage you can take your movies, pictures and music to what computer you want without the hassle of disks, burning software, scratches or just a bunch of shiny disks that seem to grow in an endless pile. If Grandma likes the pictures when you visit, just copy them from your portable hard drive and she is set.
The computer’s hard drive is the heart of the system. Viruses can damage it, malicious software can damage it. Losses of power or power surges can kill them. They are sensitive to electrostatic discharges and sometimes freak accidents. In many cases when the system hard drive fails all data is lost – period.
The only protection is separate and independent backups and storage on a drive that is not the system’s main drive.
New Media Options
Streaming Video is here to stay. Two major players in the streaming market have added plug ins for Windows 7 media center. Hulu (www.hulu.com) and Netflix both have introduced integration to Windows 7 Media Center.
Since their introduction I have been testing both and let me say they are very good additions to the streaming market. Easy to control using an IR (infrared) remote that comes with most HTPC’s they allow control of what goes to the TV easy to manage. Not only that, they handle the playback quality very well to. In most cases an HTPC connects to its respective TV using DVI or HDMI and these new managers support the HD quality very well.
Why would you even consider an HTPC? A reasonable question indeed. The answer is simple. Cost and savings. At prevailing prices a custom built HTPC can easily be built for less than say a thousand dollars. With a good integrator such as Boxee or Windows Media center to manage the choices an HTPC can easily replace any satellite or cable box.
When connected to a 6 mbs or higher internet connection and an on air digital tuner – an HTPC can supply all your viewing needs, provide DVR (TIVO) service where you need it and you control it all from your favorite chair with a IR remote control or a keyboard and mouse (of course designed with the HTPC in mind)
Streaming means fewer or no commercials. Watch the show when you want and most of all turn off the cable/satellite TV bill. For me that would be a 100+ dollar a month reduction in payments. So in the first year the HTPC will have paid for itself.
AMD helps make HTPC better.
On the technical side of things just this week AMD released a low power quad core chip for the AM3 socket. At 2.6 and 2.8 gig Hz for the respective price ranges of 100 and 130 dollars they are a nice addition to the market. Low power means less fan noise and smaller cooling requirements. Making that slim HTPC case that sits in place of the cable box easier to achieve.
Right now I have an HTPC bench build that I am testing but so far the new chip, Windows 7 and media center integration seem to work well. People who have seen the video have been well pleased with the quality and where it is coming from. This week will test the digital tuner aspects.
Later on when I have finished playing with my bench build I will post its specs and estimated cost. I do know already that it will pay for itself if I were to use it to replace my cable box in less than ten months.
Give us a call and let us help you replace your cable box. Save yourself some money and in the process get rid of some of that remote clutter.
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