Pacco Group Ix My CIU review: Pacco Group Ix My CIU

Not all convergence devices result in a happy marriage, as illustrated by Pacco Group's $999 Ix My CIU (Central Interface Unit). The system combines a flat-panel TV, an FM radio, and a DVD player with a PC. The result? Let's just say that communication is the cornerstone to any successful union. The TV can't talk to the PC, which means you can't record any of your favorite shows to the hard drive, let alone burn them to DVD. Making matters worse, the TV and PC functionality, taken individually, each leave something to be desired. At 15 inches, the screen is too small for most TV-viewing scenarios, and the PC is slow. We suggest you think twice before you wed yourself to the Ix My CIU.

5.6

Pacco Group Ix My CIU

The Good

Includes a wireless keyboard and mouse.

The Bad

No PVR functionality; lackluster performance; 15-inch screen is too small for TV viewing; can't open the case for future upgrades; unresponsive remote.

The Bottom Line

In combining a small TV and a slow PC that can't communicate with one another, the Ix My CIU is an experiment in failed convergence.

We're not sold on the Ix My CIU's design either. The silver bezel around the screen is overly large, and at 5.5 inches in depth, the system is chunky compared with other all-in-ones we've seen, such as MPC's ClientPro All-In-One. Of course, the Ix My CIU's extra depth gives Pacco Group room to cram a TV, an FM tuner, some speakers, a recordable DVD drive, and a five-in-one memory reader into the box. Internal expansion isn't an option: the case isn't designed to be opened, and you'll void the warranty if you do so. On the back of the case, there's an Ethernet jack, four USB 2.0 ports, and RCA and S-Video ports. A FireWire connector, however, is noticeably absent.

Unlike most PCs with entertainment aspirations, such as those running Microsoft's Media Center OS (the Ix My CIU runs Windows XP Home), the Ix My CIU has a full-fledged TV built right in. Instead of relying on a TV tuner card, TV viewing on the Ix My CIU requires virtually no processing power, but at the same time, it robs the system of one of the more useful convergence features: a personal video recorder (PVR). You can't store TV programs on the hard drive or burn shows to DVD. You can burn other video files to DVD with the included Sonic MyDVD 4.0 app, and CD-creation chores are handled by Ahead Software's Nero Burning ROM 5.0. The rest of the software bundle is made up of annoying trial offers; a productivity suite is not present.

Watching TV on the Ix My CIU isn't a horrible experience. The screen's image was bright, with accurate colors, but at 15 inches, it's far too small for a machine that's primarily a TV. The Ix My CIU has built-in stereo speakers below the screen, but as with most integrated speakers, they sounded shallow and tinny in our tests. Luckily, the system has audio outputs for an external speaker set.

The wireless keyboard, which includes a volume control, and the optical mouse work well for couch-side computing. The remote isn't very responsive, however; occasionally, we had to press the Power button several times to turn on the TV.

The Ix My CIU's PC component also fails to impress. Based on an outdated 2.66GHz Pentium 4 processor with the SIS 651 chipset, 512MB of memory, and integrated graphics, the system's benchmark performance was nonexistent: it was unable to complete our SysMark 2002 application tests or our Futuremark 3DMark03 graphics tasks. And it scored just 11.9 frames per second in Unreal Tournament 2003. Our hands-on tests mirrored the system's benchmark performance. The system felt sluggish on even the most rudimentary multitasking.

Pacco Group covers the Ix My CIU with a standard one-year warranty and lifetime phone support. Depot repair is available, but onsite service is not.