3 Steps To Make Your HTPC Wife-Friendly
I love the HTPC, honey!
I’m lucky enough to have a tech-savvy wife, but I know that there are not many like me. And, let’s face it, a homemade HTPC can be an intimidating thing. Avoid the “why don’t we just get a Tivo?” talk with these steps:
1. Hide The Wires
The number one step to increasing Wife Acceptance Factor is to cut the clutter.
I keep wires to a minimum by running a USB cable to a USB hub velcroed under our coffee table. The cord is perfectly hidden by a rug. Now there is a neat, clean way to plug in digital cameras, gamepads, iPods, etc without fumbling with the computer itself.
Other wired ideas to think about:
- Invest in a nice wireless keyboard/mouse combo. Now!
- Get a cord organizer and run your behind-the-scenes cables through it.
- Run speaker cable under the carpet, or at least nail it along the baseboards.
2. Hide Windows
Do not let Windows rear its ugly head! While building your own Tivo catapults you into the cool, allowing XP to peep around the corner will remind everyone that you are a nerd and have your computer hooked up to a TV. Keep Windows swept under the rug and people will be wowed by your handiness.
This includes:
- Use Tweak UI to make windows HTPC friendly.
- Use the Multishortcut plugin to run everything from Mediaportal. Do not make your wife use the desktop.
- Keep things remote-controllable! Mouse and keyboard should be banished for everyday DVR tasks.
3. Do it for her!
Sure, it’s your hobby, but your wife has to use it! Do something special for her. HTPC’s are endlessly customizable, so cook something up for her.
- Rip her favorite movies onto the hard drive. Serve up popcorn and show her how, with one click, she can watch her flick of choice. Then actually watch it with her
- Allow her to choose the Mediaportal skin you use.
- Make a playlists of her favorite songs and make it easily accessible. Have it playing when she wakes up.