HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer)  —— a personal computer equipped with software and, in some cases, hardware that allows it to be used as a home theater computer. In addition, the term is used to describe home theater systems that include a computer, television, and audio system.

The integration of television and personal computer dates back to the late 1980s, when tuners were added to Commodore Amiga PCs using Video Toaster. This adaptation allowed for a small video window to be displayed on the screen. In 1993, Apple developed the Macintosh TV— television with a built-in personal computer, however, it never gained widespread popularity and was discontinued after about 10,000 units were produced.

In 1996, Gateway Computer released a computer that included a tuner and a video card. The device cost $4,000 and basically integrated television and computer functions on a single color monitor. It was called the "PC-TV Combo," but in December it was renamed the "Home-theater PC" and featured in the media: "The home theater PC will combine entertainment and information application."

In 1997, a small company, Chromatic Research, developed the Mpact1 chip, which could decode MPEG1/MPEG2 and obtain a progressive RGB signal from an interlaced one. This chip had a number of multimedia functions and expansion capabilities. But after its completion, the chip was not in demand due to the insignificant growth rate of the DVD industry. About a year later, the company released an updated Mpact2 chip, which was used in various video adapters, such as the 3DFusion DVD card, STB NitroDND, Leadtek WinFast 3D S800 AGP, as well as in exotic motherboards. Initial sales were quite slow until the first reviews and notes about the possibility of achieving progressive images using a 3DFusion board based on the Mpact2 chip began to appear online. Since mid-1998, reviews began to appear in the printed press, which drew attention to the capabilities of the PC. At this time, the abbreviation HTPC was formed as an abbreviation of the phrases Home Theater and Personal Computer. Another rather interesting attempt to give new properties to the PC was the development of the Philips company - the DVX 8000 multimedia receiver, which combined a tuner, preamplifier, DVD-ROM and a personal computer running Windows 95. The system was based on an Intel Pentium MMX 233 MHz processor, 32 MB RAM, 3.1 GB HDD, 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, USB and a 33.6 Kbps modem. A wireless keyboard was used for control. The first pancake, as they say, turned out lumpy; these once revolutionary achievements have already become part of history, which is not so easy to find even on the Internet.

In just 10 years, new technologies have burst into our lives. DVD/MP3 standards, smart homes, satellite broadcasting, digital photography - all this triumph of modern digital technology is implemented in household appliances. But the capabilities of such devices are initially limited by manufacturers, which led to the widespread use of PCs as an analogue of household appliances.

At first, ease of use and appearance did not please HTPC fans, but by now almost all the "teething" problems have been corrected, and the development of HTPCs is entering a new phase with the involvement of a large number of manufacturers producing components and software specifically for HTPCs. This convergence of computer technology and household appliances fits neatly into the framework of the Intel Corporation concept called "Digital Home", in which the personal computer is given the place of a unifying node for all household devices.

And in our online store you can buy Intel MINI-HTPC with licensed Windows OS 8.1! For example, the MINI PC MeLE PCG09 hasa compact design, as well as a wide range of applications: at home, at work and in business.