What’s an All in One PC?

The All in One computer system is just about the simplest and neatest way to buy a PC. The chassis, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are all included with a streamlined design that makes your desk stylish and spacious. The chassis, however, seems invisible. It has been integrated into the included monitor.

While an understanding of PC features is helpful, the idea of purchasing an All in One PC is to enjoy the power and speed of a PC without any fuss. Entry-level models let you actively browse and download with the Internet. You can use your favorite budget or office software and play games. Edit and store photos and videos. Top models deliver higher graphic performance, more sophisticated multimedia, faster processing, and more expandability. From entry to top, these desktop PC models are sleek, color coordinated, and fashioned for the home.

Virtually every major PC brand ( Sony, HP, etc.) has a selection All in One models. Almost all of them include Touchscreen monitors that enable control of many programs and Internet sites. While you do have a mouse, you can directly manipulate characters and images on the monitor’s screen by gliding your finger on its surface. It’s a PC for business and for pleasure. It’s wonderful and easy.

As notebook computers followed desktop computers, the notebook became the first all in one configuration. It has a screen, a keyboard, touchpad, speakers, a webcam, drives, USB connectors, and audio/video ports, network and expansion slots in one compact unit. All you really need to do is determine your price range, power capability, and screen size as major ways of choosing a notebook. The All in One PC is similar as a desktop extension of a notebook.

Because All in One PCs use all the same components as a notebook computer, the performance levels are pretty much identical between the two types of computers. The only really compelling advantage that an All in One PC might hold is the size of the screen. It’s designed to sit on a table or desk. Most of the screens are 20 inches or larger and practically all are touch-sensitive.

Some All in Ones, like notebooks, include built-in TV tuners and come with remote controls for easy entertainment use.

An All in One PC can be used on any desk. There are no sophisticated choices needed in choosing furniture. All you need is a reasonable sized table. This is a PC that’s at home in your home. The All in One is the PC expressly designed to suit your home needs.

What’s missing?

The All in One Desktop PC offers a level of neat styling and instant set-up not found on a traditional desktop PC. The most obvious thing that’s missing is the large, bulky tower. It’s no longer there. All the processors and features have been integrated into the screen.

For 90% of the users who don’t add cards or memory during the ownership of a PC, the tower has never really been necessary. That’s what is missing.

The All in One PC models, at the entry levels, have no or few expansion capabilities (much like notebooks). As you move to higher priced models, you find available slots for adding more advanced video and graphics cards. You’ll find memory expansion slots. The really neat thing is that you won’t have to disassemble a tower. These slots are easily accessible at the screen.

What can I expect to find on All in One PCs?

Each All in One PC has a keyboard, mouse, and display screen. Many have remote controls for entertainment use. All have integrated speakers, a webcam, and a microphone. Each has a current version of Microsoft Windows. Each has an Intel or AMD main processor. Each has a hard drive. Each has a CD/DVD writer drive. Top end models may have Blu-ray Drives. Each has several USB connectors for adding printers, external hard drives, game pads, additional speakers, MP3 players, smartphones, and more. All in One office machines connect to USB. These include a printer, scanner, copier and fax in one compact unit. It’s an affordable companion to your All in One desktop. Each has some form of media card reader. Each has wireless network and Internet connectivity. Each has RJ45 Ethernet Network port. Some have HDMI connectors for HD transfer. Some have Bluetooth wireless capability.

Who should not consider an All in One PC?

If you play high performance 3D games, particularly massive multiplayer online games that require massive graphic abilities, you are likely to need greater expansion. If you enjoy upgrading processors and an entire systemboards with power supplies, you’d best go with a tower-based desktop PC.

The TV picture is quite amazing in most ways; in a few situations when the screen is mostly dark it seems to have a problem with small areas that require being light brighter than the very dark surroundings. The glow of a candle lit dinner for example will not be as bright as it would on a normal TV. But other than that issue the picture is very good and all that I expected.

The widgets work well but so far I have not used them to any great extent, it is much faster to switch to the weather channel for quick up date on the weather than to activate the weather widget for example. The technology side of me finds the ability to be internet connected appealing but the reality is not too much usefulness so far.

