Anyone who has ever watched any incarnation of Star Trek is familiar with the bridge the crew worked on. From that room, they could view objects on a giant screen, communicate with other inhabitants of the galaxy and call up any information they needed at the time. This was originally the work of science fiction writers, but modern technology has made it ridiculously easy to recreate. Here are the PC components and video devices you need to transform your living room into your own futuristic command center.
LCD TV
Most people already have this part of the recipe down, but those who don’t probably don’t understand what they’re missing. Besides offering video in crisp 1080p resolution, an LCD TV can be hooked up to any number of PC components to become essentially a giant computer monitor. This will form the majority of the parts of your command center that are visible.
PC
When creating a media PC, some people prefer to use a dedicated desktop computer while others would rather have a laptop they can take with them wherever they go. In any event, you’ll need a computer with an HDMI cable that can reach the wall-mounted LCD TV.
Mouse and keyboard
There’s nothing wrong with using a mouse and keyboard that connects to your computer with wires, but it will probably be more convenient (and quite a bit more attractive) if you make it a wireless mouse and keyboard. This way, you can sit on your couch and navigate the internet or your computer without needing to lean forward or worry about tripping people.
Hard drive
If you’re going to be using your command center to watch movies, listen to music, play games or entertain yourself with any other sort of media, you’ll probably want to start downloading video and other files. In this case, you’ll start collecting a lot of data you won’t ever want to delete. Upgrade your computer with an internal or external hard drive so you can build an impressive (but invisible) media library available at the touch of a keyboard.
Communications
What really makes a wall-mounted computer a command center is the ability to visually communicate with anyone you want to. If you purchase a webcam and microphone, you’ll be able to sit on your couch and take a break from the latest episode of your favorite show by video chatting with a friend who appears full-sized on your wall.
