[LH88]

That is old school idea. In my case- if I want to watch football on the same 56" HDTV using Directv, I don't want my HTPC to come on when I turn on my HDTV.

If you like to turn on your HTPC with through power outlet, this "Infrared Plug Adapter Wireless IR Remote Converter" might be a better option.

or this one come with remote control- Woods 13568 Indoor Wireless Remote Control Outlet, 3-Outlet.

It may be old school to you but it's new to me since I am new to the whole HTPC thing. I searched for how other people were powering on their HTPC's but never seemed to find anything that would work unless you had a PC with an ATX power supply or some method that required to open the PC and do some soldering or install some chip. I mostly saw discussions on the WOL method which didn't appeal to me either so I decided to try something else and I'm happy with it.