Software:

     I won't go over the install routine step-by-step, since it is a pretty standardized deal.  I will go over the important points to note, however.

       The first thing you will want to do is get acquainted with the remote, as it is tied in pretty closely with the software.  The most handy part is the built in mouse, which almost looks like an analog stick.  Surrounding the mouse control are the most common windows functions, such as left click, right click, start button, enter, backspace and space.  One great feature of the remote is that it is very customizable through the software, including macros and program commands.  Most of your windows related tasks can be done straight from the remote, though for a brand new windows install, I still prefer to have a keyboard handy while performing the initial setup.

     The main thing to remember with the software is that it is really two different components.  The first is iMON, which is in charge of the FrontView software, sensing the remotes, and dealing with the touchscreen.  The second is iMEDIAN, which handles the media playback. 

     Now, for iMEDIAN, there is two different versions; iMEDIAN 6, and iMEDIAN HD.  The software will immediately prompt you to update to iMON/iMEDIAN 7.00.1112, and you should think twice about this.  The new version of iMEDIAN is actually the HD version, and is very much still in beta.  The beta is a complete re-design of iMEDIAN, as the interface is very similar to the FrontView software, unfortunately many of the options are still "Under Construction", including the ability to stream files over the network.  If you need any of these features, simply roll back to iMEDIAN 6. 

     The first thing you will need to setup is the "Quick Launch Application" button.  This is the big green button in the middle of the remote, and you can set up any application to launch with it.  You can also change this any time in the Settings Manager, which we will cover next. 

      The Settings Manager can be launched from the system tray, and controls all the functions available to iMON.  Most of the options are pretty self-explanatory, so from here I will show you the options that you will likely need the most. 

     Probably most of the important section of the manager is for FrontView.  FrontView is the HTPC friendly software that runs on the LCD screen while you are watching something else on your TV.  FrontView has the capability of displaying vital system stats in a way that is viewable from your couch.  While I show it in green earlier in the review, it can be customized for seven different colors. 

     FrontView is capable of displaying a Graphic Equalizer, Play Status, Weather, News, Media Library Info, E-mail and News.

     Here are the settings for the Virtual Keyboard.  Unfortunately, this onscreen keyboard was very clunky to use.  I ended up using the On-Screen keyboard built into Windows XP. 

     Now, let's dig into the iMEDIAN portion of the software.  For the purposes of this review, I will cover iMEDIAN 6, and not iMEDIAN HD:

Above is the "home" screen for the iMEDIAN software.  From here we can access pretty much everything we need. 

• Local Media:  This section allows you to access all Media (Music, Video, and Pics) on local hard drives.

• Network Media:  If another PC on your network has iCaster installed, the iMedian software can be used to access any directories marked as shared by iCaster.

• CD/DVD/Others:  Allows you to play a DVD or Audio CD.  If a disc is inserted, you will be prompted to go to this menu automatically.

• News & Weather:  This section allows you to see the weather forecast for the city set up in the Settings.

• Webcasting:  This allows you to stream webcasts that have been set up in the Settings.

• TV:  This allows you to access options available from an installed TV Tuner card.

• Scan Media: In here, you can scan specified folders for media files.

• Settings:  Just as it sounds, you can access all the core settings for iMedian in here.  In here you can changes things like codecs, appearance, and scanning options. 

Conclusion:

     Now that we have gone through everything the DH 102 has to offer, it's time to render a verdict.  Let us separate this into hardware and software, shall we?

     Hardware:  Frankly, it is pure awesome.  I kind of felt bad putting old parts into it.  That situation is being rectified, however, as I have a new SATA DVD burner on the way, and I can bet an SSD hard drive will be in there before year end.  The case looks beautiful, as does the LCD.  The airflow is decent, under full load, the CPU tops out at around 45C on the stock cooler, while stuffed in an entertainment center.  You definitely don't want to put a barn burning processor in there, and if you have the right video card, you won't need one anyway. 

     I think the noise could be better.  It is not terrible, however I think the 60mm fans could benefit from a fan controller.  With everything closed up, an audible whisper can be heard, however it does not interfere at all with enjoying a show. 

     What it really comes down to, however, is the LCD.  When I told some friends about this case, they balked at the $540 price tag.  When they came to actually look at the case, however, all were amazed, and two of them guaranteed that they would buy one, all because of the cool factor that the touchscreen LCD had to offer. 

     Software:  Compared to iMedian 6, iMedian HD looks to add even more options, even though many are not enabled yet.  Since the software is pretty much in a transitional state, I would say the software is a good starting point, but not necessarily the end point.  The good news is, the software is pretty open; if you want to run a third party media application, there is no reason why you would not be able to.  The only requirement is to run the iMon monitoring tool in order to make use of the remote control and the touchscreen.  It isn't the strong point for the DH-102, however it will get you by until you figure out what you want to do. 

     Now, for the other factors.  A big one here is going to be price.  $540 is a lot to justify for an HTPC case, and a lot of that is tied up into the LCD setup.  Looking around the web however, and the few options with a similar screen are also similarly priced, going from $530 to $700.  So, it would appear that the DH-102 is priced well within the market, as pricey as that market is. 

Note: Club Overclocker is now using a new rating system based on a score of 1 to 5.
Please go to our rating system page for more information.

Performance:	5 out of 5
Innovation:	5 out of 5
Quality:	5 out of 5
Stability:	4 out of 5
Aesthetics:	5 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	3 out of 5
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	3 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	3 out of 5