HP Media Center M490N Desktop PC (3.4 GHz Pentium, 512 MB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R/RW)

Average customer rating:

Best of best

At your own risk

HP Media Center M490N Desktop PC (3.4 GHz Pentium, 512 MB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R/RW)

Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard
ProductGroup: Personal Computer
Binding: Personal Computers

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Accessories:

Sennheiser MX500 Lightweight In-Ear Headphones (Blue)

Portsmith USB Port Replicator Supporting 10/100 4 USB Mouse

Kensington Microsaver Slim Security Cable Upgraded Version of Mircosaver

Kensington 62210 Saddle Bag Pro Computer Carrying Case

Targus CBT600 BlackTop Deluxe Notebook Backpack - Blue/Black

ASIN: B0001CVECK
Release Date: 2004-02-15

Product Description

Easy to use, HP Mediacenter PCs offer top performance, Internetworking, multimedia and instant access to your favorite applications. HP Mediacenter PCs deliver unmatched performance, value, reliability and support.

Amazon.com Product Description

Meet your new digital entertainment center--the HP Pavilion m490n Media Center desktop PC. In addition to offering a central library for your CD library and easy video editing, the m490n can also act as a TV and a personal video recorder (PVR), a la Tivo, as well as an FM tuner. The m490n is powered by the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 operating system (compatible with cable, digital cable, satellite TV, and antenna). It also features a remote control, fast 8x DVD+RW burner, GeForce FX 5200 video card, a ultra-massive 250 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM, and multi-format memory card reader.

The Basics

Hard Drive: The huge 250 GB Ultra IDE hard drive (7200 RPM) offers more than enough storage for all your documents, digital photos (approximately 250,000 2-megapixel images) and video (approximately 13.5 hours of .avi video), and MP3 collection (up to 3,000 CDs).
Processor: The top-of-the-line 3.4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology (which allows a single CPU system to behave in some aspects like a dual-CPU system--see more in Tech Talk section below) is one of the fastest processors currently available on the market. It is well suited for high-performance gaming and professional-quality image, audio, and video editing. It also has a 512 KB L2 cache and 800 MHz front-side buss (FSB).
Memory: The m490n comes with a 512 MB built-in memory (1 x 512 MB PC-3200 DDR SDRAM)--a decent amount for starters, but you'll want to add more to take full advantage of the capabilities of Windows Media Center. The motherboard has two memory sockets for a maximum memory expansion of 2 GB.
CD/DVD Drive: The m490n has two DVD drives: a 16x DVD-ROM for playing music, movies, and games and a DVD+RW burner for writing data and video to disc. For DVDs, it has 8x write, 4x rewrite, 12x read speeds; for CDs, it writes at 24x, rewrites at 10x, and reads at 40x. It's compatible with the DVD+RW format, one of two formats for rewriteable DVDs.
Keyboard & Mouse: It comes with an HP wireless keyboard and wireless optical mouse.

Sound and Graphics
The m490n's video is powered by a 128 MB, 8x AGP GeForce FX 5600 Ultra video/graphics card, which has strong 3-D performance, dual-display capability--supporting one analog (VGA) and one digital (DVI) connection--and TV-out capability (enabling to display the PC on your Television via S-Video).

Sound is delivered via a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 audio card, which delivers high-quality 6.1 channels of digital surround sound (or 5.1 channels of analog-out surround sound). It also supports DVD-Audio, a super-high-fidelity audio format compatible with DVDs. The m490n comes with a three-piece set of Altec Lansing 221 speakers (1 subwoofer and 2 satellites). Connectivity and Expansion Slots
For expansion, the m490n has two 5.25-inch external bays (both occupied), four 3.5-inch bays (one internal bay available), three PCI slots (two available), and one AGP 8x slot (available). It comes with a built-in floppy drive and the following external connectors:

6 USB 2.0 ports (2 in front, 4 in rear) for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals (1 in front, 1 in rear)
1 parallel port for connecting older printers and scanners
2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
1 RGB monitor port
1 serial port for older peripherals such as early PDAs
1 microphone and 1 headphone jack in the front
1 Digital Video Interface (DVI) port
1 TV-out (S-Video) port; 1-TV Input S-Video Port; 1-Composite Video/Audio Input Ports;
2 audio line-in ports
1 audio line-out port
Multi-format memory card reader that's compatible with CompactFlash (Type I/II), MicroDrive, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro, Smaredia, Secure Digital (SD), and MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards. It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. Additionally, it enables you to control your television with the included remote and record and pause programs (much like a PVR such as Tivo or ReplayTV). You can even pause or rewind (up to 7 seconds) FM radio broadcasts.

