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The integrated card reader will please digital camera users
A multi-format DVD writer will come in handy
A plethora of rear ports covers every base
Carrying handle makes transportation easy
There's an integrated FM radio antenna, but you can attach an external one too

But that’s enough about the inside, let’s go back to being shallow and look at the external design once more.

Looking at the unit from the front you really could be fooled into thinking that it’s just a widescreen LCD TV. The panel is a good one and measures 17in corner to corner, but with a widescreen aspect ratio the native resolution is 1,280 x 768.

The image quality on the panel is superb exhibiting strong, vibrant colours, with even lighting across the whole surface. Given that this machine is aimed at multimedia use the brightness is rated at between 400 and 450 Lumens, while the contrast ratio of 450:1 and sub 25ms response time are both impressive.

There are no buttons or controls surrounding the screen to spoil the clean lines, just a single infrared sensor, which will accommodate the Media Center remote control in the production version of the eXentia. At present a separate IR receiver is required for the remote as with every Media Center PC I’ve looked at so far.

Flanking the screen on both sides are built-in speakers. Now if you’ve ever used a screen with integrated speakers before, you’re probably thinking that these ones will sound tinny and unimpressive, but you’d be wrong. The reason you’d be wrong is that around the back of the unit is an integrated subwoofer that makes the eXentia sound as good as it looks. Seriously, slap in a DVD movie and turn the sound up, you definitely won’t be disappointed.

If you’re wondering how you turn the eXentia on, don’t panic. A quick glance at the top of the unit reveals an array of chrome buttons that control power, volume, channel select and brightness. The buttons are set in a rubberised surround that adds a pleasing tactile feel to the unit.

Not an inch of space has been wasted by the designers who created the eXentia, and even the sides of the screen chassis have been utilised to great effect. Mounted in the right hand side of the screen is the DVD writer that will read and write just about every form of media bar DVD-RAM. And nestling in the left hand side of the screen is an 8-in-1 media card reader. This is ideal for anyone that uses a digital camera since you can transfer your photos directly to the PC without having to connect the camera. It also means that you can put together slide shows and write them to a memory card for transportation. Although it has to be said that you’d be better off just burning the photos to a CD-R considering how cheap the media is these days.

If you’re thinking that an all-in-one unit like this will be limited on the connection front, you’d be wrong yet again. At the base of the stand column is a plethora of ports that a full-tower PC system would be proud of. AV is well taken care of with S-Video in and out, as well as composite video in and stereo audio in RCA ports.

If you’re not happy with the built-in speakers you’ve got a couple of options to hand. First is the optical digital output that can connect to any surround sound amplifier or processor. If you don’t have an external decoder, you can output the discreet 5.1 channel signals in analogue form via the three mini-jack sockets.

Rounding things off at the back are four USB 2.0 ports, a modem socket, Ethernet connector and a TV antenna connector. There’s a built-in FM radio antenna, but if you can’t get a strong enough signal there’s a connector for an external antenna as well.

Even with such a host of connection options, the list doesn’t end there. On the left side of the stand column is a fifth USB port along with a FireWire port, while on the right side you’ll find microphone and headphone sockets.

On final feature worth noting is the carrying handle. Yes, I said a carrying handle. Located on the top of the stand column is a telescopic handle that’s easily popped out. This makes it easy to transport the eXentia from one room to another or even one location to another.

So there you have it, the Elonex eXentia, exactly what Windows XP Media Center Edition was created for. How the eXentia performs as a normal PC remains to be seen since I wasn’t able to benchmark this pre-production unit, but rest assured that as soon as a full retail box finds its way into the TrustedReviews office we’ll put it through its paces.

Pricing for the eXentia will start at £1,399 and rise to £1,799 depending on specification. The pricing includes both VAT and UK delivery charge.

After a quiet time in the consumer market Elonex has come up with a product that looks set to be the most desirable lifestyle PC known to man.

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