Personal computers (including laptops) older than 3 years old are considered as dinosaurs. Many computer manufacturers are offering home computers featuring newer and faster processors, plenty of RAM and file storage for under 0 nowadays. This means more consumers are replacing their old computers with newer ones sooner than in the past.
You might have an old computer (or two) sitting in the storage right now because you upgraded to a newer computer in recent years. What did you do with your old computer? Did you bring it to a recycling depot or is it still sitting in your storage? My answer is the latter until I created a website about saving money. This website shows you how to reduce your monthly bills such as home phone and television services. I did a lot of research in order to create useful contents for the website visitors. One aspect of the website research is looking into the advantages of using a TV antenna and watching Online TV (legally of course). This is where your old computer will come in handy because it could be reused as a home media center, also known as a basic Home Theatre PC (HTPC). For example, I'm using my old computer to do the following on my LCD television:
1. Watch TV channels in HD for free (with pause and rewind function)
2. Schedule recordings (even recurring shows can be recorded)
3. Access thousands of online TV shows for free
4. View digital photos and videos
5. Listen to music
6. Check weather forecast
7. Play games
You can even browse the Internet, chat online and check your emails if you have a larger HDTV with wireless mouse and keyboard. Remember, I am doing all of the above with my old computer.
I need to clarify; your old computer is not going to be able to do all of the above if you do not make some investments to enhance its capabilities. Also, there is a possibility your computer might be too slow to handle the tasks required to run as a basic HTPC. I am not a computer geek but nor did I receive formal computer training. I am only savvy enough to identify computer problems and fix them with the help of the Internet. Therefore, I'm not qualified to make recommendations of what system is best to be setup as a HTPC. Instead, I will list the specifications of my old computer and components which I have purchased that worked for me. Therefore, you are able to judge whether your system might be able to handle the task or not. Also, I will list a few important considerations so you know exactly what you will be getting into as far as a HTPC setup goes. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of what is needed to turn your old computer into a home entertainment treasure.
My old computer system specs:
eMachine EL1200-06W
- AMD Athlon 64 2650e Desktop Processor
- 1GB DDR2 Memory
- 160GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 18x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner With LabelFlash Support
- NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Integrated Graphics
- Integrated 7.1 Audio With Stereo Speakers
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet
- Seven USB 2.0, 14-in-1 Card Reader
- 10.7" x 4.2" x 15"
- Windows XP Home
I got this refurbished computer in 2009 for 0 from an online retailer to replace an aging Pentium 4 system. It worked fine but I upgrade to a dual-core system just one year later mainly because I wanted Windows 7 Premium which is much better in terms of ease of use and stability than XP.
Core components which you will need to purchase:
- Indoor or outdoor antenna
- TV tuner
- PC remote
- Audio cable from PC to TV
Optional accessories:
- Wireless mouse and keyboard, if you intend to browse the Internet
- Large external hard drive if you plan to record shows
- Universal remote control to control TV, AV system and your PC
Other considerations:
- Does your TV have VGA input? Does your computer have HDMI output? If not, you will need a PC-to-TV digital converter.
- Is your location suitable for receiving Over-the-air (OTA) TV signal using a TV Antenna?
Online TV viewing considerations:
- Is there any access to the Internet near your TV? If not, you might need to bring the Internet connection via Ethernet cable or wireless connection (which means you will need to buy wireless router and adapter)
- Is your Internet connection fast enough to stream high quality videos Online? My connection is 7.5Mbps and it is fine streaming most videos.
- Does your Internet have a bandwidth limit? You have to be careful not to go over the limit because you will be charged for it.
Final words:
As you can see from my computer specs, it is a machine with a very slow CPU and only 1 GB of RAM. It is also running on an older operating system, Windows XP. Naturally, it is easy to assume the system won't be able to run as a HTPC. But surprisingly, my old computer runs smoothly as a HTPC. One of the reasons is its shortcoming of running on an older operating system actually becomes a benefit because it demands less CPU power and RAM. Since the computer is dedicated as a HTPC, I don't need to install any software other than a couple free security and media related software.
The only things I had to pay for were: a USB TV tuner (); a PC remote (): an indoor antenna () and a universal remote (). Total cost of 4 plus taxes.
By injecting new life into this old computer, I am not adding toxic wastes to the landfill and more importantly, I am able to cancel my cable service which is saving me close to 0 per year. I guess there is nothing wrong with BEING GREEN and SAVING MONEY at the same time.
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