FWD: "Shiny design with high attention to detail"
The Belgian magazine FWD for home entertainment recently tested the Shuttle XPC M1000 as a solution for the living room. It fits great. "Beautiful machine with clever features", was the decision of the staff.
"You may wonder why a PC should sit next to you in the living room, the classical design of big beige boxes is not appropriate to fit in a trendy interior", asked the editors. And had a good answer. Recently the design has changed a lot. Media Center PCs are presented in appealing HiFi design – like the Shuttle XPC M1000. Especially when "there is a lot of multimedia content around that needs to be accessed throughout the house a Media Center PC can retrieve and play them on the TV in the living room," explain the editors the Media Center concept also adding: "with one or more TV tuners you can even watch TV with it" – and record something at the same time.
The HTPC solution of Shuttle - the Shuttle XPC M1000 - that impressed the editors with its "shiny design with high attention to detail." Additionally to the PC itself, a wireless keyboard with integrated trackball and mouse keys is included for access right from the sofa. But not only in terms of looks the Shuttle XPC M1000 has a lot to offer, as "playing and copying CDs went in breathtaking speed," write the editors impressed. Also, the Shuttle XPC M1000 was capable to "deliver good image quaility." Thanks to the component out which the testers found on the rear side "it was even possible to scale up DVDs to 1.080i," and to watch it in HD solution.
Specificationwise, the Shuttle XPC M1000 is configurable online so that analog TV tuner cards "can be exchanged by digital ones or even hybrid cards," point out the editors. Another "clever feature" is the bay in the front panel for an external USB 2.5 inch hard disk – and the "enclosure included."
Conclusion: "Beautiful machine" that "finishes third."
Source: FWD, issue 7, August 2006
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