Ceramic?? Is this a heat-related thing?
2006: Battle for the Living Room
- Thread starter Carl B
- Start date
ihamoitc2005
Veteran
Fan
i think there is no fan so if no one drops it is good way for cooling. But what if someone drops it ... oops. Also, I wonder what is price?
london-boy said:
i think there is no fan so if no one drops it is good way for cooling. But what if someone drops it ... oops. Also, I wonder what is price?
ihamoitc2005
Veteran
Price
It is bad value if it is more than $300.
wco81 said:
It is bad value if it is more than $300.
ihamoitc2005
Veteran
PC under $300
For living room I think Xbox360 with hard-drive is best value for $399. I dont think people will sit in living room to type reports, probably only multimedia so I feel this is current standard. Maybe Revolution will be less than $300 with hard-drive so that maybe also good standard. Then PS3 will come with Blu-Ray probably <$500 with hard-drive, so I feel for sytem like that >$300 is not good value. I feel Media Center type PC is bad value for living room multimedia unit when console has same or more multimedia function with easy for everyone OS for maybe $250-500.
xbdestroya said:Wow, well I don't know about that.
I mean how much are you used to getting in a PC for $300?
For living room I think Xbox360 with hard-drive is best value for $399. I dont think people will sit in living room to type reports, probably only multimedia so I feel this is current standard. Maybe Revolution will be less than $300 with hard-drive so that maybe also good standard. Then PS3 will come with Blu-Ray probably <$500 with hard-drive, so I feel for sytem like that >$300 is not good value. I feel Media Center type PC is bad value for living room multimedia unit when console has same or more multimedia function with easy for everyone OS for maybe $250-500.
Yeah but the 360 needs a Media Center computer likethis one to be fully effective as a media device. You don't *have* to have this thing in your living room - you could shove it into the bedroom and let the 360 do the talking on the TV.
I mean it's looks aside, we have to know how much it costs before we judge it's value, even if just as a high-end computer.
I mean it's looks aside, we have to know how much it costs before we judge it's value, even if just as a high-end computer.
Shifty Geezer said:
Connect has been the only Sony product I've been completely disatisfied with -- it needs a major overhaul. It's comforting and disturbing that I'm not the only one who's had horrible experience with Connect (in the same way -- trying to find a track that nobody else had). Are Sony/BMG responsible for Connect? Because that would explain a lot (seemingly the worst thing Sony has its name on, by miles). It's a shame that they can't get a music service out that is worth a damn (hell, a service that actually works would be nice), especially considering how much music Sony controls.
The EU division responsible for CONNECT in Europe is the local (to me) Weybridge Sony HQ...
This is the address I referred to when I contacted Trading Standards about CONNECT selling broken tracks to people without telling them they're broken, so it'd better be right!
xbdestroya said:
Yes, I'll reserve my comments about the look too but I have a question. Since I don't have an XB360, how good/bad is the media quality when XB360 talks to the Media PC wirelessly ?
This year should be interesting as "smart" living room devices enter the market. It brings more awareness to the masses. However to "ignite" the market, we will need someone who can go beyond awareness: Generate a "Must have" urge to plug a media unit to their living rooms.
My options are:
* Unknown (simple) Apple box -- Haven't been to the cinemas for months due to my infant. If Apple can solve the VoD problem economically, I might get it and cancel HBO. HBO's VoD is too limited, Netflix has good deals but it's still a hassle for me.
* PS 3 -- Using HD and next-gen gaming as draw. No brainer really if it does what it says and is "affordable" enough.
* Smarter HD TV -- I will be buying a new TV. Will cell-based ones offer anything new/better ? If so, it might be a viable stop-gap solution before the real winners emerge.
* Xbox 360 + Media PC -- Next-gen gaming (but a little underwhelmed now... DAMN ). I have postponed my purchase decision until I can compare the offerings when the above 2 are launched. I also dislike the idea of having to buy a Media PC for my living room functions. Why not just any PC for storage ? I have 2 others lying around somewhere, plus a desktop-replacement laptop.
* Media PC -- Not with that look. My wife will kill me. But the machine is powerful indeed !
* Controller -- If everything else tanked, I might just get one to mourn 2006. Logitech sold a load of these last year. I have heard very good things about it. There will be improved ones coming out this year.
Still not sure what others expect the PS3 to be doing in this regards. If all it does is play Blu-ray movies and things downloaded off the internet, then it's still not quite matching the media center feature set--namely the DVR functionality.patsu said:
I think many people go this route. You can certainly use it right now for the simpler media, such as music and photos. Media Center is needed for video playback and I know people have found the Media Center edition of XP online and installed it, along with a tuner card. They then use an extender to get it into the living room
The reason why MS does not support this is that the hardware tends to be very finicky.
.Sis
Well things are getting interesting! For the media center PC camp, here's an odd value proposition: TV's with built-in media extender features.
And the name behind these sets? HP.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/04/hp-hdtv-lineup-announced-one-with-wifi/
And the name behind these sets? HP.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/04/hp-hdtv-lineup-announced-one-with-wifi/
xbdestroya said:Well things are getting interesting! For the media center PC camp, here's an odd value proposition: TV's with built-in media extender features.
And the name behind these sets? HP.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/04/hp-hdtv-lineup-announced-one-with-wifi/
720p is so 2005.
Sis said:
No, I'm just assuming a hi-end DVD and also BD player now that they are coming out (I assume I can get BD content from Blockbuster after that).
DVR is a bonus for me since you'll probably need to buy a hard disk to take full advantage of it even if the functionality is present in PS3 (or a Media PC like XB360). I'll save my money for the HD TV (so my better half won't complain about so many purchases). The thing is I have been living without DVR all these years, so I can wait... but the king of the living room: my TV is aging and if I buy a new one I will have to get a HD.
[I spoke about using existing PCs for media functions...]
Sis said:
Right... this is a void. In fact, if there is an easy way to get any video on a box now, I might even postpone the PS 3 (and Xbox 360) purchase since launch games are usually meh. That's why it's so important to get the needs right. A lot of coming attractions are fighting for my wallet share and it's so easy to find excuses/reasons not to buy. These are just my personal priorities but I'm sure most consumer will go through their own decision process before commiting. Congrats to those who have decided.
I'm not familiar with Google's living room strategy, perhaps they can:
* Push an advertiser-subsidized box cheaply (like newspaper model)
* Offer searches on TV, blazingly fast, instant on, voice activated
* Provide extremely relevant, regional searches (like plumbers, contractors, cater, restaurants in my area with user comments)
* Small physically, and does not interfere with my TV viewing
Then we're talking
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xbdestroya said:Well things are getting interesting! For the media center PC camp, here's an odd value proposition: TV's with built-in media extender features.
And the name behind these sets? HP.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/04/hp-hdtv-lineup-announced-one-with-wifi/
Ah yes ! Finally no more Media PC form factor and the bad idea of "paying for another box". How much and who's servicing these things ? I was just mumbling to myself why no one does something like this when answering .sis's post.
EDIT: Oh wait... it is still an Extender only... and when I buy a XBox 360 eventually, I'll have the same functionality. I'll pass then
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Regards Google's plans, what about this...
http://engadget.com/2006/01/04/google-pr-head-says-no-google-pc/
Larry Page is a late-breaking new addition to the keynote speaker list though, so anything is still game.
I have to say, this CES is already turning out to be quite zany.
http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/conferences/keynotes.asp
I have to say, this CES is already turning out to be quite zany.
http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/conferences/keynotes.asp
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