Home-theater PCs don’t generate much interest among mainstream consumers. That’s a bit mind-boggling, considering how many features these machines off er and the fact that most people are already familiar with the Windows interface. But luckily for us enthusiasts, companies like AsRock keep working diligently to improve HTPC design. The Vision 3D delivers nearly every digital entertainment feature you could want, including Blu-ray 3D, Internet TV, video on demand, online music services, and access to all the digital media stored on your own network.
The machine’s $850 street price renders it very expensive compared to, say, a mediastreamer like the Boxee Box, especially since it doesn’t come with everything you’ll need to get started (more on that in a moment). On the plus side, however, TV networks and service providers such as Hulu can’t block an HTPC from accessing their content online.
You’ll fi nd no operating system, keyboard, or mouse bundled with the Vision 3D—and this isn’t necessarily bad, because you won’t be paying for items you don’t need or want. The machine does come with an infrared Windows Media Center–style remote control, however, as well as the OEM version of Cyberlink’s PowerDVD 10. When pricing the machine, don’t forget to factor in the cost of whatever OS and controllers you decide to use. And if you want to watch Bluray 3D movies, you’ll want Nvidia’s 3D Vision kit ($200, with extra glasses costing $150 each). The review unit we received had Windows 7 Ultimate installed. We used a generic wired keyboard and mouse to run benchmarks, and Nvidia’s shutter glasses for 3D movies.
AsRock opted to use components more typically found in notebook PCs. This helped it build an HTPC that will fi t just about anywhere. More importantly, the Vision 3D doesn’t require a lot of noisy fans for cooling. There’s an Intel 2.4GHz Core i3-370M mobile CPU, and a 500GB Western Digital Scorpio Black hard drive. If that’s not enough storage for you, you can add external drives using the machine’s eSATA, USB 2.0, or USB 3.0 ports.
Nvidia’s GeForce GT 425M graphics processor, coupled with 1GB of DDR3 memory, enables the machine to decode Blu-ray 3D movies and stream both video and high-defi nition soundtracks (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio) over a single HDMI 1.4a cable to your A/V receiver. That feature alone makes the Vision 3D unique among prefab home-theater PCs. With its Core i3 and discrete GeForce card, the Vision 3D is easily the most powerful mini HTPC we’ve tested and far outstrips those based on Atom processors.
The only feature missing from this machine is a TV tuner. You could add a USB device to grab over-the-air programming, but this HTPC will never replace your cable company’s set-top box or DVR. That’s about the only criticism we can level at this rig. It delivered excellent image quality in Blu-ray movies, it’s capable of streaming HD audio over HDMI, and it supports HDMI 1.4a for Blu-ray 3D. It’s better than any Blu-ray player or media streamer on the market. Heck, it’s the best home-theater PC we’ve tested
Our zero-point is a Dell Inspiron Zino HD equipped with a dual-core 1.5GHz Athlon X2 3250e, 2GB of DDR2/667, an AMD 780G with integrated Radeon HD 3200, a 250GB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive, and 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium.
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