We'll keep saying this until the buying public finally understands: A Home Theater PC should be more than a simple file player. Investing in a HTPC makes great sense: It can replace TiVO, a DVD player/recorder, and a game console, while also offering easy Internet access and huge amounts of storage for archiving your family's media. That is, so long as you work with good hardware, rather than merely the latest in trendy, under-powered performance reduction.

In particular, the spread of HD video formats (via Blu-Ray and HD-DVD media) means wimpy systems (like those other sites build!) just aren't going to cut it: Even the best CPUs are still inadequate for software decoding, necessitating a midrange or better graphics card to enable hardware acceleration. But how would it fare in one of the many cramped, poorly designed and poorly cooled "HTPC" cases littering the market?

Of course, you can always get around this problem by buying a full-sized desktop -- at roughly seven inches tall -- to fit in that A/V rack. Or you can find some odd place to stick a tower... but a low Wife Acceptance Factor may make you wish you hadn't considered either option.

Fortunately, Antec has something to get you started that promises to cover all these bases: Its new spouse-approved Fusion HTPC case.

Is the Fusion also power-user approved? And with all its added features, does it still provide adequate value to high-end buyers?