We’ll be the first to admit that we’ve given Intel’s Viiv initiative a rough ride. Even now, the Viiv sticker simply defines a PC featuring Microsoft’s Media Center software and Intel’s Core Duo processor. There’s no sign of the advanced ‘digital home’ functionality – the ‘media server engine’ that will cleverly transcode file formats to suit your connected devices. Nor have the form factors changed. For launch, Elonex rehashed its Exentia model, Hi-Grade upgraded its DMS II, while HP abandoned inspiration and opted for a humdrum tower.

It’s no wonder Viiv has been viewed as a disappointment so far. It hasn’t redefined the entertainment PC; it’s simply given retail another way to sell it. Where are the machines based on Intel’s ‘Golden Gate’ prototype; the lightweight mini Media Center that Don MacDonald (the general manager of Intel’s Digital Home Group) waved around onstage at last Autumn’s IDF?

Hi-Grade hopes to answer these questions with its new mDMS P60, an astonishingly compact Media Center system based around Intel’s Core Duo processor. Measuring only 230x197x42mm, the mDMS is light enough to hold in one hand and small enough to fit into a briefcase: it looks more like a NAS device than a fully-loaded Windows system.

The mDMS crams so much technology into its slim chassis; it’s the only Media Center system we’ve seen that makes us want to dump our custom-built Shuttles. Next to the mDMS, an XPC Shuttle looks huge, sounds far too noisy and feels old. The T2400 chip here clocks at 1.83GHz and is backed by 512MB of RAM and a 2.5in Matshita MHV2080BH SATA drive boasting 80GB of storage (you can alter this specification at www.higrade.com). Processor options embrace the T2300, T2500 and T2600 chips, while the memory allocation can be bumped up to 1GB or 2GB. Even the hard disk space can be expanded – albeit only slightly – with 100GB HDDs available in both 5,400rpm and 7,200rpm speeds.

Better by design
The design of previous Viiv PCs has suggested that Media Center systems are better suited to an out-of-the-way server role than an under-the-TV position. But the mDMS has the potential to change that thinking. Its small size makes it perfect for a shelf, although when mounted vertically it’s too tall for most TV cabinets. Supplied without a screen, it can be connected to a flat-panel TV or monitor via a DVI-I connection – a VGA adapter is also included. An additional S-Video interface provides an alternative for older televisions.

As a livingroom PC, the mDMS obviously aims to be quiet and it does a decent job: the faint whine of the external power supply and click of the hard disk are barely noticeable while watching TV or listening to music. While the Core Duo itself runs hot, the mDMS is surprisingly power-efficient. It draws 45W at maximum load, when playing a DVD or running 3DMark 2005. Compare that to the 90 to 120W drawn by a typical Athlon or P4 system, the 140W consumed by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and the 1,020W sucked by a hairdryer on full power. Drop the mDMS into Standby mode and power consumption drops down to 0.3W Much has been made of Intel’s Quick Resume Technology Drivers (QRTD) but this part of Viiv is far from being an instant on/off.

“QRTD enables an Intel Viiv technology-based PC to appear as if it’s turned off,” says Intel, “but continues to perform tasks such as downloads or recording TV.” QRTD is just a ‘visual off’, then, which blanks the display and the audio – it still draws 40 to 45W. To really save power, adjust the Power settings in Windows to put the machine into Standby after 15 minutes, making sure the wake-on-LAN option is enabled in the BIOS to allow it to respond to content/network requests.

While we’re certainly impressed by the mDMS, it’s not without a few niggles. Our review unit didn’t include 802.11g, not particularly useful as we rumble towards digital switchover. But with three USB ports, there’s scope to add a USB device such as Terratec’s Cinergy Hybrid T USB XS (£55, www.dabs.com) for Freeview reception. Of course, one of the three USB ports must be sacrificed for the accompanying IR pod for the infrared keyboard (although the responsiveness is dire) and Media Center remote.

Ultimately, Hi-Grade’s mDMS does more for the Viiv cause than millions of dollars-worth of Intel marketing could ever do. True, it can’t be upgraded: what you buy is what you’re stuck with. But for the PC to make it into the living room, it needs to discard some of its flexibility in favour of plug-and-play user-friendliness. Surely this is the way Media Centers were meant to be?