Print
Discuss
Send to friend
The Meivo – pronounced ‘my-vo’, according to notebook specialist Rock’s advertising campaign – is touted as an LCD TV rather than a PC.
Its centrepiece is a 22in widescreen display.
A regular set of PC components is hidden behind the screen, resulting in an iMac-style, all-in-one unit that can be sat on a desk or hung on a wall.
Stereo speakers sit either side of the display, while the entire device is framed by an attractive acrylic rim, Wifi and power symbols glow either orange or green, depending on usage.
The monitor has a resolution of 1,680x1,050 and produces an excellent, deep-black level that’s on a par with dedicated TVs rather than PC monitors. This is spoilt, however, by backlight bleed from the top and bottom of the display, creating an inconsistent picture.
An Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (1.86GHz) powers the system and is accompanied by 2GB of DDR2 Ram.
In PCmark05, the system scored 4,301, which indicates good basic office performance. But the integrated Intel graphics mean it cannot be used for gaming, as the score of 721 in 3Dmark05 shows.
Rock mentions a 720p figure in its advertising. However, while the monitor is technically capable of such a resolution, the Intel G965 graphics aren’t ideal for decoding high-definition content. Both Blu-ray and HD-DVD playback (should you add such a drive) require a dedicated ATI or Nvidia graphics card, and Microsoft recommends at least a 4x AGP card for its WMV HD videos.
Ultimately, we don’t think it’s fair to dub this a high-definition-capable machine.
Rock claims the graphics card can be upgraded using a Mobile PCI-Express Module card for notebooks, but these cards are costly and tricky to fit. A single hybrid TV tuner capable of receiving both digital Freeview and analogue TV signals sits at the rear. Composite inputs are also provided, enabling you to connect devices such as games consoles to the screen.
Rock has hinted, but made no promises, that an on-demand service bringing TV content to the Meivo will be provided by BT in future, so watch this space.
Vista Home Premium is installed, and when the system starts up Media Center loads by default: the remote control and wireless keyboard included make Media Center a cinch to navigate.
The mouse is replaced by a joystick in the top right-hand corner of the keyboard. It takes a little getting used to, but is fine for controlling the system from the sofa.
Sound quality is quite good, but while the two 3W speakers and 6W sub are adequate for small-to-medium-size rooms, they aren’t as loud as those found on most standard TV sets.
A 250GB hard disk is supplied and there’s an easy-to-access spare bay should you want to add another one. Integrated Bluetooth, 802.11g Wifi, a selection of USB2 ports (both on the side and rear), Firewire and a 4-in-1 memory card reader are also provided.
Rock has fitted a 1.3-megapixel webcam into the hood of the screen, but we were disappointed that video quality stuttered regularly.
Much more powerful systems with separate 22in LCD screens and capable of high-definition content can be bought for about £900, so there’s definitely a premium involved in making this PC fit into such a small space.
If money is no object, it would serve as an impressive wall-hung entertainment system, but its low-end components make it a poor alternative to a desktop PC.
See also:
A media player with typically elegant Apple design – but where’s the content? 25 Apr 2007
A DirectX 10 machine with 22in widescreen display, all for under £900 23 Apr 2007
All Home EntertainmentTags: Home Entertainment Computer
del.icio.us
Digg this
reddit!
