Verdict: A VIIV media PC with scart on the back and a dual-core CPU inside
There's been a low-level murmur about Intel's Viiv for what seems like ages. Lots of manufacturers have been keen to slap the colourful, cuddly logo on their boxes and PR material, but it still isn't easy to define exactly what it is.
Viiv is an Intel initiative to ensure that you get all the technologies you need for a good media PC. It specifies the hardware a Viiv PC needs (dual-core CPU, Intel networking), and means that it's compatible with DRM standards and a variety of Intel software that's supposedly in the pipeline.
This might still sound vague, but products are now arriving that give some sense of reality to the marketing speak. Cue Mesh's ViVa media PC, complete with a Viiv-compliant motherboard. On the outside, the ViVa bears little resemblance to a PC, thanks to its AOpen chassis, which is about the same size as an old VHS player. The fascia has a good, straightforward design, with a bottom flap that conceals headphone, microphone, FireWire and dual USB 2 ports, a 5-in-1 memory card reader, and a set of playback and record buttons. There's a display too, which shows the time when the ViVa is in standby; disappointingly, though, it doesn't read out MCE program names or offer any other information when the system is running.
When you first power up the PC, you get an impression of how quiet the system could be - unfortunately, the peace doesn't last for long. After running for a short period, the noise picks up. It never quite reaches the crescendo it threatens to achieve, but the fan noise was noticeable in quieter programmes such as documentaries, although action scenes and music were loud enough to drown out the drone.
This is a shame - although the ViVa isn't based around a cool-running mobile Intel CPU, it only has a modestly clocked 2.66GHz Pentium D 805 inside it. This helps to keep down the price, however, as this chip is very cheap for a dual-core CPU. The graphics and sound are provided by the Intel 945GT chipset on the AOpen motherboard, which comes as part of the AOpen EPC 945 bare bones from which the ViVa is constructed. Mesh includes 1GB of Elixir OEM PC2-4200 RAM, which is fine for the 133MHz (533MHz effective) FSB that the Pentium D 805 uses. The memory comprises two 512MB sticks, and two slots remain free, so it would be easy to upgrade the system to 2GB if you wish. The system we received was set up with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
Despite using on-board graphics, video connectivity on the ViVa is impressive and one of the most interesting aspects of the system. It will connect to a conventional PC monitor (or LCD TV) via DVI or D-SUB VGA, or you can hook it up to a TV using the SCART output on the back, providing you have a fully wired SCART cable and an RGB SCART input on your TV. Output from the DVI port is good, and the SCART RGB connection provides a strong, vivid picture for video, although it's a little fuzzier than the picture you get when using ATi or Nvidia graphics cards' ViVo ports. Using the SCART output with a SCART to composite cable was a different story, and resulted in picture quality that's reminiscent of an old and badly tuned analogue TV set.
While the SCART didn't seem to supply the TV with audio, the on-board Intel HD Audio worked well with our THX-certified 7.1 surround-sound speaker system. The sound quality is good, and you can use either the traditional analogue PC-style outputs or an optical S/PDIF connection.
The 300GB Maxtor hard disk Mesh fitted to our review system provided tons of storage space, and you can up this to half a terabyte when ordering the ViVa online. Despite all the rumours about the death of TV from people starry-eyed with love for YouTube, you still need a TV card in your media PC, and Mesh has opted for two Freeview-capable, low-profile Black Gold PCI tuners so that you can record and watch TV at the same time.
PERFORMANCE
As Aria proved last month with its AXL Slimline Media Center, you don't need tons of processing power to run a media centre PC but, if you intend to run HD video, you don't want to skimp too much on the CPU.
The ViVa didn't give us any problems while playing back or recording video, as its two 2.66GHz cores have more than enough power to push information to and from the TV cards. We tested the system thoroughly, recording such wonders as 'My Name Is Earl' while watching our cherished recording of 'The Lost Boys' without encountering any problems from the hardware. The level of power that the ViVa offers helps; with the fast CPU and quick drive, we could flick through Media Center's menu system with impunity from the stalls and crumbly slowdowns that you find with slower CPUs and disks.
Unfortunately, even with all that poke, the system couldn't render 1080p HD video at 60Hz, and the samples we watched were shuddery and a little jerky, though not quite headache-inducing. With 720p, it was a different story, as it was smooth and enjoyable, without a juggle or tear to be seen.
For gaming, however, the ViVa was utterly rubbish. As much as Intel might try to make out that gaming is part of the Viiv experience, its integrated graphics simply don't have any clout, failing to manage more than an average of 17fps in our basic Need for Speed test. You could install a new graphics card, but it would probably be cheaper and better to buy a console to sit next to the ViVa.
CONCLUSION
The ViVa is worthy of consideration as a media PC, as the smart choice of components keeps the price 'Bullseye', while the performance is a bit more 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'. It's a joy to use, thanks to the cheap, but potent, dual-core CPU, even though it lacks the overall grunt to do justice to 1080p content.
The SCART output isn't quite as straightforward as it could be, as you need to have the right cables and make sure your that TV supports RGB SCART, which can be a source of frustration. The biggest problem with the setup, though, isn't insufficient performance, but the noise level. When it's running, the ViVa is audible and the case becomes quite warm - whether you've wedged it under the TV or not. You can drown out the fan noise with Michael Bay movies, but when you want to watch something quiet then it becomes a problem. Overall, Viiv might still be a murmur, but the ViVa deserves a round of applause, even if it announces its act a bit too loudly.
