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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NextNov 1, 2007 by Devon
Cooke
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Product
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Moneual Moncaso 932
Home Theater Enclosure with 7" LCD Touchscreen |
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Manufacturer
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Moneual |
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Market Price
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~US$500 |
The key to a successful home theater PC is interface. Most users won't put up
with adding a keyboard and mouse to the ever-growing pile of remote controls
in the living room, so the standard interface for HTPC rigs has become a remote
control, usually a Windows MCE-ready model or something similar from iMon.
The trouble is, navigating a large media database through a remote control tedious at best. Moneual's answer to this is
elegant, if somewhat expensive: A 7" LCD touchscreen built into the front
of their flagship HTPC case, the Moncaso 932. It's an intriguing idea —
but it takes more than a shiny front-panel gadget to make a good HTPC case.
Besides, Moneual already has some competition in this high-end arena. Silverstone's
LC-18 and Thermaltake's
DH102 are two other products based around the
same iMon touchscreen.
Moneual is a name we haven't encountered before, and a quick glance through
their web site reveals that they are going after the high-end market with a
vengeance. Their main products appear to be whole systems built inside their
custom enclosures. They have taken a leaf out of Apple's book, selling mostly
on sleek style. Their tower enclosure resembles an oversized iPod Mini —
it's even available in a choice of six brushed-aluminum finishes.
The large accessory box seems more appropriate for a whole system.
Style is in the eye of the beholder, but the appearance was understated and
should fit in well with most other home theater components. Like many other
HTPC cases, we found the Moncaso a bit big for a home theater. Obviously, the
height is limited by the LCD screen, but we're sure Moneual could have shaved
an inch off if they hadn't chosen to stack the screen right above the optical
drive. The case is also very deep, which may post a problem underneath a flat
panel screen. That said, the 17" width is the same as most A/V components,
so stacking the case shouldn't be too much of an issue.
The LCD is protected by a taped-on plastic sheet during shipping.
The front panel is surprisingly sleek for the amount of stuff packed into it.
Aside from the LCD screen and the other essentials, there is also a barely-visible
IR receiver for the remote control, a volume control knob, and a ten button
control panel. There are also a pair of flip-down doors that hide a wide assortment
of ports: The usual mic, headphone, firewire and USB ports on the left, and
a multi-card reader on the right.
The usual front ports, though only a single USB port is available.
The control panel and flash card reader.
Aside from the usual screws and cables, Moneual includes a screwdriver in the
accessory kit. We were pleased to note that the screwdriver was both magnetic
and long enough to reach the screws on the bottom of the case, which made it
superior to our usual lab driver. Our only criticism: The Phillips head was
too small to fit the screws shipped with the case.
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From left to right: ATX power tap for front panel,
installation screws, remote control and batteries, stylus for touchscreen,
long-shank magnetic screwdriver, manual and software CD, DVD tray cover.
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Case Type
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Home Theater PC
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Case Dimensions
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17"(W)
x 18.5"(D) x 6.75"(H) |
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Color
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Black (Silver
version also available) |
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Material
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Aluminum |
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Motherboard Type
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Standard ATX |
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Power Supply Type
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Standard ATX |
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LCD Touchscreen
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- 7 inch Screen
Size
- 15:9 Ratio
- 800 x 600 (recommended resolution)
- External D-sub Video Input
- Internal USB touch screen input |
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Remote Control Unit
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MonCaso Remote
Control |
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Rear Fan
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2 x 80mm (pre-installed) |
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External 5.25" Bay
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1 |
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External 3.5" Bay
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0 |
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Internal 3.5" Bay
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4 |
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Expansion Slots
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6 |
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Front Panel I/O
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- Mic Jack
- Headphone Jack
- IEEE1394 (Firewire)
- USB 2.0
- Media Card Reader
- Volume Knob,
- 10 Media Control Buttons |
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Operating System
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Windows 98 /
ME / 2000 / XP / XP MCE / VISTA |
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Accessories
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- Screw Driver
- Assemble Screw
- AAA Battery |
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Weight
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16.6 lbs (w/o
package) |
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