HD+TV+PC=HP's new z555 Digital Entertainment Center
HP z555 Digital Entertainment Center
The product: Bringing a comprehensive collection of multimedia features under one black, brushed-aluminum roof, HP's new z555 Digital Entertainment Center gives you the power to watch and record an HDTV program, burn that program onto DVD, then use HP's new LightScribe technology to laser-burn a label onto the DVD. It's not exactly a bargain solution, but you'll add a handful of high-end, PC-linked components to your home-theater setup, including an HD TV tuner, a 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA hard drive, and an Nvidia GeForce 6600 PCI Express graphics card.

• Intel Pentium 4 530J with Hyper-Threading technology
• 512MB PC3200 DDR memory
• 16X DVD±R/RW double-layer DVD recorder
• Front-panel 9-in-1-memory-card reader
• Five video-out connectors, DVI-D, component video, VGA, S-Video, and composite-video output ports
• Dolby Digital 5.1 surround-sound support
• Progressive-scan DVD movie playback at 480p
• 802.11b/g integrated wireless receiver and 10/100/1000BaseT Gigabit Ethernet port
• FM tuner with pause and replay capabilities
• Wireless keyboard with integrated trackball mouse

The price: Available in spring 2005, the HP z555 Digital Entertainment Center will cost $1,999.

The prospects: Unless you're already rocking HDTV at home, the z555's premium price tag may not be worth it. Instead, consider the $1,499 HP z552, which features dual (non-HD) TV tuners, a 200GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA hard drive, and the ATI Radeon X300 SE PCI Express graphics card. Both systems offer the convenience of a one-box home-theater PC solution that will fit in nicely with other A/V components.

By Justin Jaffe, senior associate editor, CNET Reviews