A multimedia PC is the intended hub of the digital home. It should be capable of both receiving and recording television broadcasts, have connectivity with big screen televisions and projection systems, be surround sound capable, play and record DVDs and, most importantly, not look out of place alongside a modern stylish television or DVD player.
The main development in this field is the dual core CPU. This technology was first introduced by AMD and allows computers to carry out multiple processes simultaneously without having to wait in a queue for valuable processing time. Using a computer with a dual core CPU, you should be able to watch television while working, record and encode content while playing a game, in effect, do everything that computers always promised but never delivered.
Multimedia PCs are being made in increasingly 'living room friendly' cases, the most prominent example being Apple's MacMini, which, although not technically a multimedia PC, was the first attempt at a consumer friendly base unit, its footprint being only a little larger than a CD case. Multimedia PCs, due to their small and often proprietary cases, are often less upgradeable than their full sized counterparts. The beauty of their design though, lies in the fact that they are sold preconfigured for their intended purpose, therefore they are more like a standard piece of home entertainment kit than a computer.
When buying a multimedia PC the amount of RAM and processor are both important factors to consider, as is TV capability. A twin tuner set-up, for example, would allow you to record one channel while watching another while a single tuner set-up wouldn't.
The single most important factor however, for any PC advertising itself as a multimedia PC is how well it fits in with existing hardware and decór. A big grey box will never look as a well-designed slimline case.