The built in library is also a fun detail not sure how much use it will get but again a good start to an interesting feature that could add value.

I also purchased a Samsung Theatre and it is also connected to the internet I find the Netflix real time/streaming movies and the streaming music of Pandora to be a very useful feature and I also find that normal DVDs do look so much better on the blue ray player as it converts the image to almost blue ray quality. I purchased the wireless dongle and it works fine but I also would expect a TV with a list price of almost $4000 not to have to have a wireless adaptor purchased separately!

Over all I am quite satisfied with both the TV and Home Theatre, I have only had them a month or so, and time will tell if reliability will prove my purchase a good long time buy.

Pros:

*Good picture quality
*Good sound quality
*Very good value for the money
*Has a DVD player
*Compact, so it fits almost anywhere.
*Lightweight

Cons:

*As with all LCDs, you have to have this TV right in front of you at twelve o’clock and at eye level to see the picture properly. With the older TVs, of course, you could see it from pretty much anywhere in the room. So if you’re replacing one of those with an LCD and your cable wire is in an elevated or off-center position in respect to where you will be sitting to the LCD, and you’re replacing an older TV, this will dampen your viewing experience.

*(minor) Unusual remote. This remote is different from the many universal remotes I’ve used. Things are in unusual places and words you thought of as being the same from other universal remotes have separate keys. If you like intuitive equipment, this is a minor inconvenience.

*(minor) Tech-savvy issue: Don’t shut the TV off before setting up the wizard that appears when you first turn it on unless you know how to find the channel scan functions and what have you manually. (It’s under menu.) The wizard won’t reappear when you turn the TV on again, even if you never set it up.

* Some DVD player quirks. While watching a DVD I tried to turn up the volume but hit the channel button instead. I discovered I had turned off the DVD with that one little faux pas and when I went back to play, the DVD started all over again. Pain in the kiester to have to go to scene selection and try to sort out where we were. If you’re very, very careful about what you press, this might end up being a good thing if you want to switch from DVD to TV without having to hit a function button.

Nutshell: We got a very good value for a lightweight LCD with DVD; we can deal with the quirks.

Manufacturer’s Description
The Haier HLT71 portable LCD TV gives you the ability to enjoy your favorite television programs anywhere, any time–in your home or away. Watch the morning news without having to get out of bed, or while sun bathing in the back yard. Does someone else have dibs on the TV room? Pull out your HLT71, and you’ve got your own TV room. This handy little portable TV has a 7-inch LCD screen that switches between a 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a built-in ATSC/NTSC tuner with detachable antenna enabling you to receive crisp reception of your favorite channels – even after the digital-to-analog switch in June 2009. The HLT71 connects to other devices with an audio/video jack and coaxial output. Watch with others using the built-in twin speaker system, or plug your headphones into the included jack to enjoy your favorite programs without disturbing those around you. The rechargeable Li-polymer battery offers up to 2.5-hours of life between charges — enough time to watch an entire movie or several episodes of your favorite show without a recharge. The HLT71 includes an AC power adapter, a car adapter and a Remote Control.

I made my selection after doing some careful side-by-side picture comparisons at a local warehouse store. I generally prefer a matte-like screen over the shiny ones that many of the models have these days since our television screen is opposite from some bright windows and I wanted to keep reflected glare on the screen down to a minimum.

I knew that there would be situations at home in which I would not be sitting directly in front of the screen so it was important that the screen image be clear even when viewed from off to the side and I tried to duplicate such a situation when viewing the various models on display in the store. To my eyes, the JVC had the best screen image when viewed from such an angle. In terms of overall picture quality, the only one out of the displayed models from Vizio, Sony, Sharp, etc. was the one from Samsung. I chose not to purchase the Samsung model since I had a bad experience with a computer monitor manufactured by that company and was never able to speak with a live customer service representative to discuss my problem. In addition, the Samsung model had the shiny screen that I felt would reflect too much window glare.

