Crapshoot

White-box multimedia PCs are in high demand for several reasons. The manufacturers often offer a higher degree of innovation and customization, designs more closely attuned to customer needs, and more support and assistance than their branded cousins. However, many white-box vendors in the home market are still in their infancy and quality issues abound, so integrators should seriously consider their options when choosing between a name-brand multimedia PC and a custom system.

Digital Connect Lab engineers reviewed four white-box multimedia PCs: systems running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 from the ZT Group and Niveus Media; Interact-TV's Telly MC1200, which runs a Linux-based multimedia software suite; and the Puro PC from CML/Enlight running Windows XP Home, which includes an integrated multimedia software suite.

Out of the four PCs, the Telly and Niveus systems were DOA. Interact-TV's Telly had a malfunctioning video card that stopped it from performing its main activities, and the vendor had to send a second unit. The Niveus system didn't do much better. Engineers had to open the case and found that the IDE cables to the hard drive were loose (the vendor said that substandard cables had been used). CML/Enlight's Puro PC functioned well, but its cable TV connection did not work. Another serious point of concern uncovered in the review was the level of vendor technical support. High-quality technical support is crucial in the home market. Most of the vendors in this review provide technical support from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., which is fine for business customers but doesn't cut it in the home market. If a customer's multimedia PC crashes at 3 a.m. Saturday and cannot be resurrected, he or she can't wait until 9 a.m. Monday. Plus, most integrators don't want to be called for a problem on a customer's PC in the middle of the night, so it's important to find vendors that offer 24x7 support.

DC Lab engineers were also surprised by the response rate to technical support calls. Engineers called the technical support phone lines of two of the vendors, CML/Enlight and Niveus Media, and were unable to get through to a live technician. We left voice-mail messages but neither vendor called back.

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To achieve legitimacy in the home market, and especially to compete against branded systems, white-box vendors need to solve these quality and technical support issues soon. DC Lab engineers have experienced similar problems with other vendors in the field. There are, however, many bright spots in the market. For example, engineers have always been impressed with white-box vendors Now Micro and Nor-Tech, which both design high-quality multimedia PCs and provide thorough support and assistance.

ZT Pro Home Theatre PC X6459 (Price: $2,249 Margin: 8-10 percent)
The ZT Pro Home Theatre PC X6459 is a Windows Media Center PC, and is a basic, strong machine for home media consumption. The unit is housed in a large black case, designed to fit into an A/V rack and measures 7x17.06x15.93 inches, making it the largest PC reviewed. Unfortunately the unit breaks one cardinal rule of home multimedia PC design: PCs should be neither seen nor heard. On initial use, the sound emitted from the unit measured 58dB on a sound level meter. After a few days of constant use, the sound emission rose to and stayed at 64dB, which is equivalent to the sound level of an average conversation. When listening to a DVD or music from your PC, you should not have to crank up the volume to drown out the PC's noise.

Packaged with the X6459 is the Logitech diNOVO Media Desktop, which includes a Bluetooth mouse, keyboard and number pad remote control, which all offer convenient control of the unit. Because they use Bluetooth, the control devices don't suffer from the line-of-sight requirement of remotes that rely on RF technology experience. Separate remote controls, however, must still be used to control the unit's Media Center capabilities and speakers.

A front door on the unit hides its two CD-DVD drives. Having the two drives together is useful for copying DVDs or burning content from the PC. The front of the unit also includes two USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire port, and an additional four USB and four FireWire ports are located on the back. The unit is powered by an Intel Pentium 4 processor with 3 Gbyte cache, 800FSB, and includes an Intel D865PERLX mainboard, 512 Mbytes DDR, a Seagate 120-Gbyte serial ATA hard drive and an ATI 9600XT video card.

Other amenities in the package include the Logitech Z680 5.1 digital surround sound speakers and a USB microphone, Quickcam Orbit camera and headset, all from Logitech. Secaucus, N.J.-based ZT Group offers quantity discounts, marketing assistance, integration assistance and lifetime toll-free technical support over the phone with a dedicated tech support line for integrators. The vendor plans to launch an integrator Web site with additional resources.

