Just a few years ago, the landscape of home theater looked incredibly different, and the changes have come at a pace that took even the largest industry giants by surprise. Take Sony as an example. As the developer of Blu Ray, you would certainly think that they would be sitting in a very comfortable position right now. However, Sony reported a major loss in the Blu Ray division in 2014, citing that streaming grew more quickly than it had anticipated. Mind you, Sony knew it was coming, they had even begun the setup for their own streaming service. It was the growth explosion of streaming that caught everyone off guard.

While Chromecast, FireTV, and the like, can do a fairly good job of basic streaming, there are those that want more out of the experience in their living room. Full tilt gaming naturally fits the bill, and there are many that want to use top end audio equipment to play back their music, not to mention that there are times that a Blu Ray is the preferred (or only possible) medium. In these situations, our convenient little HDMI stick just isn't going to cut it; an actual desktop PC is what the situation calls for. Naturally, we are seeing a greater variety of SFF components available to put together powerful, quiet, and small enough to be entertainment center friendly, builds. This brings up the need for more specialized cooling, and Phanteks is answering the call with two new pieces.