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If you're tired of computers that look like small beige refrigerators, the Moore Medio Home Theatre PC could be just the thing for you.
It's aimed at those who want to use a PC for more than just browsing the internet, and has been designed to fit alongside, or even replace, your home entertainment devices.
The Medio's nuts and bolts are more functional than remarkable. Its 2.8GHz Pentium 4 processor and 512Mb of memory will let you run just about any software you need to, but there are other PCs in the Medio's price bracket that offer significantly better performance.
However, the Medio Home Theatre PC excels in its ability to handle video. It comes with a digital TV tuner, so you'll be able to watch up to 30 Freeview channels, listen to 20 digital radio stations and access a range of interactive services.
The Medio's multimedia abilities are enhanced further thanks to its use of Showshifter. This allows you to watch, rewind and pause live TV, arrange your music collection, and view images in a slideshow.
If you want to transfer images from a digital camera, though, you'll have to reach around the back of the unit, as there are no front-facing USB or FireWire ports.
There is a wireless keyboard and gyroscopic mouse for controlling the PC from the sofa. The mouse can be used in the traditional way or by waving it at the screen, eliminating the need for a flat surface.
The Medio is certainly different to look at. It has metallic fins at each side that make it look more like a games console than a PC. Speaking of which, you'll be able to play the latest 3D titles thanks to the very capable Radeon 9600 XT graphics card. This is a pleasing inclusion, as PCs of this type don't usually have a strong focus on graphics performance.
The Medio has two 160Gb hard disks, which provide enough space to record around 320 hours of high-quality video footage. If you run out of space, the Medio has a fairly quick eight-speed recordable DVD drive that can write up to 4.7Gb of data to plus or minus DVD formats.
However, given the machine's price, we would have preferred to see a dual-layer drive that can offer up to 8.5Gb of storage per disc.
Sound enthusiasts will be pleased at the inclusion of a Creative Labs Audigy 2 sound card. This is a popular piece of audio hardware that can theoretically perform to cinema standards, but don't expect the average living room to have the same acoustic qualities.
Thankfully, the fans that cool the PC are very quiet, so the intrusive humming noise associated with most PCs is kept to a minimum, which is great news if you want to put it in the living room.
However, there are no speakers included in the standard package, nor is there a monitor. Add these to the price and you'll be spending well in excess of £2,000.
Contact: Moore Innovations 0870 011 5480
www.mooremedio.com
Also consider
Digihome NS Optimum DH3.2. £799. Cheaper than the Medio but not as much TV capabilities.
See also:
All Desktops
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