The WAF

Browsing the SageTV forums today made me think of one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in justifying the HTPC (well, moreover the COST of the HTPC), in most likely 90% of all cases, is the WAF. Yes, gentlemen, the Wife Acceptance Factor. Initially, convincing the wife to spend a good chunk of hard-earned dough (~$1200) on a computer that lets you watch TV isn't an easy task. Unfortunately, there's no "Try Before You Buy" option on the HTPC, since each one is a custom-built unit; not something you can pick up at Future Shop and bring back in 30 days if you're not happy with it. On the contrary, I ended up buying parts from all across North America to build the dream machine, since at the time very little was available locally. So after a month of acquiring items, and a week or two installing and setting up, the HTPC was born. The geek factor for me was Uber. The wife's reaction was "Uh, that's cool I guess". Well, 2 generations of SageTV later, a few new hard drives, and the addition of the 46" widescreen and HD cable box, the wife (and myself as well) are semi-reliant on the HTPC. It's far easier and enjoyable to record a show and watch it later (even easier with Eastern channel feeds), and have the program skip the commercials automatically. Easily browsing through upcoming movies on the Program Guide, selecting them to record, then watching them whenever it's convenient is where it's at. One top feature I like is scheduling the evening news to record every day at 6 PM, allowing me to get home, unwind, then watch the news from the start, even if I'm home a little late. Whoa, I've gone on a bit of a tangent there. Ah yes, the WAF. Initial approval was probably around 20% - today I would easily peg the WAF at 100%. True, it is a luxury, but in today's digital / entertainment age, I'd say it's no less needed than a big-screen TV. Oh, and men - be prepared to adjust your HAF to your new spring bedspread accordingly.