Test Build 2: Everyday DVD And Radio Playback
An entire class of HTPC is enabled with the use of a media hub, such as what Asour offers. These devices can play back DVDs and audio CDs, without even requiring the PC itself to be turned on (an external power supply provides the media hub with the necessary juice). These 5.25" devices fit neatly in a drive bay, and look very much like a car radio, right down to the inclusion of an AM/FM radio. Behind the front panel you'll find a DVD drive that the HTPC can access through an internal USB connection (but in that case, of course, the PC has to be running).
In PC mode, this HTPC can also play back DivX and other video and audio encoded formats. The media files can come from the hard disk or from either of our two DVD drives. The Asour VPC-2000 Multimedia Hub is an independent device and can be used as such as well. But the VPC-2000 doesn't include a TV tuner (though other products, such as Tsunami's ICE1 Media Manager, do offer such capabilities, they're not currently available in the U.S.). The PC and the Media Hub have to share media connections, which often requires installation of various expansion cards in an HTPC, to route audio (and where applicable, video) signals between the two systems.
| Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Case | Silverstone Sugo SG01 |
| Motherboard | ASUS A8N-VM CSM |
| CPU | AMD Athlon 64 X2, 4800+ |
| RAM | 2 x 512 MByte Corsair CMX512 500 MHz |
| Drives | LG DVD burner , Hitachi 160 GByte SATA hard disk |
| Power Supply | Antec Phantom 300 Watt |
| Graphics Card | Albatron TC6200Q128* |
| Additional Accessories | Asour VPC 2000 Multimedia Hub |
| Radio-/ TV-Tuner | in the Media Hub |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows XP MCE 2005 |
| Note | *Once again, because the Albatron card isn't available in the U.S., we recommend using the eVGA fanless 6600 instead |
Our second HTPC was outfitted with the Asour Multimedia Hub, so it can function as a universal player with an integrated radio. This HTPC is nothing to sneeze at, and offers especially quiet in operation. The media hub works autonomously and can even access the PC disk drive directly. Unfortunately, this capability isn't exactly cheap but it's a good initial foray into the high-end HTPC world, and is something you can expect to see more of in THG reviews.
