Do you want to show off your media centre, or have it blend in? This is a package created as much for showing off as it is for lurking inconspicuously in the guise of a TV or hi-fi component. Neither of these items look like computing components, and the screen is not the sort of thing you would want on your desk. Trust us, it’s a bit large.

The beating heart here is the newest incarnation of Evesham’s noted media centre, the Ebox. Brushed aluminium is a relatively tasteful finish, especially when you put this up against the Betamax chique of the Hi-Grade DMS II 3400. The installed combination of ATi Radeon X300 graphics card, MSI 915 chipset and 3GHz Pentium 4 provide more than adequate pixel pushing for multimedia and video applications, but the Ebox starts to struggle when games enter the equation, which is a shame. Like any good media centre should, this carries two digital TV cards, one for recording, one for watching, and there’s room for more if required. Sturdy stuff.

There are a number of design features we question. Switch the machine on, and the full force of the internal exhaust fans is revealed – by the sound of it, sucking in small children and animals is a revolutionary new cooling method. Reassuring to know that your precious components are safe should they suddenly commence combustion, but somewhat unnerving that your front room should sound like a wind tunnel in full flow. Thankfully, the initial effect only lasts a few seconds, and from that point it’s a very quiet box indeed.

Next up, the disc slot – while we accept that it’s an aesthetic choice, it also has its disadvantages. Just try and stop a determined youngster from shoving coins or thin biscuits in there, for example. Not tremendously lounge-proof. The Ebox is also quite large, as these things go, though it blends itself well enough to not look immediately like a PC.

It’s all about the display
The 32in display, an Evesham V32ELBB-ZE3, is an awesome experience. It’s big, well lit and colourful, with a neutral black frame which ought to blend in to any viewing environment. The panel’s matte finish successfully diffuses a lot of background light, and the speakers are loud, though the included 5.1 set will probably mean you never actually use the screen’s built-in sound. That is unless you also end up using it as a television, for it includes requisite SCART, aerial, and S-Video ports. This is clearly aimed at being the centre of your media experience. It’s a shame, then, that we experienced a few headache-inducing moments with the screen’s phase offset, affecting the overall focus of the image. We tried switching to a VGA cable instead of DVI, and our picture problems got even worse – not just phase issues, but serious smudge marks where pixels were bleeding into each other. Switching resolutions, too, wasn’t completely flawless, and sometimes needed a reboot to correct. To cap it off, there was a small but noticeable amount of shearing in the middle of fast-moving images.

When we think of media centres, it isn’t small, restricted combos that pop into our heads, nor is it underpowered, underwhelming laptops – it’s capacity, power, and front room enjoyment we crave. This combination, with its impressively massive 32in widescreen display, certainly casts an imposing shadow over the discerning lounge. It’s a good price, too, for what you’re getting. Just be aware that a cheap LCD screen is still cheap even if it looks big and expensive, so don’t expect truly pixel perfect pictures. The Ebox Media Centre itself, powerful and functional as it is, should last you a long, long time.