The media-centric PC goes mainstream with HP's newest Pavilion system. Here's a quick tour of its innovative features.
Media Center Goes Wide
First, Microsoft ditched its dedicated Media Center operating system, folding those features into Vista. Now, we're starting to see the idea of a "Media Center" PC go beyond just those models carrying that moniker, too. Hewlett-Packard's Pavilion Elite m9000 Series Desktop PC is a perfect example of this. The system is clearly positioned for use a media hub, but it's a mainstream, performance PC--those media-centric characteristics are just part of the equation. The m9000 series includes a digital and analog TV tuner, remote control, and front audio-video inputs by default.
AV Up Front
At the lower left, you'll find the system's analog audio, composite video, and S-Video inputs. Having these ports up front makes it handy to jack in different video sources as needed. And like everything on this HP system, the ports are clearly labeled.
Flexible Storage
This model is HP's first to feature two custom storage expansion bays. One bay (not pictured) accepts HP's Personal Media Drive, which can slide into the slot, or be used as an external USB 2.0 drive. At $150 for 300GB, $200 for 500GB, and $280 for 700GB, these drives are more costly than comparable capacity external USB 2.0 drives; but, they offer an uncommon convenience and integration with the PC. The second bay, seen here, is for the more portable-sized, smaller capacity HP Pocket Media Drive. HP says including the two bays didn't impact the PC's internal expansion options.
[ View ] - Elite Media Center Desktop Pictures