After removing the television from the box my son and I had it up and running in a manner of minutes and were soon enjoying our Blu-ray movies. Since that day I have experienced no problems with it and have no complaints so far. The expected window light glare has not been an issue and the screen is visible even when looking at it from another room. I really believe that this model was worth every penny of the reasonable price that I paid for it.

For comparison I used a Gefen tv splitter 1:4 that takes the HDMI cable from my Dish Network receiver and splits it to 4-HDMI displays. The Gefen splitters are a little pricey but they also split the audio correctly including lip sync pass through. 2 x 10 watt Speakers provide decent sound and are not tinny like on the plasma. A would recommend a surround sound system for true theater feel however.

I see little to no motion blur while watching sports in HD. Its comparable with the plasma. The tv also has the ipod docking station that I have yet to try.

The cons I see with the LT47P789 is it does a poor job with SD 480i signals. The plasma also did a poor job. The 480p progressive scan dvd player looks very good however. Hopefully we will have all HD channels in the near future.

Just a note the factory settings were actually not that good for my taste when I got the tv. After doing some adjusting I ended up with: video status-dynamic, tint-45, color-68, picture-54, bright- 52, detail-25, back light-100, color temp-cool.

Secondly, In comparing Plasma TV’s two brands consistently rate among the top 2. The Pioneer Kuro and the Panasonic Viera. The lates Kuro Elite 50 inch (Soon to put out a 46 and 42 inch model which is more preferrable to me.) is rated as having almost near black level. The JUST receently released Panny alledgedly is even SLIGHTLY better by all color testing measures. I think it was released like last week and isn’t even on the U.S Market yet. So anyway, I read this as I was about to buy the Panny 46 inch 800u NOT 80u. The Panny 800u is extremely highly rated and at a much more reasonable price than the entirely over priced Pioneer which caters to the upper income bracket. Silly if you ask me. Same technowledgy just high priced by a mile. So that narrowed my search to a Panny.

3: So I’m about to buy it when I read a just released report on next years models. It appears to be rumored both Panny and Pioneer intend to or have reached ACTUAL TRUE black levels. So that stopped me in my tracks. Why pay over 2 grand when next years Models will be far superior. The argument is they will always be better but from my research, with Digital the new standard in Feb and many needing new TV’s, there will be an even bigger push to get out the most improved model possible next year to attract the new consumer. (Which is sorta bogus cause all you need is a cable box and wallah digital) but many will be completely duped into thinking they need a new TV. So with that new push for the latest tech, recent rumors and money conerns, I personally recommend waiting a year.

BUT, if you buy a TV? I myself recommend the 46 to 50 inch Panny Viera 800u. It’s been consistently rated higher than the newer 850u and visually, I myself see no real difference to the Pioneer which is at least 1200 more.

All of the wow about Pioneer’s ability to show black is simply true, and that is perhaps the primary reason for buying this television. In the store, when looking at twenty or more LCD and plasma models on a wall, this one clearly stood head and shoulders above the rest. I had an experience similar to many other reviewers: my unsuspecting wife walked up to me in the store and before she could speak I asked her to quickly look at all the units on the wall (which displayed the same image, of course) and she immediately picked the Pioneer. Since we both wanted the best image we could get for under three grand it wasn’t hard to convince her that this was the model for us.

My only complaint, and it is minor, is that I will need to buy a wireless LAN adapter and probably velcro it to the back of the television and run a power cord to the floor in order to use the file sharing capability provided. I really want to use it as a home media display unit so this is an inconvenience and a little extra cost and work.

The plasma puts out a fair amount of heat – which, in our small house in colder months of the year is just fine. Have not noticed any buzzing and I am highly sensitive to electronic noise.

The menus could not be easier to use and the so called ‘buzz’ that people hear is very minor an is a property of plasmas. If you don’t go looking for it, you will never hear it! Movie mode is your best bet for the most natural picture and I find game mode to be a close 2nd, if you desire a slightly cooler picture. Out of the box, movie mode is around 6200k which is too warm (yellowish) for most people. Game is around (7500k) which is a little too cool, but some like that and it may be the setting for your. Otherwise, after performing the proper break-in and once you get to about 300+ total hours on the set I would recommend getting ControlCAL and modifying the RGB highs/lows to bring the movie grayscale up to 6500k. Once this is done, use movie mode for everything with Pure Cinema standard or off for the most natural picture. Use game mode with Pure Cinema set to advance for anything you want ‘whiter.’ This works because PC:Advance does not hold the adjusted grayscale. Better yet, if you can afford it, get a calibration from an ISF calibrator to bring out the potential this set has to offer.

