Home-theatre MCE chassis with a 7in LCD! Oh, er!

[Bob Crabtree]

Not quite sure why you'd want to watch movies on a 7in LCD stuck on the front of a PC but the all-aluminium case - available in black or natural colours - is certainly an eye-catcher, even without the screen.

The Origen AE X15e home theater pc chassis sets new standards in HTPC aesthetics and functionality. Exquisite contemporary design coupled with an all-aluminium construction, and the introduction for the first time in a HTPC chassis of an integrated 7in TFT touch screen Origen AE brings you, what has already become, a design classic and one of the most sort after pc chassis in the marketplace today.

Check it out here, and then enlighten us - if you can - as to the purpose of the built-in display.

[DavidM]

Quite nice - similar idea to the SilverStone "LASCALA" LC18B in fact...

[Ramedge]

i really like that,
when i come to upgrading this PC i plan to put the old parts either into a cube of some kind or build a HTPC and a case like that would be sweet! Id just have to make sure its totally silent though everwise it would just piss me off just like me ps2 did

[herulach]

Yep, great for music/party use, esp since its a touch screen. Always wanted something like that, but sweet watercooling > touch screen that id never use on my main rig

[Bob Crabtree]

Quite nice - similar idea to the SilverStone "LASCALA" LC18B in fact...

DavidM,

Indeed, and as sold by Scan for £501.73!



But, honestly, I'm struggling to think of a real purpose for that screen apart, perhaps, from it giving the convenience of setting up without having a monitor attached.

Also, can you easily turn off the on-board monitor with, say, an on/off switch?

I ask because I'd have thought it would be massively distracting to have that likkle screen showing while you were trying to watch the main event on a big screen - or do people have the PC tucked away in a cupboard and out of sight?

Bob

[DavidM]

DavidM,

Indeed, and as sold by Scan for £501.73!

(Also on TodayOnly for slightly less ... which I've only just noticed!)

Also, can you easily turn off the on-board monitor with, say, an on/off switch?

you could always use the nvidia software I guess

[DR]

Well if you dont want your TV on - but your listening to music you can interface with the small screen

[Iain]

Picture in picture possibilities ? Watch a movie whilst browsing the TV channels or even the web ? The number of times we watch a movie and we think who's that actor, where have I seen them before ? Could bring up imdb.com and have a quick look. Or even better, if movies were tagged in any way the mini screen could show movie info or links to other films of the same genre that are on TV now or next etc etc.

It's all about making life easy. Making it cheaper would make my life easy

[pak000]

the screen is a great idea, who wants to have a stereo system where you have to turn the tv on to control? It fits snuggly in with your stereo setup and can be easily controlled, no additinoal crap to make it look like a computer as opposed to a neat home entertainment system

Maybe when i rich

[APerfectCircle]

I've seen people run second displays with just confabulator widgets like the weather and drive space. They look well pretty.

[specofdust]

MCE? Why not SageTV or MythTV, or any of the other OS's designed to be used in PVR's. Sorry, but it just irks me a tad that you seem to basicly be making out that MCE is the only choice for people who want a PVR, MCE is just one of the lesser(albiet simpler then some) choices for people who want an HTPC, just because they show the chassis as using MCE doesn't mean the thing has to be run with it.

[Bob Crabtree]

Well if you dont want your TV on - but your listening to music you can interface with the small screen

Okay, that works for me.

Bob

[Bob Crabtree]

Picture in picture possibilities ? Watch a movie whilst browsing the TV channels or even the web ? The number of times we watch a movie and we think who's that actor, where have I seen them before ? Could bring up imdb.com and have a quick look. Or even better, if movies were tagged in any way the mini screen could show movie info or links to other films of the same genre that are on TV now or next etc etc.

It's all about making life easy. Making it cheaper would make my life easy

Problem here, as I see it, is that unless you have quite a small living room, you'd not be able to read from your couch or chair what was on that likkle screen - so you'd have to be jumping up and moving closer to read it.


Bob

[lost eden]

Quite nice - similar idea to the SilverStone "LASCALA" LC18B in fact...

I thought it was the SIlverstone... Saw it on Scan yesterday.

But yeah, you wouldn't watch movies on the 7"-er, you would use it for system read-outs, the control window for the DVD player, etc.

[Darth Sidious]

the screen is bling really, but what wonderful bling it is

[autopilot]

You could set up the screen and your TV in a dual display mode. Playlist etc on the small screen and visualisations on the TV for your drunk mates

It would also be nice to quickly check my email too without interrupting my girlfriends watching of endless Friends repeats on E4.

Loads of other dual screen functions too, like hardware monitoring, RSS feeds etc. The list is endless really.

But yeah, just not having to turn on the TV is a good enough reason on it's own. Although TBH, i really don't want a PC in my living room. My Digital TV, Squeezebox and DVD player are all i need. My girlfriend and non-techy mate can use them and they never crash