Few desktop  PCs in the $1,000 price range include as much storage , memory, and processing power as the HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7470n PC. It is very, very fast, and its built-in TV and radio tuners make it ready for multimedia right out of the box. However, the lack of a dedicated graphics card means that gamers might want to upgrade from the basic package, and, while they're at it, pick up a monitor.
Look and Feel
The tower has an impressive look that caught us off guard. It does not have the small slide-down access panel below the drive bays that is typical of an HP computer. Instead, the m7470n has two long vertical doors that provide access to ports on one side, and multimedia controls on the other.
Another narrow access panel sits on the top edge of the tower above the optical drive bays. The slate-gray tower measures 15.16 x 7.6 x 16.54 inches and weighs 27 pounds.
Features
This model is clearly designed for media mavens. The front access ports leave little need to fiddle with rear-panel accessory connections. Access options on the front include a 9-in-1 memory card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire port, a microphone, and composite video, S-video, and audio inputs. Four more USB ports and an additional FireWire port can be found on the rear panel.
This type of configuration provides a double benefit. First, the front composite inputs make recording old home movies and converting video from other formats hassle-free. Second, the huge 300-GB hard drive and the built-in TV and radio access make it a snap to record favorite programs live without having to burn files to a DVD.
Integrated audio is a space-saving design standard we would rather see on laptops. Still, the audio on this model, which is configurable for up to six speakers, produced pleasant sounds.
We especially liked the TV tuner and the separate FM radio tuner. An included remote control gives full access to all multimedia functions through the Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system.
The hard drive gives video, graphics, and music lovers a practically never-ending storage supply. The two optical drives (LightScribe DVD-RW drive and secondary CD/DVD drive) further bolster this computer's storage capabilities. Two optical drives are always more convenient than one if you have a lot of projects that involve burning and editing. (continued...)
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