14 DAY TRIAL // Those of you claiming that the HD-DVD high-definition standard is dead should think again, because HD-DVD units sell better than ever. The official announcement about it being discontinued has lowered pricing for the devices, and made it available to the mainstream market.
Shuttle has released a new home-theater PC in the XPS series, that is able to read both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD media formats on a single combo drive. Apart from the high-definition discs, the XPC G5 3101M can also read and write conventional DVD and CD media.
The miniature home-theater PC comes in a pretty solid configuration, including a TV tuner that handles DVB-T digital signals, an ATI HD 3450 256MB graphics card, and high-definition on-board 7.1-channel audio output. The computer is built around AMD's Athlon 64 X2 4200+ processor, 2GB of DDR2-667 RAM, and a 320GB SATA hard drive.
More than that, Shuttle managed to stuff all the goodies in a nice box with a low profile, in order to be easily moved around the house when redecorating.
The new media center PC is based on Shuttle's XPC Barebone SN68SG2 design and sports a mirror front plate powered by a VFD Media Display, that shows essential information about the system's status.
Cooling is another important aspect when it comes to a media-center computer, as the residual noise can easily ruin a truly high-definition experience. The cooling system is based around Shuttle's Integrated Cooling Engine with advanced I.C.E. Heatpipe technology and a linear controlled 92-millimeter fan.
The pre-configured systems are available on the European market already, and can be ordered from Shuttle's website for as much as ?1091 ($1,716). Other configurations are also possible, but they will come with an extra premium.
