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New Alienware Media Center
Cyno01 writes "Alienware recently introduced a new product that seems to fill the gap between PVRs and PCs. The Navigator Media Center. It runs a new version of XP (Media Center Edition) and displays pictures, movies and plays DVDs. If I had the cash for it i would definitly ditch my 160Gb HD and Radeon AIW card."
These types of devices will never make it into my home entertainment system until they at east fit in my AV cabinet with my other components. 17 inches people. It's not that hard.
The key with a media PC is that it needs to be wireless and it also needs to be silent, the living room just isn't any place for a whirring, hissing PC.
and it doesn't run that crappy XP.
Ok, I don't have the nifty remote, but I'm sure you can get one after market. Or get the All In Wonder 7500, like Tom did, and get a remote.
There are instructions for this @ Toms Hardware.
More flexibility on the configuration, etc, and you don't have to support any vendor (like Microsoft or Intel) that you don't want to.
Xbox can do most of those features with little modifications and opensource applications:
Control Live Television - can do with xbox
Enjoy DVDs - can do with xbox
Listen digital music - can do with xbox
Burn music, photos and videos - not yet possible, but might be possible in future
View your favorite photos - can do with xbox
Edit digital videos - can do with xbox
Incredible gaming performance - xbox games aren't that bad..
Cost :
Xbox+modifications = $400
Navigator Mediacenter = $1699
Which one would you choose?
So far, the Media Edition version of the OS is OEM only and it will stay like that for the foreseeable future. Having used it, I can say it is extremely functional and does what it says.
So, no, you could not really build one like the Alienware PC that easily, and you most likely think you have a "media" pc. Microsoft bashing aside, if this is their v1 effort, I cannot wait to see what they will make of it in a couple of years.
Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
I want to not only be able to freely shift in time, but also be able to shift content in space between machines on my LAN. One has to wonder if this Windows XP box puts restrictions on moving content off the machine to other networked computers. TiVo certainly does, and because of the draconian lockdown these folks implemented in their series 2 version of this product (with all that cryptographic signing of the kernel nonsense, checksums for the filesystem and propietary boot firmware) I decided to return my Tivo (within the first 30 days) and brave the wild world of open source PVR products.
...
Short story is that a few weeks later I successfully managed to get MythTV working (tonight in fact). Sure, it took me a while longer, but I learned a heck of a lot in the process, and it didn't cost me much more at all.
Series 2 + lifetime subscription to programming guide:
$550
The non-refundable cost of shipping/return shipping:
$30
My new Pentium IV with Asus P4PE motheroboard (supports hyperthreading CPU, with onboard firewire, usb 2.0, serial ata, RAID, Gigabit LAN and intel8x0 5.1 surround sound -- all linux compatible) and ATI TV-Wonder (stereo version, not VE mono) for video-in and NVidia Ti4200 LeadTek for video-out (which sports Conexant Tv-out chip that is HDTV compatible unlike Philips Tv-out chip and also produces better picture quality with richer feature set)
$700
The satisfaction of doing it yourself
Priceless
So for all others out there like myself, remember there's www.mythtv.org
ZDNet realeased an article titled Windows XP Media Center: Who needs it? Not me back when the first of the XP Media Center devices/PCs turned up: the HP Media Center PC.
The title of the article sums it all up nicely in my book.
Russ
Information doesn't want to be anthropomorphized anymore.
Wouldn't it be cheaper to just build one of those?
Looking at the specs, I'd say probably so. But that's not the most important part: I've not check up on Microsoft's "Media centre" edition of XP but I'm betting it includes that marvelous mechanism whereby a broadcaster can prevent you from recording a program (and maybe even force recording for sponsor's programs).
With a home-built solution you're free to use what you like... Makes you wonder who they're targeting this thing at really - since the tech-types will doubtless have the ability to build this from parts and the average J6P won't splash out $1700 to play DVDs and record programs. They seem to make a big deal of the 3D performance too, but I'd imagine playing Quake with a keyboard and mouse in the lounge is not the ideal gaming environment - and the picture will be crap on most TVs too...
I do like their laptops though...
Code, Hardware, stuff like that.
This is not Microsoft at all. Its just another company (Alienware this time) building micro-atx computers. These are cool but unless you cant do it yourself there is no reason to buy an Alienware
Incorrect. It is Alienware using an OEM only OS (XP Media Center), that Microsoft is heavily pushing, to build a "media center" box.
Casual Games/Downloads
Already own one of these, but I did it my way.
Used a 4u rackmount case and slid it right into my home entertainment center/stereo rack. Used an 8500 AIW card, soundblaster LIVE, integrated LAN, duron processor, and enough memory to make it work.
Fleshed it out with a wireless keyboard/mouse, some front port adapters, and a front-mounted LCD that displays song title/etc.
Plays audio streams, CDs, DVDs, MP3s, TV-out... runs them right into the receiver unit for the home stereo. Best of all, it looks like it belongs right in the stereo rack with all the other components.
I honestly don't know where I'd put one of those Shuttle cubes, but it certainly wouldn't fit in a rack. The alienware/shuttle cube looks pretty hip, but where's the joy of tinkering? the satisfaction of building it yourself?
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
http://freevo.sourceforge.net/
Current Features
* Watching TV, with TV Guide (using XMLTV).
* Playing Movies (AVI, MPEG, etc) and DVDs.
* Playing Music (MP3, Ogg).
* Viewing Pictures.
* Skins are configurable using XML files.
* Movie and Music file info using XML files.
* Preliminary Mame support.
Price == the cost of hardware.
Why exactly would I pay through the nose, ass and other body cavities for the alienware box?
I have an old 500Mhz Celeron box, running Slackware, and Mythtv. I can watch DivX movies, look at my pictures, rip CDs, record TV, listen to mp3s and lots more.. and it didn't cost me a cent (a local business was throwing out their old boxen). Sure, the 500Mhz box is a little low for dvd, but most of my videos are video CD anyway (they are incredibly cheap here in asia).
(my emphasis) Navigator lets you watch DVDs from anywhere in the room, whether you're at your desk or on your living room couch.
What? I can stand over here and watch it..? What about over here? I can't possibly watch it from over HERE can I?!