Alienware Media Center PC

A/V mastery minus the mouse


By Bernard Yee

Alienware Navigator Pro XP Media Center PC

$1,999

PVR, CD, recordable DVD capability

2.67-GHz Pentium 4 processor

www.alienware.com

Your PC rules your den, but what rules your living room? Chances are it's a cable box and a DVD player. If you're one of the true believers, a TiVo or ReplayTV personal video recorder, maybe even a PlayStation 2, dominates the roost.

Microsoft has also made a few attempts to nab control, with its UltimateTV, WebTV and, of course, Xbox. Its latest product is an extension to its Windows XP Pro operating system, the Media Center Edition (MCE). MCE, a Windows application that turns a PC into a TV-friendly media device capable of playing movies, TV, music, videos and showing pictures, is only available as built into approved PCs, such as this Alienware system.

A typical Media Center PC comes with a TV tuner card, DVD drive, a card reader that reads the various flash memory cards used in digital cameras, a remote control and an IR lead which attaches to your cable box, allowing your PC to change the channel for PVR functionality. Along with VGA/DVI outs, MCE PCs also have RCA and S-Video connections. And most of the big PC companies have released systems that resemble the mid-size tower PCs under your desk now — not something you'd see near a television or stereo.

Alienware, a PC company known for high-performance gaming systems, has a better idea. Its Navigator series of Media Center PCs uses Shuttle's petite form-factor PC. Small enough to fit in your stereo cabinet, the Navigator Pro, with a 2.67-MHz Pentium 4 processor, packs substantial punch in a tiny package. With 512 MB of DDR SDRAM, Pioneer A05 DVD-RW, a TV tuner card and an nVidia GeForce4 Ti 4200 64 MB, there are no empty expansion slots. Most users won't need any, with onboard 5.1 audio, optical in and out, FireWire, USB 2.0 and LAN. (Users with HDTVs might want to find a VGA-progressive scan adapter, or a TV with a VGA input, as MCE PCs don't support progressive scan output.)

The system configuration is nearly perfect — though A/V-philes will wish they could configure a setup with an Audigy 2 sound card and an ATI All in Wonder (AIW) 9700 card, and users might wonder why Alienware didn't spec in a wireless keyboard and mouse.

MCE allows you to navigate with its remote control. Its TV functionality makes PVR users feel right at home —the capability to record TV shows with several quality settings, pause live TV and check out TV listings are all well-supported by the user interface. Unlike my modem-bound TiVo and its subscription fee, the Navigator Pro easily accommodated a USB 802.11b adapter, and used my wireless LAN to retrieve free TV program guide updates over the Internet. MCE will use a network connection to find information and album cover art for your DVDs and CDs, too. Still, my cable signal suffered a tiny bit of noticeable picture degradation when routed through the PC.