The Hi-Grade DMS P60 Viiv PC

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=2482' target='_blank'>http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=2482</a><br /><br /></div><i>"At the UK launch Intel had lots of partners and system integrators showing off their Viiv systems, but one really caught my eye – the µDMS P60 from Hi-Grade. While at IDF last year Don MacDonald showed off a Viiv concept machine called the Golden Gate and this Hi-Grade box looked every bit as small, sleek and stylish as that – pretty much exactly what I wanted a Viiv machine to look like. A quick chat with one of Hi-Grade’s owners secured me an exclusive early look at this Viiv PC – thanks Ori. One of the pre-requisites of Viiv certification is the use of a dual-core CPU. This somewhat explains why Viiv was launched so long after it was announced – Intel was waiting for the Yonah, or Core Duo as it’s now called, chip to arrive. The beauty of the Core Duo chip is that it has all the advantages of a mobile CPU – cool, quiet, low power – while still having enough grunt to run pretty much anything you’re likely to throw at it. The general attributes of the Core Duo allow system integrators like Hi-Grade to produce PCs that are as unobtrusive as they are powerful."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/trustedreviews-2482-1.jpg" /><br /><br />This is easily the most impressive Media Center PC I've seen from a size perspective, so it seems that Viiv isn't pure hype after all! Very cool stuff. The review is a bit light on details, but has a bunch of great photos that show every aspect of this wee little beastie.

[Phronetix]

Hmmm. A truly stylish PC. Wonder from where they could have gotten that idea? :rainbow1:

While the slice of bread shape is alright, I do like the curve of the stand's molding. I've not really understood why it has taken so long for the industry to place a PC's hardware inside something that doesn't look like it belongs in the computer room at the library or on the desk at work. Especially media centre pc's, where it's apparently okay to make the pc look like a really big DVD player.

It's almost like the industry watches Apple do it and think there's some sort of mental illness that must drive a consumer to want to buy that stuff. 'Gee, we'd really like to design something cool, minimalist and worthy to sit in your living room.... but man, look at these cool blue lights!!! We gotta find somewhere to put these cool blue lights!'

Seriously... Is it the cost? I refuse to believe that only Apple has the capability to do the job properly. That being said, there's a host of other reasons why I like my friends in Cupertino... that'd be a separate rant, then Jason'd have to beat me up...

I know of Voodoo, Alien and a few products from other companies that have looked half decent. Many of these resemble a Frankensteinian, car enginesque, industrial style that stands out too much, IMHO. Why must a PC stand out? I want what my PC is doing to stand out. Do we need to get IKEA or VW to come up with some designs?

Did I just say IKEA?

I must be a desperate man.

[Jason Dunn]

Nah, you got it all wrong. The Mac Mini was not the first computer of it's size. It wasn't truly innovative. The Book PC has been out for YEARS:

http://www.thebookpc.com/

The real problem is that most of the mainstream computer manufacturers (Dell, HP, Compaq, etc.) are very risk adverse and don't seem willing to take a gamble on the consumer market by giving them something different...and Apple was willing to do that. So that's what made the Mac Mini an interesting product.

I think of large part of why we see such a lack of innovation from the mainstream PC makers is that they design products for the corperate market, then add a couple of tweaks and say "Ok, it's ready for consumers!" - they just don't show enough imagination.

I'd say that MOST imagination in this industry comes from the smaller players: Shuttle, Asus, etc. It just takes YEARS for the bigger players to pick up on it and try something new. Which sucks. :?

[Jason Dunn]

Does that Book PC play World of WarCraft ok?

Nah, anything that small tends to have Intel-based embedded graphics, so not appropriate for any real gaming. I know of one product coming up that just might change that however (saw it under NDA). We'll see. ;-)

[Phronetix]

Nah, you got it all wrong. The Mac Mini was not the first computer of it's size. It wasn't truly innovative. The Book PC has been out for YEARS:

http://www.thebookpc.com/

The book PC only offers scaled down versions of the molded-plastic towers the regular guys offer. That and Shuttle cube lookalikes. See my post re: Frankensteinian, car enginesque, industrial style. The only design that looks like it belong amid nice furnishings is the rip-off of the Mac mini.



I'd say that MOST imagination in this industry comes from the smaller players: Shuttle, Asus, etc. It just takes YEARS for the bigger players to pick up on it and try something new. Which sucks. :?

For the PC market... agreed.