Actually, the main point of the first paragraph was that it is easy to build an HTPC, which can be used to avoid the incompatibilities that exist with virtually every non-PC device. The fact that it makes it downright simple to watch pirated content is just a nice side-effect.

The services mentioned in the second paragraph, such as YouTube and Hulu, often restrict access to certain content when accessed from non-PC devices. Using an HTPC solves these problems.