Wireless Home Networking - Index of

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Part IV: Using a Wireless Network
Figure 12-3:
The DMA
2200 from
Linksys will
hook your
Media
Center PC to
remote TVs.
Internet Content for Your Media
Adapters, Players, and HTPCs
If you’re really into this HTPC thing, think about whether setting up an HTPC
is worth the trouble just to play back DVDs (although the quality would be
way high). Probably not, huh? “So,” you may ask yourself, “what else is in it
for me?” What makes an HTPC useful is its ability to provide a portal to all
sorts of great Internet-based content — that is, music and video content. A
portal is simply a one-stop shop for movies, songs, animation clips, and video
voice mail. Think of it as a kind of Yahoo! for your audio and video needs. (In
fact, Yahoo!, a portal itself, is trying to position itself to be just that! You can
play great music videos from its Web site, at launch.yahoo.com.)
You’re not getting much Internet content if your HTPC isn’t connected to the
Internet. And, don’t forget that a connection to your high-speed Internet
access (DSL, fiber-optic, or cable modem) is part of the overall equation.
(Yup, a regular ol’ vanilla dial-up connection works, but — we can’t stress
this enough — not nearly as well. If you’re one of the 90 to 95 percent of the
population who can get broadband, get it! If you’re out of range, we’re sorry,
and recommend that you check out the satellite broadband services offered
by folks such as DirecTV.)