Time to take it for a spin...

     The display panel is mounted in such a way that you can mount the drive display panel flush with case chassis. However, this is where a major problem exists. The display panel should pop down, as if it was spring-loaded, just like a car stereo. This isn't the case with the VPC-1000. The display unit is not spring-loaded, so it hangs when you press the eject button. Now this wouldn't be so bad if the DVD tray came up as soon as you pressed the eject button, but it doesn't. The tray will not come open until the display panel is folded down. Therefore, the only way to fold down the display panel is to do it manually. This can even be a little tricky because the display panel is flush with the case. Sometime you actually lock the display panel back in the upright position when trying to fold it down. Needless to say, the guys who built this thing need to take it back to the drawing board and design display panel that is either spring-loaded and pops down on it's own, or design the DVD tray to pop out as soon as the eject button is pressed.

DVD Playback

     DVD operation was surprisingly smooth and without error. In fact I took a break from this review to watch Attack Of The Clones that I was playing on the VPC-1000. The drive does get pretty hot while playing DVDs, so good system cooling is important.

Audio Playback (system power on)

     With system power on, the VPC-1000 acts like any CD ROM or DVD drive. You can play pretty much any media through your system.

Audio Playback (VPC-1000 power)

     With your system power off, the VPC-1000 becomes a whole different system, operating independently from your computer. Operating the drive is more like operating a car stereo, but with MP3 capability. Very impressive...and we finally get to see where the hefty price tag is paying for.

FM Tuner

     One of my favorite parts of the VPC-1000 is the FM tuner. The tuner is a little clumsy to tune up and down the frequencies, but once programmed with your favorite stations, it's simple to operate. The tuner appears to be of very high quality and sounds incredibly crisp and strong. You can also operate the tuner with or without system power.

Audio Processor

     Even though most of the audio playback bypasses your system's sound card, the sound is of far greater quality than I had anticipated. In fact, the sound is pretty amazing. The VPC-1000 has it's own sound processor with a 5 mode equalizer. That's not all, the VPC-1000 also has an SRS Audio Processor with Stereo Bypass, SRS WOW, SRS Trubass and SRS. Again, this is where the cost of the unit comes into play.

Conclusion

     Even though the fold down feature of the display panel needs a lot of work, I'm very impressed with the PVC-1000. Once I spent a few days with the unit, I've come very attached. Being able to play MP3s and audio CD with the computer off is a real nice feature, especially if you use this unit is a mini PC to replace your home entertainment system. The FM tuner is a huge bonus that has brought new life to my computer.

     The way we think of home entertainment systems is rapidly changing as the PC and home audio and video merge into one. In fact that now I own the PVC-1000, I plan to build a new mini computer to replace my aging home entertainment center. As of right now, a mini PC with the right sound system can easily replace an entire rack system. Movies, music and games, all from one unit. Suddenly, the "personal computer" isn't so personal, but something for the whole family to enjoy.

MSRP is $239.99 and is available at various stores and web sites.