Blu-rays are great, HD cable is great (for the few shows that provide a good PQ), SD is decent but honestly, why get a Kuro if you’re going to watch SD? Gaming is perfect on the 5020, my experience being with the PS3. Also, if you don’t have a home theater system the sound from the Kuro is the highest quality audio you can get from a flat screen. As with most plasmas, you can sit almost 90 deg to the screen and still make out the image. Try that with an LCD, the viewing area is great making this a must if you have furniture to the sides. The anti-glare coating is also extremely effective. The only downside, extremely minor at that, is that switching between photos and videos with the Home Media Gallery can be kind of slow. Not a big deal but just a bit of an annoyance if you were to frequently use that feature. If you’re like me, you don’t even use it though and use the PS3 instead. :)

I could write a book on every detail of this set but just know it is a great one. I am yet to find anything to dissapoint me. The PQ is only surpassed by that of the Kuro Elite, but not by much. Feel free to ask me any question about this great TV.

A side note on the shipping. It left Amazon on a Thursday and was scheduled to arrive the next Thursday. On Monday I got a call saying it would be delivered on Tuesday, 2 days early. It was shipped via Pilot, which went flawless, to a local delivery company that arrived right on time. The white glove delivery really is a great deal as most online retailers will charge $250+ for that. They inspect the set to make sure there is no damage, which is very nice when you are spending this much $.

Let me make it easy for you: If you want the best picture quality available, than your list begins and ends with a Pioneer PDP! Period.

Samsung and Panasonic make very nice plasma’s. Their top-rated models are superior to anything else on the market, save one Manufacturer’s sets (guess who’s? LOL!). Just so you don’t think I’m biased, I personally own a new TH-42PX80 Panasonic that does Master BR duty just fine, but it’s no Pioneer. In the very recent past, there was a considerable price difference between the Panasonic and the Pioneer, which swayed many budget-conscious buyers away from the Pioneer. Now that the price on the 50″ PDP-5020 has nose-dived to within $100-$200 of the highly-rated Panasonic TH-50PZ800, it’s a no-brainer. The Pio is clearly superior. Don’t believe me? You DID do your research (as above), right?

Worried about the 2/12/09 corporate press release announcement that Pioneer’s getting out of the PDP business? Pioneer is NOT going under, it’s just re-aligning itself with the harsh realities of the depressed global economy. Your warrantee will be honored and US Consumer Law ensures parts will be available for sometime to come. On top of that, Pioneer’s (along with Pansonic) have the top consumer reliabilty rating (see Consumer Reports Mag for more info).

Now…if you need a bigger set, the waters become muddied. Right now, the pricing on 60″ Pioneer PDP’s (PDP-6020 and Elite PRO-151) have not YET dropped like the 50″ models. While I’d still recommend the 60″ Pio over the 58″ Panny, the Panny is available for a $1k or more off of the Pio price. That makes the Pioneer hardly a bargain, but you do get what you pay for. You could wait it out and hope the prices will drop. It all depends on supply and demand.

Still with me? OK, stop reading this drivel and click on the “add to cart” button, LOL! Seriously, Amazon’s customer service, along with the “enhanced” (formerly “white glove”) delivery via CEVA is excellent. I just got my Pio this past weekend from them (as well as my Panny just a month ago) and I can’t say enough about them.

What are you waiting for? Get yours while they’re still available! At this price level, supplies won’t last long….and when they’re gone, they’re gone!

P.S., Add the Pioneer BDP-51FD BonusView Blu-ray Player for a reference-level video system at bargain pricing. I liked ‘em so much, I bought two: one for the Kuro, one for the Panny.

Enjoy!