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HP M1180 PhotoSmart PC
Price: £1,549 inc VAT

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 31/01/2005
Featured in magazine:
Issue 100
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: HP
Tel: 0870 010 4320
Web Address: www.hp.com/uk


The latest version of Microsoft's Media Center software turns a Windows XP computer into a home entertainment hub, capable of emulating almost every device in your living room. This top-of-the-range Photosmart PC from HP takes Windows Media Center as its starting point, then adds a few extra elements to help lift it above the crowd.

Features
With Media Center installed, this can do all of the things we expect of a PC of its type, including watching and recording TV and making the most of your photos and music. For more information about Media Center, check out Instant Expert on page 50. HP's own extras include a fabulous Personal Media Drive, allowing you to unplug a mammoth hard disk and carry it around with you; and some special software integrated into Media Center that allows you to integrate with Apple's iTunes (necessary for HP because it has its own version of the iPod) and print images. It also has every kind of input you could ask of an entertainment device – from digital video to stacks of USB ports – and separate DVD player and DVD re-writer drives.

Performance
Perhaps the most disappointing element is the speaker system. The Altec Lansing sub-woofer and satellite kit is nice enough for a standard PC, but seems a little light for a unit designed to blast out music and movie soundtracks. We also thought it was short on memory – the supplied 512MB is at the lower end of what you'll need to get the most from this PC and 1GB would have been better.

Ease of use
One of the nice things about Media Center is that it brings an easy-to-use interface to the PC. Press the big green button on your remote control and you find yourself in a world of big menus that can be browsed from a distance. However, there's still a bit of setting up to be done before you start – it's not nearly as simple as plugging in a TV – so if you're considering buying this kind of thing for a total technophobe, make sure you're available for getting it set up and a few initial lessons.

Value for money
Although this doesn't come cheap, it has most of the trimmings you could ask for. Elements like the 17in flat screen and the removable hard disk, while far from essential, add depth to a system that's perfectly poised to completely take over a small room's entertainment and PC needs. While quite expensive, an overall feeling of quality permeates the system, leaving it all the more irritating about the memory and speakers, both of which are worth spending a bit more money on.

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