The Entertainer
Back in 1997 Intel CEO Andy Grove made it clear that in order to boost personal computer sales and usage, Intel was specifically targeting the television as its direct competition in the home. To quot
Back in 1997 Intel CEO Andy Grove made it clear that in order to boost personal computer sales and usage, Intel was specifically targeting the television as its direct competition in the home. To quote Dr. Grove: we are in a war for eyeballs because people have the discretionary choice of either watching television or working at home, entertaining themselves, or playing with their personal computer. And this was only the beginning of what we now call the entertainment PC, which has grown in popularity as increases in performance and capabilities mean that the PC can start moving out of the office or study, and into the lounge room. Only in 1998, an Intel document outlining PC usage statistics in the US stated that a majority of PC consumers today use the computer for playing games, educational or computer-assisted learning, and surfing the Internet.
This month the PC Authority Labs takes a close look at the current state of play in terms of home entertainment PCs, and runs them through our rigorous testing and evaluation procedures to see whether they are worth your hard earned dollars. Some consider the ultimate test of a home entertainment PC is whether you would consider bringing one of these into your lounge room. From this Labs, it is apparent that while these PCs can certainly keep you occupied and entertained for hours on end with DVD movies, 3D games, Internet browsing and thumping audio, they are not yet ready for the lounge room or suitable as replacements for the good ol telly.
Our basic specifications to vendors this month consisted of a 600MHz CPU or better; 128Mb RAM; 17in monitor or larger; and DVD-ROM drive. Most importantly there was a price cap of $5,000, which allows a fair amount of room for the manufacturers to mix and match, whether they choose to emphasise performance or to pack in every bell and whistle possible. The result of this high specification and price point is that each and every system on test excelled in some way, although many represent a compromise in some area. Would you toss your telly for one? Read on and you decide.
Labs Editor David Lin
Contributors Tim Dean, Philip Moore
This article appeared in the June, 2000 issue of PC Authority.
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