All-in-one entertainment

By RICHARD WOOD

Acer has released a PC-based all-in-one entertainment box as a rival to Microsoft's Windows XP Media Centre.

But the PC maker faces the same shortcoming as Microsoft in its lack of electronic programme guides for TV videoing.

Acer's Aspire Entertainment Centre features digital TV and video, DVD/CD, FM radio, music and digital photo viewing. Remote control, 15-inch LCD screen, speakers, wireless keyboard and mouse are part of the package.

It has a large dial on the front to flick between modes and an LED to tell you which you are in.

The lack of an electronic programme guide service in New Zealand remains an issue for these types of devices and the latest DVD recorders.

Such a guide would allow viewers to readily schedule recording of programmes and generate a daily viewing selection.

But deals with content providers such as Sky TV, TVNZ and TV3 have to be hammered out before programming information can be supplied in electronic format. In the meantime that is a sticking point which will limit the usefulness of new multimedia entertainment devices.

A Microsoft spokesman said there were no agreements with local programme providers yet and Microsoft was "focusing on the technical side of its Media Centre systems".

Sky Television spokesman Tony O'Brien said he was not aware of any discussions with Microsoft but the firm was happy to talk to third parties about such commercial arrangements.

Overseas examples typically involve paying a subscription for a service that works in conjunction with particular devices such as a cable box or a personal video recorder.

Acer is not using the Windows Media Centre software, but instead has gone down its own development path using two copies of Windows XP.

One XP runs the computer, which is like any other standard PC, while the other is described as a cut-down version that loads only the minimum bits of the operating system needed to operate the other functions.

In operation that means all non-PC functions of the system are instant-on. The dial flicks between these modes instantly but when flicking to the PC there is a delay of 5 to 10 seconds as the operating system is reconstituted into memory.

Raymond Vardanega, Australian marketing director, described the range as bridging products that will evolve substantially in subsequent releases. Eliminating that delay is one target of its development expected to occur within 10 months.

Another issue is that different parts of the system cannot run simultaneously.

The individual components can access the computer's hard disk for storing video, pictures and music.

The video has a time shift to allow you watch a programme playing now, press pause and continue later where you left off.

The base system comes with a DVD and CD writer combo; a DVD writer is an option.

The picture viewer can read seven formats of digital camera memory cards including Memory Stick, Compact Flash, SmartMedia, SD/ MMC, and XD.

The Aspire comes in slimline RC500 which has no expandability except that its half height video card can be upgraded. The RC900 is more like a fully expandable PC.

Vardanega said initial orders had shown a skew towards the slimline model. The computer specs are similar to a regular PC with the base configuration starting at a Pentium 4 2.4Ghz processor, 256Mb RAM, and 40Gb hard drive. Prices start at $2980.