Extremely fast, Great sound, Wireless keyboard and mouse, Remote control, TV and Computer ! , Removable hard drive, Wireless capability
Disadvantages:
No monitor, Uninspiring tower design, Flimsy HP flip - down CD flaps
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
You may have heard recently in the media about the latest version of the Windows XP range - Windows Media Centre 2005 Edition. What's all the fuss about then? And why should I pay over £1000 pounds for a "Media Centre" when I can buy a "normal" PC with the same spec for around £700?
After spending around £750 on eBay for a new one of these direct from HP, I wondered what I'd put myself in for. Was it all money down the drain - or was it well spent?
Let's start with a bit of the background about the PC:-
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is a version of Windows XP that allows home computing and entertainment to be joined into one device - you are combining your Computer, TV, Hi-Fi, Radio, Photo Album, and DVD Player all into one easily managable appliance.
Microsoft introduced the Windows XP Media Center Edition a while back - in around 2002. The new version - the Media Center 2005 version contains some critical new updates and improvements - seen by computer people as a "must have" update. It is a bit like the scale of the upgrade from Windows 2000 to XP.
OK - so I haven't told you much about the new OS yet - well here's what it can do for you:-
The Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is based on Windows XP Professional - you have all the functionality of your usual PC - so you can word process, edit a spreadsheet, print your photos, browse the internet, etc - just like your average PC. The overriding point of sale though - is the addition of the "Media Center". By pressing the green button on the remote control (more on that later), you plunge into a blue, almost secondary operating system. A flashy splash is shown to you before you are given menu several options - in large, easily-readable-from-a-distance type. The main options are as follows:-
> Play DVD > Online Spotlight > My Videos > My Pictures > My TV > My Music > Radio > More Programs > Settings
The computer manufacturer often adds their own programs - on this computers' case HP have added:
> HP Image Zone > HP Tunes
You select your option using the keyboard, mouse, or remote control, and away you go! The options are fairly self-explanitory:-
> Play DVD allows you to play any DVD that you place in the hard drive, with all your usual functionality of a DVD Player. > Online Spotlight - a feature exclusive to the media centre PC - this allows you to surf channel providers, and watch streaming video and music (mostly for free) over your broadband connection. > My Videos allows you to browse your hard drive and network, and to view any videos you wish or burn them to a DVD or CD. > My Pictures allows you to browse and view (by way of a slideshow) any photos on your hard drive or network or burn them to a disk. > My TV allows you to view TV through your usual ariel connection, your Sky or Freeview box, or any other input - and record or pause live TV onto your hard drive! The My TV also includes a Guide updated by Microsoft - and also a "Series Record" option! - Very Useful! > My Music allows you to listen to and queue up your music - cateogorised in every way imaginable by the software! > Radio allows you to listen to and to pause live FM radio. > More Programs includes any programs you may install, and others provided by the manufacturer - including Messenger - you can IM your friends whilst watching TV! > Settings allows you to change most things about the Media Center software.
All of these options can be controlled by the HP Remote Control - an extremely useful device!
Some of what I've written doesn't even touch the surface of what's available to you in the Media Center software! To get the whole grasp of the Media Center software - I would recommend experiencing it at a computer store - or viewing some screenshots - a quick search on Google will find some helpful ones.
That's enough about the software and OS - here's some stats about the hardware:-
Intel Pentium 4 3.2Ghz (on mine) Processor 512MB Ram 160GB internal hard drive 160GB removable hard drive (so you have two hard drives!) DVD and CD Multi-format Writer DVD/CD Rom Hauppauger TV and FM Radio Tuner Card Altec Lansing 2.1 Speakers and Subwoofer 9-in-1 Card Reader HP Digital Camera Docking Station HP Remote Control and IR Receiver 6 USB 2 Slots 2 Firewire (IEE1394) Ports 2 Audio/Video Cards 802.11g Antenna (Wireless Networking Ready) Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
A pretty powerful computer - you may agree. Unlike some computers - the power is also used very efficiently - you don't half notice the 3.2Ghz processing power - especially useful for video editing. The two large hard drives are ideal for storing all your music and video and recorded TV. The Hauppauger TV Card is used with the Media Center software, to record and watch your favourite TV shows. The Altec Lansing speakers produce superior sound, and the 802.11g wireless capability is extremely useful - good for connecting the computer to the internet through a wireless router placed anywhere in the house. The 9-in-1 card reader backs-up the computer's media orientated design.
The only thing that is missing - is a monitor! With a decent 17" TFT monitor costing around £150 - it's quite a hefty £750 investment to make on a computer without a monitor. However, as the computer doubles up as a TV, Microsoft and HP expect you to use it with a TV - not necessarily with a monitor. However I use the computer with a monitor in my bedroom, and bare in mind that computer displays are not designed for widescreen plasma displays just yet! The image may look distorted on a widescreen rather than a conventional 4:3 screen.
So - we come to my favourite three selling points of this excellent computer:-
1) The Media Centre! - not a hard choice this one - the media centre is the underlining point about this computer. This computer without the media centre would be like selling a cherry cake without the cherry on the top! The option to record, pause, and rewind live TV has changed the way I think about the way TV and my life intertwine.
2) The PC inside it - even though this may be slightly obvious - my second selling point is that it is still a PC at heart. You can still surf the internet, and edit that document at supersonic speed sitting at your desk. It's not totally media.
3) The 802.11g antenna - the 802.11g adapter allows me to print my files on our remote Lexmark printer, surf the internet at the same time as our other computer, and access the files on the other computer - and all this is included in the price of the computer - no paying extra for additional functionality!
HP is also a highly reputable company, from whom I would have no quarms about buying any product.
Verdict: Well done HP for an absolutely fantastic computer system! It's cutting edge technology at an OK price to pay.
Footnote: This is only the start of Microsoft's Home Media vision - coming out later this year in the UK is the Media Center Extender - a device which sits on your TV and has all the functionality of the Media Center PC. You will be able to stream your videos, pictures, recorded TV, and music to any TV in the house! Of course, to be able to use a Media Center Extender - you will have to have a Media Center PC!...
More details
Reliability
Excellent
Memory / capacity
Excellent
Range of Extra Features
Excellent
Instruction manual
Good
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