Review Elonex might not be the first brand you think of when you're going to buy a computer and even less so as a supplier for your next PVR/DVD recorder. But Elonex has been making some excellent Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) PCs for quite some time. Its latest mode, the Artisan VX, is one of the first Intel Viiv-branded PCs that you can actually buy...

The Viiv branding means the Artisan VX has an Intel CPU, although you might be disappointed to know that it's a standard, 90nm dual-core entium D 820 clocked at 2.8GHz rather than a more modern, low-power, 65nm Core Duo CPU. The desktop chip is still part of the Viiv spec and the low clock speed ought to make for a quieter machine. The motherboard is based on Intel's decent i945G chipset.

The chipset's own graphics have been replaced by a Nvidia GeForce 7300 LE graphics card - not the most powerful around, but it adds DVI and component video ports, which the integrated graphics chipset doesn't offer. The current version of the Artisan VX doesn't support HDCP, but this will be on offer as soon as suitable graphics cards are available, Elonex said.

MCE PCs require at least 1GB of DDR 2 memory, and that's just what Elonex has fitted. Storage is provided by a 200GB Samsung SATA hard drive - an ample capacity for recording TV shows and transferring content from cameras and the like, but not perhaps enough if the Artisan VX is going to be your main PC.

The Viiv box's other features include a Samsung DVD writer that handles DVD±R media at 16x, DVD±RW media at 4x and DVD+R dual layer at 4x. Then there's an 802.11b/g wireless card, since at the end of the day, this computer will be close to your TV and you're not likely to have an Ethernet cable in your front room. That said, if you do want Gigabit Ethernet, it's on board ready for you.

Elonex has made use of the integrated sound systyem, which offers mini jacks for analogue 7.1-channel output as well as optical and co-axial S/PDIF digital output. Speakers are an optional extra though.

The motherboard features four USB ports at the back, with a further two mounted behind a flap on the front of the machine. A rear-mounted six-pin FireWire port complements a front-mounted four-pin version, handy for digital camcorder owners. Along side is a multi-format memory card reader which accepts all major Flash formats except xD. Furthermore, you'll find S-video and composite-video inputs here, plus a set of stereo RCA connectors and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

When it comes to features, the Artisan VX competes very well with many combo PVR/DVD recorders on the market. Elonex has fitted two hybrid TV tuners so you can receive both the normal analogue TV channels - until they're switched off, that is - and all the FreeView channels, and watch one channel while recording another.

Each of the Hauppage HVR-1300 tuner cards has its own S-video and composite-video inputs, so you could attach other sources at the rear of the Artisan VX like your old VHS deck.

Thanks to MCE, setting the Artisan VX up is a doddle. The latest version of MCE lost most of the annoyances past versions suffered from. It even works fine on a normal, standard-definition TV, and you can read all the menus quite easily. That said, it's still hard to use the regular Windows UI this way, so an HDTV is recommended.

Elonex has incorporated the IR receiver for the MCE remote control into the front of the Artisan VX, although there are two ports on the back to which further IR extenders can be attached if you want to keep the Artisan VX out of sight. The fascia also sports an LCD that tells you what channel you're watching and, if you're playing recorded content, it also shows how long you've been watching it.

Elonex supplies a wireless keyboard, and one designed to be used away from a desk at that. The shape is rather odd compared to a normal keyboard - it's got a handle on each side and there's a small joystick in the right-hand corner to use in place of a mouse. It takes a little getting used to, particularly for Windows use, but it's not that difficult. The only downside is that the keyboard uses a fairly large USB receiver.

You also get a variety of video and audio cables with the Artisan VX, all with s-video, composite-video, RCA, 3.5mm, DVI or SCART connectors, along with some adaptors to interconnect them. There's no HDMI cable or port here, so if your HDTV has one, you'll need to buy a DVI-to-HDMI cable to connect it.

All in all, Elonex has put together quite an impressive package. During the time I've used the Artisan VX it has worked quite well. However, this was a pre-production unit so some features like the graphics card weren't fitted. The plastic protecting on the front-panel LED was also too dark for the screen to be easily read, but this has all been resolved, I understand.

I do have a couple of other concerns. The first one is related to Viiv. When you press the power button on the remote control the screen goes blank and the blue power LED indicator turns red. Standby mode, in other words, actually isn't a standby mode. It just turns the screen output off. This means the CPU fan is still going, and I found this could be quite annoying at times, especially when I just wanted to watch some TV. That said, watching a DVD on the Artisan VX with my surround sound set-up working proved more than enough to hide the fan noise.

The other issue is that the Artisan VX ran quite hot. I was told by Elonex that this won't be a problem as long as the air vents aren't covered up, though this can easily happen in a tightly-packed AV stack. So it's crucial you make sure there's good ventilation wherever you place a Artisan VX. Unfortunately, it's quite deep - it measures 43 x 44 x 10cm - so it may not fit easily in some AV units or shelving systems.

I'd also suggest you make sure you either live in a good TV reception area or have an external aerial to make the most out of the TV tuner cards.

Verdict

If you're a fan of Windows XP Media Center Edition, Elonex's Artisan VX is a good, well-specified choice. However, if you just want something to replace your VCR, there are far cheaper solutions that will offer much the same functionality without Windows - and without the Viiv quirks.

At £1,199 inc. VAT, the Artisan VX doesn't come cheap, but it does everything: it'll play just about any video format, you can easily install any codecs that don't come in the box, it will time-shift and record TV programmes, store and play your music, archive your photos and home movies, and so much more. ®