Media Center - integrated or discrete?

[Butcher]

I'd say one of the major things you need with a media center is it to act like a dvd player or games console. You turn it on and it just *works*. That means, no faffing about with extensive configurations, no driver upgrades, and so on, unless they are automated such that the user doesn't really notice them happening. What people really don't want when trying to what some TV or whatever is for their media center to crash or require a lengthly software upgrade before it will work correctly.

[skuzgib]

I'd say one of the major things you need with a media center is it to act like a dvd player or games console. You turn it on and it just *works*. That means, no faffing about with extensive configurations, no driver upgrades, and so on, unless they are automated such that the user doesn't really notice them happening. What people really don't want when trying to what some TV or whatever is for their media center to crash or require a lengthly software upgrade before it will work correctly.

I totally agree - this is probably the most important thing to consider.

[DR]

I'd say one of the major things you need with a media center is it to act like a dvd player or games console. You turn it on and it just *works*. That means, no faffing about with extensive configurations, no driver upgrades, and so on, unless they are automated such that the user doesn't really notice them happening. What people really don't want when trying to what some TV or whatever is for their media center to crash or require a lengthly software upgrade before it will work correctly.

Well said - read my post on previous page.

Very important point. But everyone needs to remember that these are bound by the software more so than the hardware.

[Butcher]

I work on games consoles, the sort of stability guarantees you have to provide put any PC game available to shame. You can do it though because it's fixed hardware - if they are all running the same hardware guaranteeing stability isn't that hard, so I'd definitely advise that any media center is fixed components in at most a couple of variants, with no after market upgrade potential.

[Alasdair @ MV]

This is an interesting point we've come to... Media Center would work just fine and do all you needed with a Sempron 2800+ and the latest ATI onboard gfx but if you put anything like that in front of the paper magazines their little Con box will say "A slow performer". I don't get it though!?! If it's fast enough for the job it does and it's the right price then it's annoying to see it getting slagged off for not being a cray supercomputer

[Mblaster]

I would have thought that integrated graphics would be able to play video at as good quality as any video card, but the processing would be done on the CPU instead (no use getting a video card to do the encoding while the CPU sits idle), and if I was to have a Media Centre PC I would only use it for TV/DVD/PVR.

[DR]

This is an interesting point we've come to... Media Center would work just fine and do all you needed with a Sempron 2800+ and the latest ATI onboard gfx but if you put anything like that in front of the paper magazines their little Con box will say "A slow performer". I don't get it though!?! If it's fast enough for the job it does and it's the right price then it's annoying to see it getting slagged off for not being a cray supercomputer

Maybe you are talking from your experiences - I know the mags you mean ...

At the end of the day the product has to be tested in the right light.

Check out HEXUS latest coverage of the Tranquil system.... TWIMTBR (The Way It's Meant To Be Reviewed )

[noah]

TWIMTBR (The Way It's Meant To Be Reviewed )

lol good man

[Alasdair @ MV]

Maybe you are talking from your experiences - I know the mags you mean ...

I like to think that i always reviewed a horse as a horse. Some reviews you read will dismiss a product for not being something else.

Our Ixius often gets slagged off for being too big almost as if the reviewer wants to warn readers of some sort of scam. At the end of the day we don't try and sell it to customers who phone up and say "I want a portable notebook to use on the train". If you're shopping for a powerful desktop replacement, it's one of the best portable powerhouses available! At least Hexus saw it as that and gave it credit

i'll calm down and get back to work now