The Basics:
Niveus Media’s Rainier line of Windows Media Center PCs includes four models, with hard drives ranging from 320 to 750GB. The Rainier750HD is the top-of-the-line model, with Windows Vista Ultimate, a 750GB hard drive, a built-in Blu-ray drive, internal NTSC/ATSC tuners and DVR functionality. The internal tuners allow you to record over-the-air HDTV/SDTV content, as well as SD content from a set-top box. To record premium HD channels, cable users can add the optional $1499 Digital Cable Receiver, which includes two CableCARD and Clear-QAM tuners. The Digital Cable Receiver links to the Rainier via USB.
The Rainier750HD has a thorough connection panel, with HDMI, DVI and component video, with BNC-style connectors. Through HDMI and DVI, you can output Blu-ray discs at 1080p/60 or 1080p/24, and the Rainier, which uses Nvidia’s PureVideo HD technology, has earned ISF certification. On the ...
The Basics:
Exceptional Innovation has established a name in custom-retail and home-automation circles for its Life|ware system, a software-based automation platform that runs on Windows Media Center PCs. The addition of Life|ware to a Media Center PC allows you to control compatible whole-house products (lighting, security, HVAC, music distribution) easily through the Media Center interface. It was only a matter of time until EI decided to release its own Media Center hardware, with the Life|ware software preloaded; these new units are called Life|media.
Life/media is available in five different configurations, which vary in hard-drive storage, processing speed, graphic cards and overall size. The LMS-750 is a higher-end, four-rack-space model with a 3TB hard drive, DVR functionality, a DVD/CD burner and two built-in CableCARD/Clear-QAM tuners to access premium HD channels (for non-cable users, the LMS-700 offers the same specs, but sports dual NTSC/ATSC ...
The Basics:
The Mac mini is the least expensive Apple computer on the market, targeted at the digital-media fan who wants to import and manage digital content via iTunes and iLife (iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb) and navigate it using Apple’s Front Row interface. Consequently, it has become a popular choice for those who want to build a Mac-based media center. The specs above reflect the basic Mac mini configuration, but you can upgrade to a 2.0GHz Intel processor, 120GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM and a SuperDrive with DVD-RW/CD-RW capabilities for $899. Neither version includes internal TV tuners or DVR functionality, although you can add these features through third-party software from companies like Elgato Systems.
The Mac mini has a very basic set of connections: It has a single DVI video output, with an included VGA adapter and a single ...
The Basics:
Sony offers two Windows Media Center PCs that sport a unique form factor, with a small, round, glossy chassis. Both models have a 500GB hard drive and a disc drive that allows Blu-ray playback and has read/write abilities for DVD and CD. The VGX-TP25E is the higher-end edition of the two. It offers 4GB of RAM and comes bundled with two external ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner modules, which connect to the PC via the USB 2.0 ports. Each module has a CableCARD, Clear-QAM, and an NTSC and ATSC tuner. The step-down VGX-TP20 lacks the ATI bundle (it has one internal NTSC and ATSC tuner) and offers only 2GB of RAM, but its $1599.99 asking price is substantially lower.
The VGX-TP25E has two video output options (HDMI and VGA) and two audio output options (HDMI and optical digital). It ...
The Basics:
Okoro Media Systems has six different Media Center PC lines, with varying degrees of functionality and connectivity. The OMS-CX100 is one of the lower-priced models, hailing from the CableCARD Series, but it still has a lot of features and is highly configurable. The specs listed above reflect the base configuration, but you can upgrade the video card to a higher-level Nvidia model and up the hard drive size to 1TB. The system comes with a DVD/CD burner and a single ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner, which includes one CableCARD, Clear-QAM, an NTSC and ATSC tuner. (You can upgrade to two ATI tuners for $250.) Okoro even allows you to replace the Windows Vista Ultimate OS with SageTV Media Center V6, SnapStream Media Center Suite, or no software at all.
The OMS-CX100 has a solid connection panel, with DVI in ...
