Media Center PCs challenge Apple style

The launch of XP Media Center Edition 2005, the latest version of Microsoft's operating system that turns a PC into an entertainment centre, is encouraging PC makers to be more inventive in their system designs.

The most spectacular is an all-in-one box with a 32in LCD screen from Elonex.

The 3GHz P4-powered machine comes with a 200GB drive, 512MB Ram, a DVD burner supporting all major standards and a dual tuner allowing you to record one program while viewing another - a new feature of MCE 2005.

It costs £2,229 ex VAT.

At the other end of the price scale is a machine designed from scratch by Research Machines (RM), which specialises in education machines. It too is an all-in-one design, made to withstand the rigours of the classroom and student digs.

It can be bolted to a desk and the scratch-resistant screen can be easily swapped if damaged. And with prices starting at just £549, it looks a low-cost way for students to get a combined TV, music player and PC.

Evesham offers a system box styled like a hifi unit and MV offered one that doubles as a games machine and is built around an XPC cube.

Media PCs are designed to fit in with stylish hifi systems. But a recent Apple design has set a new standard in elegance.

Microsoft has allowed almost any system builder to offer MCE 2005 products after keeping a tight rein on who built early models. The new version has an improved interface and support for high-definition TV, which will not hit the UK for a couple of years, although HD DVDs should be available sooner.

Curiously, some Media Centers will lack TV features, as Microsoft believes some people will want it simply for audio-streaming and viewing digital pictures.

Watch out for a group test of 10 Media Centers, plus a review of the software itself, in an upcoming edition of Personal Computer World.