Niveus AVX Media Center (Price: $2,894 Margin: NA)
The Niveus AVX Media Center is a well-designed, quiet-running system, but it arrived DOA. Upon initial booting, the unit reported that it could not detect the hard drive. After exploration in the unit's BIOS and inside its case, engineers discovered the IDE cable to the hard drive had become loose during shipping. During testing, the cable also fell out numerous times.

A call to the vendor's general technical support phone line was not answered by a technician, and our phone message was never returned.

Digital Connect Lab engineers were also surprised to discover a 40-Gbyte hard drive in the system, as opposed to the 160-Gbyte drive that was supposed to be included. When approached regarding these issues, a Niveus spokesperson said that the vendor outsources all of its PC construction to a third-party system builder, and that a refurbished engineering system had been sent for review instead of a production unit.

The Niveus AVX Media Center is a fanless system, designed for quiet running, and indeed was the quietest system tested, at 52dB. Heat sinks on the sides of the unit draw heat away from it, and the PC's top has a partial mesh design to allow heat to escape. But the unit gets extremely hot if left on for a few days.

Since Media Center PCs are designed to be left on all the time, this is a serious concern. When left running by itself in a small, closed room for several days, the AVX raised the temperature of the room by a few degrees. The heat sinks also take away from the unit's aesthetic qualities, making the PC look more like it belongs in a server room than in a living room.

The AVX includes Gyrations' Ultra GT cordless optical mouse and keyboard, which are RF-based and can control the PC from up to 30 feet away, which is great if the PC is tucked away in an A/V cabinet or in another room. The Gyration mouse is one of the best ways to control a Media Center PC, and it includes both remote control and mouse capabilities. Users can move the on-screen arrow and access applications simply by moving the gyro-powered remote control through the air.

The AVX is the smallest of all the units reviewed. At 4x15x17.5 inches, it's a great size, but maneuvering inside the case to upgrade or swap out components is difficult. Connectivity could also be significantly improved. The unit includes four USB 2.0 and one FireWire ports, all of which are on the rear of the unit, making access difficult, especially if the PC is placed in a rack. The PC includes one CD/DVD drive, a 2.8GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512 Mbytes, 400MHz DDR SDRAM, 865PE chipset, SPDIF and RCA digital output, and an ATI 9600 Pro Graphics card.

Los Gatos, Calif.-based Niveus Media provides collateral and marketing materials, on-site training, approximately 2-percent co-op funds, dedicated technical support, and customized pricing.

Telly MC1200 Home Entertainment Server (Price: $899 Margin: 10-14 percent)
Interact-TV's Telly MC1200 Home Entertainment Server is a Linux device with a broad range of capabilities, including DVD and CD playing and burning, as well as TV watching and full PVR capabilities. The Telly is a dedicated media device, and does not include Windows applications or a Web browser. Though Office applications are not necessary in a multimedia PC, DC Lab engineers would like to see a Web browser included for e-mail and for accessing online resources. The application is easy to set up and use and includes excellent documentation, but it's still a bit buggy.

The first review unit sent by the vendor arrived with a broken video card. The vendor sent a second unit--an older model Telly--for review that performed without problems.

The Telly boasts a well-thought design. It was clearly developed from the ground up as a media-focused device, compared to most multimedia computers, which look more like traditional PCs with multimedia software added as an afterthought. For example, the Telly software is integrated much better into the overall package than in the Media Center PCs reviewed. Plus, most Media Center PCs have two or three different receivers that must be plugged into the unit for their many control devices, creating an unsightly tangle of wires. Receivers for all of the Telly's input devices are included in the unit. The device was the second-quietest unit reviewed, at 54dB, and did not emit excessive heat.

The Telly's remote control includes a track ball that allows it to serve as a mouse. This means one less device for customers to fumble with. It also overcomes a challenge faced by most multimedia PCs: Consumers are not accustomed to using a mouse merely to watch TV.

