For media computers, why not get a custom built one? Rod
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] IM: Roddy12RA =================== "For it is a very remarkable thing that there are no men, not even the insane, so dull and stupid that they cannot put words together in a manner to convey their thoughts." (Philosopher Descartes). "No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come." Victor Hugo. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Clifford Blackwell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Pc-audio@pc-audio.org>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 10:03 AM Subject: media center computers > How accessible are the systems described in the article below? I can > see lots of benefits, but have doubts about accessibility. > > With a PC's Power, That's Entertainment > By TIM GNATEK > > ersonal computers increasingly fill home entertainment needs. And why > not? They are already the repositories for digital photos, music and > video collections. With an attached TV or radio tuner and digital video > recorder and encoder, they can replace nearly every entertainment device > in the house. > > But the demands placed on machines to store large video files and > process them quickly can be too much for standard home computers. > > To fill the need, a new breed of multimedia systems is entering the > market. Not only can they record, store and manage music, movies and > television shows, but they can also showcase them on high-definition > screens and in surround-sound audio, all with a click of the remote. > > Most multimedia machines come with powerful Pentium or Athlon > processors, the latest graphics cards, FM radio and television tuners > (sometimes more than one, so users can watch one channel while recording > another), DVD recorders and enough memory and hard-drive space to store > and play back hours of high-quality programming. Many also incorporate > the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system, which > adds specialized multimedia features to Windows XP. > > Because the entertainment PC's are designed for living rooms, they come > with wireless keyboards, mice and hand-held remotes for controlling > functions far from the computer. Nearly every major computer maker is > now producing entertainment PC's as laptops and desktops, and even as > horizontally designed machines that resemble stereo components. > > For the Desktop > > One line of desktops, the Vaio RA series of digital studio PC's from > Sony (starting at $1,799), presents bulked-up computers in tall, black > cases that enclose Intel Pentium 4 processors, one gigabyte of > random-access memory, and at least 320 gigabytes of storage. A 5.1 > surround-sound speaker system comes with the packages, providing > cinematic audio entertainment. To keep unwanted noise to a minimum, the > computers use a liquid cooling system, rather than a standard fan, to > carry heat away from the processors. > > Though the media computers can be priced higher than average machines, > shoppers do not have to wait for less expensive models to come to > market. This month, Gateway began selling a $1,000 media computer, the > 832GM Media Center PC, which includes a Pentium 4 processor, a gigabyte > of memory, a 250-gigabyte hard drive, TV and FM tuners, a DVD+/- RW > drive, a speaker package, a wireless keyboard, two-button mouse and > remote. > > Laptops > > Multimedia machines also come as laptops, and their thin profile may be > preferable in small apartments or dorm rooms, or for users who prefer > the small footprint of a portable device. > > One such computer, the Toshiba Qosmio, balances the portability of a > laptop with the features one might expect from its larger cousins. Its > premier model, the G15 ($2,599), has a 17-inch TruBrite liquid-crystal > display, which offers a clear picture from peripheral angles as well as > head-on. Built-in Harmon Kardon speakers mimic surround sound to lend a > richer tone than is usually found in laptops. To get to the > entertainment faster, CD's, DVD's and television programming can start > in a powered-down mode without booting the whole operating system. > > >From Dell, the Inspiron XPS Gen 2 ($2,349 with promotional discount), > intended more as a portable gaming station, has a similar 17-inch > display and, like the Qosmio, provides quick access to media content > when the computer is shut down. It is also the first laptop to come with > the new, powerful NVIDIA 256MB GeForce Go 6800 Ultra graphics card, > capable of processing feats like playing one high-definition program on > the laptop screen while simultaneously showing another on an external > monitor. For the Living Room > > Hewlett-Packard was an early purveyor of computers running Windows > Media Center when it was released in 2002. Today, in addition to desktop > and laptop models, it markets a system designed for the living room. > > The HP z545 digital entertainment center ($1,799 with rebate at > hpshopping.com) features a horizontal brushed-black aluminum case that > more resembles a stereo component than a PC. The system comes with a > wireless keyboard and integrated trackball. For storage, the computer > houses a 200-gigabyte internal hard drive as well as a 160-gigabyte > removable drive, an ATI Radeon X300 graphics card, a built-in FM tuner, > dual television tuners and 512 megabytes of RAM, expandable to 2 > gigabytes. Users can even take their entertainment with them by > transferring media files onto an HP iPAQ rx3115 Mobile Media Companion > ($349 at hpshopping.com), a hand-held for carrying photos, music and > video. > > A similar unit from Alienware, the DHS5 ($1,758), is also aimed at the > digital living room. The slim computer comes with an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ > processor, 80 gigabytes of hard-drive space, up to three television > tuners and Dolby Digital sound. > > Alienware, which has always catered to the gamer market, has also made > its DHS line attractive to active play by adding Discover Console > technology, which automatically loads, installs and optimizes PC-based > games from a CD without troubling the user with prompts. > > The Operating System > > Most PC manufacturers developing multimedia machines have chosen > Windows XP Media Center Edition as their operating system. The Media > Center environment, which has expanded considerably since its debut, > allows remote navigation of computer content. > > Media Center starts with a click of a button on a computer's remote > control, and has a simple scrolling menu of television programs, FM > radio, DVD's and recorded videos, photo albums and music collections. > > Using a multimedia PC for home entertainment does carry some risks: if > your computer crashes, so does your television. But there are benefits > to the arrangement as well. The My TV feature on Media Center, for > example, can turn the computer into a digital video recorder without the > monthly charge of dedicated services like TiVo. The system automatically > downloads viewing guides, based on the user's location and provider, and > allows for scrolling through programming lists, recording individual > shows or entire series. In the 2005 edition of Media Center, viewers can > record programs in high definition and manage up to three TV tuners, > recording two programs while watching a third. > > The operating system can manage music and photo files as well. Media > Center can search and sort music collections, using album cover icons as > identifiers, and link to online music stores where users can purchase > additional music. Another feature, Online Spotlight, provides a > directory of additional Internet content, including access to National > Public Radio programs, news feeds, sports clips and subscription radio, > movie and music services. > > All these features on the living room screen can make other household > TV's seem dull in comparison. But they, too, can become a node in a > Media Center network. To carry the computer-based entertainment around > the house, the Linksys Media Center Extender ($239 after rebates at > Amazon.com) attaches to other nearby televisions and takes controls and > recorded programs to other rooms over a wired or wireless network. The > device can carry video programming, music and photos stored on the base > computer, but cannot display DVD's, CD's or HDTV content. > > > > Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company > > _______________________________________________ > PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > http://www.pc-audio.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
