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Elonex isn't afraid to try something new when it comes to Media Center PCs, and last month's whopping 40in LCD model is testament to that. Its latest Media Center is slightly more subdued, coming in the form of a 15.4in widescreen notebook.
Most Media Center PCs are designed around desktops, one based on a notebook may seem a little odd. However, it does have its uses. For example, students could use it as a portable computer to take to lectures as well as a fully fledged home entertainment system.
As it is likely to reside mostly in a lounge environment, Elonex has taken time to make the Mediastar attractive. The top of the notebook has a silver corrugated effect, while the dark grey livery on the inside adds a touch of class.
The notebook runs off an Intel Pentium M clocked at 2GHz and is supported by 1GB of DDR 333 Ram. The 80GB hard drive is adequate, but considering this is a Media Center PC you'll probably be looking to store a large amount of storage-hungry video and audio files.
Elonex offers a 120GB hard drive for £85 extra. Should you start to run out of space, you can archive files direct to DVD thanks to the inclusion of a two-speed dual-layer burner.
A 256MB Radeon X700 card beats integrated graphics hands down, especially when playing games with complex textures, and notched up a decent 3Dmark05 score of 2,401.
Just one analogue tuner sits inside the Mediastar; a dual-tuner setup would have been preferable, allowing you to record two programmes at once or record one channel while watching another. With this setup though, you have to leave it on the correct channel while you're recording a programme.
Elonex supplies a remote control with the Mediastar. It's far smaller than most Media Center remotes, but features all the necessary buttons and there’s no need for an external infrared receiver.
The quality of the screen is obviously important on a Media Center notebook. We've no problems with its size (and the widescreen format was a sensible decision), but the display needs to be brighter.
The viewing angles aren't great either which could be a problem if you've got a group of people watching the same film. But if it does cause issues, you can always switch to the S-video output and send the signal to a television. If your TV has a Scart socket, you can pick up an S-video-to-Scart converter for around £10.
Audio can also be output either via the coax digital-out or line-out socket. It's something you'll probably want to make use of since, although the stereo speakers and subwoofer sit prominently on the chassis, they're limited in terms of volume.
There's a lot to like about the Mediastar. It's well designed and looks great, while you also benefit from all Microsoft Media Center 2005 has to offer. But it isn't without drawbacks.
The inclusion of just a single tuner limits recording features and the fact that it's only an analogue tuner means you won’t be able to benefit from Freeview digital broadcasts. If you're desperate for digital TV, you could always purchase an external DVB-T tuner, but it's not the perfect solution.
Despite its limitations, the Mediastar is still a quality Media Center notebook from Elonex. Plus, if you order online with the e-web code 10-PCW-541 you'll get free delivery.
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