With a new operating system comes a fresh attempt at popularising the media centre, and Acer has announced its Aspire iDea 510 to coincide with the recent release of Windows Vista Premium.
Upside
Acer is
pitching this device as a niche product, which is unusual for a large company,
and is perhaps based on the public's luke-warm reception of previous media
centre PCs. It will be available in only 50 stores Australia-wide, including
David Jones and Myer, which matches the unit's "exclusive" price of
AU$2999.
The iDea 510 is a very slender unit, and looks quite fetching in its silver and black skin. It packs in all the features you'd expect from a premium PC: twin digital tuners, low noise output, 500GB hard drive, HDMI output, and a slot-loading dual-layer DVD burner.
The PC comes with several peripherals, including a remote control, and a keyboard with a trackpad on the side. This is handy, because we believe one of the biggest "killer apps" for media centers is not "Pause Live TV", but Internet browsing -- just try to make your DVD recorder do that!
Of course, the Acer also comes bundled with the Vista version of Media Center, which is one of the best looking and easiest to use front ends yet. Combined with Intel's Viiv enhancements this should make the iDea a compelling content source.
If TV watching is your thing, you'll be happy to know that the machine comes with a 12 month subscription to the IceTV EPG.
Downside
Three
thousand dollars is a lot for a media centre -- especially when you consider
that devices such as the PS3 and Xbox 360 can do many of the same functions. Even
if you buy a DVD recorder with hard drive as well you'll still have change from
two grand.
Acer is happy to admit that the Aspire iDea 510 is a proprietary design, which means that it's not easily upgradeable beyond adding a larger hard drive or more RAM.
Also, the Acer TV pictured in the gallery is not included for the price, so you'll need a TV with at least 720p capability to make the most of the PC functions.
Outlook
The Acer
Aspire iDea 510 is a stylish looking addition to the scant number of Media Center
systems on the market. Yes, it is a niche product, but first impressions are
that it's a sturdy unit and should find a happy home for enthusiasts willing to
put a little time into it.
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DrJay
31/03/2008, 06:36 AM
rating
8/10
Nice Little unit, works seemlessly on home wireless network, remote lacks full functionality although has the essentials...
Pros: Awsome unit for home theater, caters for all VDU's including projectors. Sleek design.
Cons: no HDDVD /Blue ray player, although has inputs to support an external unit. Price RRP is terrible, way too expensive; they should have gone for a lower price
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steevo
04/05/2007, 02:16 PM
rating
10/10
we are awaiting it in the mail, very exciting prize to win
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Pesmare
01/05/2007, 07:02 PM
rating
9/10
Whilst the unit is expensive, it's nice to have something with a good HDD and decent processor to sit back and just enjoy easily.
Pros: Good size HDD
Has Alt-F10 recovery if things do go wrong
Dual TV tuners
Lots of connectivity for cables
Ease of use, very easy to switch inputs
Cons: Price, of course
Single HDMI output
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techo
27/04/2007, 09:56 AM
rating
5/10
Report lacks enough detail to judge usefulness / value, such as what processor(s), what logic core, what tuners, type of IR control, HDD brand / model. I would also describe this as an HTPC
Pros: Not enough detail
Cons: to hard to judge
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big_marcelo
22/04/2007, 10:24 PM
rating
2/10
it would be a great product at about $1,500 .... at $3k .. its a waste of money ....
Pros: features
Cons: price, price, price, price... did I say price?
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