HTPC, I would rather have the full desktop experience.

HTPC if you'll be doing some heavy stuff, Android for the light stuff.

>>53768488
nvidia shield is confy (i have no experience with other android stuff on TV) but if you want the best experience possible go with a HTPC

On a whole, HTPC. However the Nvidia Shield TV is a bit of an outlier in that it's not shit.

>>53768514
>>53768553

What can HTPCs do in regards to media playback that a Nvidia Shill TV can't?

>>53768736
Be a full fledged dvr

>>53768514
This, micro atx AM1 builds can be done for as little as $160 which include an Athlon 5350, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB HDD

>>53768488
Depends on your needs. Watching 1080p YIFI rips on a ~$30 Android TV device fits my needs, taking into consideration the quality of my TV and speakers. Of course, you can watch movies of any quality if you have better equipment.
HTPC is better if you will actually use it for more than just media (games etc.).

>>53768514

>full desktop experience
>on your TV
>to do TV things

Full. Retard.

>>53769281

Honestly, even if you do want games, it's better to have a $1000 PC and a $200 Shield TV than to have a $1200 PC. Those Android TV boxes have such robust remote control support relative to anything you can get from a PC. And, honestly, remote support is the primary reason not to use an HTPC, because, even if you have a frontend like Kodi that plays nice with a remote, you still end up struggling to integrate other features and make them play nice. I once had an absolute bitch of a time trying to get Steam and Hyperspin to launch and exit gracefully to and from XBMC. On a set-top box like the Shield TV, though, not only is it not a struggle, it's all done for you already. You sacrifice a bit of fringe usability, but you conserve a lot of physical space and a lot of money, and gain a TV-friendly interface that doesn't make you want to tear your hair out.

Do what I do: have a Windows PC that runs Steam Big Picture, and then a set-top box of your choosing (personally, I like the Apple TV, but I can recommend the Shield TV in good conscience too) alongside it.

>>53769177

Uh huh. And what about the TV tuner card? CableCard support? A remote kit?

Any HTPC you build for $160 is going to end up foregoing most of the fringe benefits an HTPC would hypothetically confer in the first place.

>>53772231

In fact, if you are going to build any kind of actual PC to address your media needs, strongly consider a server/client model instead of the inelegant, stone-age solution of plopping a computer down next to your TV. Instead of having a chunky MicroATX box sitting next to your TV, you could have it sitting headless in your closet somewhere, managing your storage, media, and filesharing needs while your tiny set-top box pulls media from it.

It's a great idea if you have a respectable WLAN and desire a stylish, minimalist, user-friendly TV setup, because, again, set-top boxes are infinitely more user-friendly than DIY HTPCs. It's an even better idea if you live in a larger household with multiple TVs, as it scales much better.