anybody using mini splits instead of conventional heating?

[Aaron Hollingshead]

Having lived overseas for a number of years I have grown accustomed to the mini-split heating and cooling used in many parts of the Middle East and Asia.  They are reliable, individually controlled, and very cost effective.  I'm wondering if this is something that people are seeing used to heat and cool entire houses or are they still just being thrown in basements or garages in the US?  I'm wondering why more people don't consider this as a good option?