Easy HTPC

Since the wave of affordable laptops hit the mainstream market, desktop PC sales have been on the decline. Many consumers have found that their obsolete desktop PC is just sitting there collecting dust aside from occasional gaming. One option to revive the desktop PC is to convert it to a Home Theater PC (HTPC). Armed with an HD Tuner card and an HDMI capable video card, we are well on our way to moving our old desktop PC to the Home Theater. With the last item to make the HTPC complete being a sleek case, today we are taking a look at Antec’s Veris Fusion Black Quiet Media Center Case.

The Veris Fusion Black arrived well packed with no signs of physical damage.  The case itself was well packed with styrofoam, including a special block of styrofoam protecting the more delicate volume knob. The drivers CD and manual were securely placed within the case so they were not loose in the box. All of the cables inside the case were also bound in zip ties or rubber bands to prevent them from rattling around in the case.

Features:

The exterior of the Veris Fusion Black consists of 0.8 mm cold rolled steel with an aluminum front bezel. The LCD display also has a built in IR sensor that should be compatible with most media center remotes. The volume knob worked great in controlling the application volume. Our optical drive tray did fit through the built in optical drive door on the Veris Fusion Black without a problem. The simple and elegant front bezel also includes 1 firewire, 2 usb, 1 headphone and 1 mic ports.

Read more about the review here.

Via Legit Reviews

from Microsoft’s Website…

Welcome to Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) testing. We’re on our way to Windows 7, and if you like trying out pre-release software, now’s your chance. You get to see what’s coming, and we get to see if our changes and fixes from the Beta testing are working correctly.

How do you test the software? You put it on your PC, and then do what you’d normally do. Your PC will automatically and anonymously send our engineers the information they need to verify the fixes and changes they made based on the Windows 7 Beta tests.

Here’s what you need to know:

This is pre-release software, so please read the following to get an idea of the risks and key things you need to know before you try the RC.

• You don’t need to rush to get the RC. The RC will be available at least through July 2009 and we’re not limiting the number of product keys, so you have plenty of time.
• Watch the calendar. The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to install a non-expired version of Windows before March 1, 2010. You’ll also need to install the programs and data that you want to use. (Learn more about installing Windows.)
• Protect your PC and data. Be sure to back up your data and please don’t test the RC on your primary home or business PC.
• Tech details/updates: Before installing the RC, please read the Release Notes and Things to Know for important information about the release.
• Keep up with the news. You can keep up with general technical information and news by following the team blog. And, you can get non-technical news, tips, and offers by subscribing to the monthly Exploring Windows newsletter.
• Keep your PC updated: Be sure to turn on automatic updates in Windows Update in case we publish updates for the RC.

  Read the rest- with download links!

  Via Microsoft

Intel’s mainstay Netbook chip is finding a home in desktops, underscored by recent announcements from Hewlett-Packard and Acer.

On Wednesday, details emerged of HP’s MediaSmart Server LX195, a home server packing a 1.6GHz Atom 230 processorthat’s priced at $400 with 1GB of memory and a 640GB hard disk drive. To date, HP has been using Intel Celeron and Advanced Micro Devices’ Sempron processors. (Note: update adds Intel Celeron.)

Earlier this month, Acer rolled out the Acer AspireRevo, a small, slick box that augments the Atom with an Nvidia Ion chipset to boost graphics performance. This is expected to be priced well under $300 for some models.

Asus was one of the first to bring out a head-swiveling Atom-based desktop–the Eee Box, which has been updated recently with ATI graphics.

By design, Atom is a more power-frugal and, as a result, a slower processor than Intel’s mainstream Core 2 chip architecture. HP, for example, markets its MediaSmart server as a storage hub, which typically doesn’t require much processing punch. And Atom is cheap–the Atom 230 is $29, whereas comparative Celeron chips are about $34 but draw much more power. And mainstream Core 2 Duo desktop processors start at about $110.

Intel has long maintained that Atom has a place in so-called Nettops and, last year, brought out the dual-core Atom 330 specifically for this market.

This strategy was validated this week in Taipei, where motherboard maker ASRock was showing a desktop with a dual-core Atom 330 processor and an Nvidia Ion chipset. Asus is also expected to update the Eee Box line with a dual-core Atom processor.

Via Cnet.com

The XC Encore OE700

It’s been a while since AOpen made a consumer level product, but its latest barebone might appeal to those looking at a compact low power HTPC box, but don’t mind paying a bit of extra for the pleasure of having a mobile CPU in it.

The XC Encore OE700 as it’s called features the Intel GM45 chipset and as such you’ll need a Socket-P mobile Core 2 or Celeron processor, all of which are sold at a premium over cheaper desktop processors. The system is also limited to using SO-DIMM memory, but this shouldn’t be a problem as SO-DIMM’s generally doesn’t cost any more than desktop memory.

Size wise the XC Encore OE700 measures 200×321x106mm (WxDxH) and it houses a mini-ITX motherboard, There’s room for a notebook style optical drive, although you need a slot-loaded model, as well as two 3.5-inch drives. One limitation here is that all drives has to use SATA interface, as the motherboard doesn’t support IDE. The board also has two mini-card slots for expansion cards, such as WiFi or TV-tuners.

Connectivity wise you’re looking at a DVI and HDMI port, eSATA, four rear USB 2.0 ports and two front USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and 7.1-channel analog audio with S/PDIF in and out. There’s also a front mounted VFD with Media Center integration. The XC Encore OE700 uses an external power brick which is rated at 135W.

No pricing or availability date has been announced, but we’d expect the EX Encore OE700 to pop up at various system integrators under various names within the near future.

You can find the product page here

 Via Fudzilla.com

Get your SFF System today.

At January’s Consumer Electronics Show, Lenovo showed off a few new systems for all to drool over. Now they are actually showing them off for purchase.
The new and improved IdeaCentre A600 (model30113AU) may be a simple desktop PC but it’s one that warrants its own La-Z-Boy. That’s because the A600 can actually fulfill all of your entertainment needs, providing most of the features of a true Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC). 

Aside from its 21.5-inch high-def screen, the IdeaCentre A600 also includes a Blu-ray player, an integrated speaker system with subwoofer, and Dolby Home Theater audio. In case you can pry your eyes away from movies, it also comes with a Wii-like remote for gaming, TV, VoIP phone services, and everyday computer use. 

Starting at $999, other features include an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, up to 1TB of hard drive space, and Microsoft Vista Media Center. 

In case you want to take some of the magic on the go, Lenovo will also offer the IdeaPad Y650 laptop. There’s no Blu-ray (boo!), but it stuffs a 16-inch HD screen, nVIDIA graphics, JBL speakers and Dolby sound in a 5.6-pound package. Starting at $1,150, this will be available alongside the A600 later this month.

Via Bigpicturebigsound.com