Hi-Grade MicroDMS P60 media PC

Posted by T3 Online on Fri 26 Oct 2007

TV tuner-equipped PC that's impressively small.

This must be one of the smallest Media Centres so far. It also boasts assassin-silent operation and a TV tuner, although naturally, concessions have had to be made in order to get everything to fit.

As with the Mac Mini, no monitor is included. However, you'll probably want to hook this up to a TV or projector anyway. Standard monitor, DVI and S-Video connections are furnished.

A more major drawback is that there's only a single, analogue tuner, so you're limited to the five terrestrial channels, and there's no watching the News while taping Green Wing. The hard disk can store up to 60 hours of telly at the lowest quality setting, although detail is lacking. At the highest setting you get much-improved recordings, but you're down to a maximum of 30 hours of stored TV.

Audio channels run to 5.1 for surround sound, via the optical out - analogue hook-up is stereo only. The receiver for the remote control is built in to the main unit, but the rather basic wireless keyboard requires a messy external box.

Performance is more than adequate for recording TV and watching DVDs. However, the graphics card won't give you the same level of detail from games like Dune 3. You'll have to select a lower level of detail if you want to keep everything running smoothly.

Ultimately, if you value small and silent computers over everything else, then this is a good buy. It's no bigger than a medium-sized dog in a garbage compactor and much quieter. With only one analogue tuner, it's hardly a perfect digital home solution, but for 800 quid, it's at least worth a look.