Take a look at the future of entertainment PCs.
Pioneer Computers has released its interpretation of the Intel Viiv PC. Intel officially released Viiv to the Australian market today and this 3rd generation dual-core, Intel Viiv technology-based DreamVision Media Centre PC is the first PC announced locally.
The DreamVision Media Centre PC is designed to fit in with existing lounge room equipment and is It’s about the same height as a typical VCR, but quite deep. The front fascia has a huge volume control, so it looks like authentic home-theater gear.
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Pioneer Computer’s DreamVision Media Center based on Intel’s new Viiv technology. |
“The immediacy, global reach and on-demand nature of the Internet, together with the 10s of millions of broadband-ready PCs that already exist today worldwide, support a new trend in how people get their entertainment,” said Philip Cronin, general manager, Intel Australia. “Intel intends to accelerate this trend through our strong relationships with leaders in digital entertainment. This is about Intel Viiv technology-based PCs not only connecting to the TV, but also delivering the latest movies at home, creating ‘music DJs,’ playing games and showcasing home photos and videos – it’s a ‘one-stop-shop’ for entertainment
The DreamVision runs Windows XP Media Centre Edition (MCE) with Microsoft’s electronic programming guide (EPG) and Pioneer has installed two Digital TV tuners so that you can watch one channel while recording another. The two tuner cards are full-size PCI cards, which sit on a PCI riser card.
The graphics card and the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi card are both half-height cards. The Intel dual core CPU does not have a fan attached; it’s cooled by a large heat sink vented through the power supply. In fact, there are no fans at all in the case, which it makes it almost silent. Composite ports can be used to tap into the unit’s audio output, and the graphics card can be connected to a TV through other than the S-Video out port.