Gateway Media PC Designed For Stereo Rack

[srobert]

It's not good looking but I like the idea.

Link to the article

Extract from the article:

"Gateway Inc. has introduced a Media Center PC that mimics a piece of stereo equipment, and one designed to fit neatly in the living room.

The Gateway 901 Family Room Media Center PC will be available in two models, one priced at $799 while the higher-end 901 X will be priced at $1,799. Both are available for order today, and will ship in mid-December, Gateway said."

I'd love to see Apple's version. Cube-2 anybody?

Hook that to a HDTV or future 30+ Inchers Apple LCD and now we're talking.

 

[MacAficionado]

Wow!

Even though I don't know the details, I like this. If Windows manages to make this stable for everyday, no glitch operation, this is taking the market from Tivo and the rest.
Now this seems viable, it is expensive, but lets see.

 

[coolsoldier]

IMO it's still too bulky to be viable. A machine that is going to sit on a stereo rack needs laptop guts. Also, I'd like to know how seamless the operation is. I don't know very many people (even computer geeks like me) that want to wade through a computer interface to use their stereo equipment.

 

[MoparShaha]

It looks pretty cool. I think we'll see more items like this soon. It's inevitable that computers will become intertwined into every device we have at home. If I had loads of cash sitting around, I'd buy one.

 

[coolsoldier]

Heck, if I can find parts small enough to do it, I might have to get back to building computers just to try something like this -- I'm envisioning putting together a computer in a broken DVD player case just for fun.

I seriously doubt the usability of a computer for this kind of thing, though. Computer interfaces aren't a streamlined as stereo interfaces -- I can do almost anything on my stereo by pushing one button, while it takes several mouse clicks on a computer to accomplish the same thing.

 

[Kid Red]

Originally posted by coolsoldier
IMO it's still too bulky to be viable. A machine that is going to sit on a stereo rack needs laptop guts. Also, I'd like to know how seamless the operation is. I don't know very many people (even computer geeks like me) that want to wade through a computer interface to use their stereo equipment.

Too bulky? Not seen too many different rack devices lately have you? That's not much bigger then a power conditioner, a touch bigger then an amp, about the size of a a/v receiver. So it's only bigger then a DVD/CD player and those HSV or VSH whatever tape things.

The computer concept is to control entire media centers, home theater, home automation, drop down projection screens ect. I don't see many flocking out to get this as it's not a everyday run of the mill appliance.

 

[LethalWolfe]

It's a nice idea but just looking at it turns me off (reading about it didn't help much either). I don't want a computer as part of my entertainment center. I want smarter home entertainment equipment. And interfacing w/that thing just looks like a nightmare. You have a mouse, a keyboard and a remote control. Wow. That's convient<sp?>. And the last thing I want to do is have to reboot my home entertainment center. Yes, I know as things become more computerized and more complicated errors are more likely to happen, but this offering from Gateway is like getting a swiss army knife when what you asked for was a screwdriver. Yeah, the swiss army knife has a screwdrive in it, but it also has a lot of extra stuff that's just going to make it a cumbersome PITA.

Here's what I'd like to see come down the pipe. You have a "smart reciever" that is networkable and you can control everything thru it. The interface will be PDA sized remote, kinda like those universal remotes w/touch LCD screens, and it will have a sylus and virtual KB for text entry (much like a PocketPC). If I want to watch some videos I downloaded onto my computer the other night I'll just touch the "Lethal's Mac" icon on the remote, navigate to where I saved the video on my HDD, and push "play." The "smart reciever" will play the video from my computer in the other room on my TV in the living room.


Lethal

 

[macMaestro]

It would be cool to have a Mac like that (a little more on the stylish side maybe), but...

Steve won't do it. He's already said as much.

(Refer to the most recent conference call. He says something amounting to 'No. We're going to incorporate computers into toasters instead.' Sarcastically.)

 

[GregA]

Originally posted by macMaestro
It would be cool to have a Mac like that (a little more on the stylish side maybe), but...

Steve won't do it. He's already said as much.

(Refer to the most recent conference call. He says something amounting to 'No. We're going to incorporate computers into toasters instead.' Sarcastically.)

Actually, he said he didn't see computers and TVs merging - they had distinct paths (but computer technology would become more and more part of TVs etc).

Which means there is room for a new style stereo appliance (doing for the stereo what iPod did for the walkman?) - but it wouldn't be a computer (just as the iPod is not a computer!).

I would have guessed Apple was in the Tivo style market - but Steve also said the connections between all the stereo devices were a mess, and Apple didn't want to touch that.

Still it leaves scope for something interesting - though if they're playing in this area they better work together with existing manufacturers! (I'd like to see an Apple digital hub for all our digital and non digital appliances, but that does not seem likely!)