HardwareCentral - PowerSpec MCE410 and WinBook LC32 LCD HDTV Review.

PowerSpec MCE410 and WinBook LC32 LCD HDTV Review

That's Entertainment

June 21, 2005
By Eric Grevstad

That's Entertainment

Would you be interested in a living-room PC -- a well-equipped Windows XP Media Center Edition system with TV tuner, personal video recorder, and DVD burner, all in a chassis sized like a DVD player or stereo receiver instead of the usual minitower? Sure you would; HP's Digital Entertainment Center starts at $1,500 and Alienware's DHS series at $200 above that.

Would you like an HD-ready flat-screen TV set with that -- a home-theater-worthy 32-inch widescreen LCD with a full set of analog and digital I/O ports for 720p and 1080i high-definition video? Sure you would; Dell and Gateway charge $1,500 for a 30-inch set but some obscure brands offer 32-inch LCDs for the same price, with mainstream models starting around $2,300 (though Sony's top of the line is $5,500).

OK. WinBook sells its PowerSpec MCE410 Media Center PC and LC32 LCD TV for $2,098 -- $999 for the computer and $1,099 for the display. That's like getting a killer price on a flat-screen HDTV and then getting a computer for free.

It's also the kind of doubletake deal that leaves you hunting for the fine print and certain there's a catch or caveat. We feel, however, that any catch on Microsoft's part (see below) is greater than any on WinBook's.

Sure, the PC is merely a solid performer instead of a superstar, with Intel Pentium 4 530 (3.0GHz) power and a corded keyboard and mouse that flunk the Media Center concept of computing from the couch. (Logitech's LX300 Cordless Desktop is a $70 option.) And the display is merely a good-quality LCD instead of superfine plasma panel, lacking some of the newest acronyms like HDMI and 1080p.

But if you want a champagne setup on a beer budget, you can't gripe about domestic champagne instead of Dom Perignon. The WinBook duo might well be the year's best value.

The Hi-Def Devil's in the Details

As you probably know, HDTV-ready does not equal HDTV; like most sets for sale today (though this is changing), the LC32 has a standard-definition NTSC instead of HDTV tuner inside. So you'll need to connect an HDTV-tuner-equipped cable box or other source to see high-definition video.

The list of HDTV sources does not include the MCE410, which is the catch that's Microsoft's fault: Win XP Media Center Edition 2005 doesn't support HDTV via cable or satellite, only via an over-the-air antenna. The PC, like the display, contains a standard-definition NTSC TV tuner.

So you'll probably end up plugging both the PowerSpec and your cable or satellite box into the LCD, using the latter's remote control to switch between PC -- including Media Center's DVD, home-video, and digital-camera slide-show viewing -- and TV input. When we did this, we were unable to use the LC32's picture-in-picture functionality -- with either PC (DVI) or TV (component) video on the main screen, the only input choices on the picture-in-picture menu were composite and S-Video.

Of course, Win XP Media Center has its own picture-in-picture capability, showing TV in a window on the Windows desktop. For the complete experience, we'd have to ask our cable company to run three coaxial lines from the wall for the HDTV box (for most TV viewing), the Media Center PC (for standard-definition TV time-shifting or recording), and our cable modem (connected to the PC via Ethernet cable).

Finally, unlike the minitower Media Centers we've reviewed, the infrared receiver for the PowerSpec's remote control is built into the front panel, not an external USB gadget, and doesn't come with an "IR blaster" or extra dongle to let the PC's remote talk to a set-top box.