The wireless keyboard is well-designed, lightweight and includes a stand and navigational buttons. Both the remote control and keyboard, however, work via IR. RF devices would perform much better here.

The Telly downloads TV listings manually or automatically over the Internet via the zap2it.com online program guide. Interact-TV sends messages about software updates and new applications and features directly to the Telly, which makes it easy to update and fix problems.

Engineers also appreciated the Telly Portal, an opening screen that displays local weather reports, stock information and movie theater listings. While there is no easy way to add additional elements to the portal, integrators can use the device's SDK to add particular elements to meet customers' needs. Plus, because the Telly is a Linux machine, there are plenty of overall opportunities for integrators to modify it.

Because the Telly does not include a Web browser, some of its functionality is limited. From an independent PC, consumers can access a page on the vendor's Web site to schedule TV recording or to download music and other files to their Telly from the Web. Users also can transfer files to and from the Telly to other devices on their home network through an external PC, but doing so is unnatural and engineers would prefer to see more of this capability in the device itself.

The MC1200 runs on the Linux 2.4.18 kernel with EOS media platform and is powered by a VIA C3 1.2GHz x86 processor. The unit includes 256 Mbytes PC2100 DDR SDRAM and an 80-Gbyte hard drive, which is small for a multimedia unit. A door on the front of the unit hides its DVD/CD-RW drive, one FireWire port and two USB 2.0 ports. Two additional USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire port are included on the rear, along with S-Video out and SPDIF. The unit measures 4.6x16.5x12.2 inches.

A few minor cautions about the Telly: The device requires ventilation above the unit, so it cannot be placed in an A/V rack. The software's photo library only supports JPEG, GIF or PNG formats, which is problematic if someone sends a file in another format.

Interact-TV, Westminster, Colo., provides sales and marketing resources, documentation and technical support. An integrator Web site and additional resources are planned.

PURO Home Theater/Multimedia Center PC (Price: $1,499 Margin: 15-30 percent)
The Puro Home Theater/Multimedia Center PC is an all-in-one unit that includes excellent capabilities, but its design makes it more suitable for a bedroom or kitchen than a living room.

The PC includes Windows XP Home and the InterVideo Home Theater software suite, which allows users to watch and record TV, watch and copy DVDs and listen to or burn CDs. The unit also includes PVR capability. Unfortunately, the review unit's cable TV connection was not working, and a call to the vendor's technical support line was unanswered and not returned, leaving engineers unable to test the unit's TV and PVR capabilities.

Overall, the unit performed admirably and the InterVideo suite is easy to use for most multimedia tasks. The Puro's 17-inch display can be removed and used independently. It includes a stand, but nothing that would allow it to be mounted on a wall. Once dropped into the base, the display must be connected to the main unit via two cables. Engineers would like to see a simpler process.

The Puro includes a 6-in-1 flash memory reader, which supports Compact Flash I and II, Micro Drive, Secure Digital, Multimedia Card, Smart Media and Memory Stick Pro media. Memory card readers are a useful item in the home and, surprisingly, none of the other units featured one. The Puro also includes a CD/DVD drive, four USB 2.0 and two FireWire ports and an SPDIF connection on its sides, making them easily accessible.

The Puro was the second-loudest unit, at 59dB, which is equivalent to the level of average background music. A wired mouse and keyboard are included, which make the unit more useful on a desktop than from a couch.

The system also has a remote control with mouse navigational capabilities. The Puro includes an Intel 865G processor, 512 Mbytes DDR and 80-Gbyte hard drive and measures 17.6x16.1x6.3 inches. It includes two small, built-in speakers. The vendor also offers a 5.1 digital surround sound speaker system, which complements the Puro and allows integrators to source an entire theater system from a single vendor.

CML, with U.S. headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., provides a dedicated integrator Web site with technical and marketing resources, incentives, customized pricing and telephone-based technical support.