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Una Review - Hardware Components
The photo below shows the complete Una installation. We'll highlight
the various pieces that comprise the system in this section.
Computer
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The computer is a Compaq Presario 8000T
with a 2.0Ghz Pentium 4 processor. Normally, DigiCasa will custom
build your computer. However we are also amenable to using a pre-built
computer if this fits better with the needs of the customer. In this
install we reused an off-the-shelf computer since it was available and fit in
fairly well aesthetically. In addition, this computer is very quiet as
shipped from Compaq and so it works well in a living room environment. |
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| The Presario comes standard with the
following significant hardware:
- ATI All In Wonder Radeon 8500. A high quality video card which has
some of the best video playback capabilities in the industry.
- Creative Soundblaster Live!. This is one of the most popular and
well supported sound cards available today.
- Pioneer DVD Writer. Enables the Una to not only play DVDs but also
burn DVDs of any recorded shows.
- Western Digital 120GB hard drive. Large capacity 120GB hard drive (can store the equivalent of 600-700 music
CDs or 60 hours recorded shows)
The only modifications made to this computer were the following:
- Addition of two (2) Hauppauge PVR 250 MPEG video recorder cards. The
PVR 250 card is the TV Tuner used by the Una to record shows. Since two
of these cards were added, this gives the configuration the ability to record
shows from two different channels at once. Alternatively, the system can
record one show while viewing another show live on a different channel.
- Addition of a Digital I/O card to the existing Creative Soundblaster card
already present in the Presario to enable a high quality digital sound link to
the user's audio receiver. This digital link ensures that the user has
the highest quality sound connection to their audio receiver. For
instance, it enables them to enjoy the high quality 5-channel digital audio
(Dolby Digital 5.1 and/or DTS 5.1) encoded on all of today's DVD discs
- Addition of another large capacity hard drive (120GB) which doubles the
storage capacity to almost 1400CDs or 120 hours of video storage.
- Addition of an IRMan infrared receiver from
Evation. This component enables the
Una to receive commands from most remote controls.
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Display
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The display is a large screen computer monitor (32") made by
Gateway (this
unit is not longer in production). This display offers a much sharper
image than a conventional TV display. However, the current crop of High
Definition TVs (HDTVs) will perform just as well as this monitor in practice. |
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Remote
The remote used here is the ProntoNeo remote from
Philips. This is a
fully programmable LCD touchscreen remote. Other remotes can be used of
course in Una setups but this one does an extremely good job of transforming an
Una setup into a user friendly environment. Not only can it control all
Una functions, but it can neatly integrate existing audio/video components
into the overall solution thus enabling the user to control everything with one remote.
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
| The wireless keyboard and mouse are from
Gyration. The mouse is
rechargeable (no need to keep buying batteries). It can be used
conventionally like a regular mouse or in-the-air. When used
in-the-air you control mouse pointer movements using wrist actions. In
practice, the mouse is very easy to use. The wireless keyboard is very
compact and fits perfectly on a lap or coffee table enabling you to surf the
web, send email, instant message friends and a host of other functionality
(including everything you can do with a regular computer). |
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