It also features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents), Microsoft Money 2004, Quicken New User Edition 2004, Norton Antivirus 2003 (with 60 days of complimentary updates), Adobe Acrobat Reader, Encarta Encyclopedia 2004 Standard Edition, Adobe Photoshop album (starter edition), RecordNow 6.5 (for burning CDs), WinDVD SE 4.0 (for DVD playback), ArcSoft ShowBiz (for editing digital video), and MusicMatch Jukebox.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Pavilion m490n desktop PC, remote control (with USB infrared receiver), Harman Kardon 2.1 speaker system, power cable, keyboard, and mouse. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase.

Tech Talk
Hyper-Threading: A Hyper-Threading processor helps a PC to run multiple demanding applications at the same time. This technology enables the processor to execute two threads (a part of a program) in parallel, boosting performance during key high-drain procedures. This results in more efficient software performance (such as faster reaction times in gaming applications) and enhanced multitasking.

More About Microsoft Windows XP Media Center

What sets this PC apart is that it is powered by Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, which offers the features, reliability, and power of Windows XP Professional, plus advanced digital entertainment capabilities. The Media Center interface offers you more types of entertainment to enjoy: TV, Personal Video Recording (PVR), Movies, Music, Photos, Videos, Radio, and DVD. Use the remote control to enjoy from anywhere in your room.

TV & Movies Pause live TV

Watch TV when and how you want, and never miss a moment of your favorite programs. Pause and rewind live TV. Record a TV episode, series, or category. Automatically record a personalized selection of TV programs using Keyword Record. Media Center downloads the latest program listings for you and even wakes up from power-saving standby mode to record programs, so you can watch shows on your schedule.

Share your digital photos on your TV screen Photos & Video

Easily edit your digital pictures and digital videos, and then launch a dynamic slideshow complete with animated transitions and your favorite soundtrack. While viewing a picture, zoom in to see more detail. You can rotate, correct red-eye, and print your pictures using the remote. Play slide-shows straight from digital storage devices.

Music & Radio A centralized place for all of your music

All your music is stored in one digital jukebox and using the remote, shuffle your entire music collection according to artist or genre or listen to your tunes through playlists that learn what you like. Tune in FM stations and pause live radio. Full-screen visualizations pulse to the beat of the music. Cool on-screen effects show music information, such as track title, track time, and artist.

Customer Reviews:

Best of best.......2004-06-03

I am very happy with this HP media Center.What more can I ask? I can watch TV, record TV same time if I wanted to by pushing the record button on my remote control.

At your own risk.......2004-05-27

This whole MediaCenter serie still needs a lot of improvements. The computer is decently priced but the applications are not all integrated with the MS MediaCenter. The MC application is often buggy and often crashes. It also makes use of additional external apps very hard. The motherboard on mine was faulty and made the computer unable to reboot after 2 weeks. Even the front bezel was defective. I noticed that the same problem was noticeable on demos in stores. Also, don't expect external soundcard or video card to be compatible...i learned it the hard way with my creative card.

To top all this, HP Support is mediocre at best. They ask you to ship them your computer and return it back to you a week later with no comments, no names of repair person, and even in my case missing parts that got stolen. You won't know what they tried to repair and just hope they didn't wipe your hard disk for no reason.

Product Description

The ORiNOCO USB Client connects directly to the desktop, is easy to install and is fully interoperable with any Wi-Fi compliant product. Connect to a wireless Ethernet network simply by plugging the USB Client into a spare USB connector. The USB Client delivers high-speed wireless networking at 11 Mbit/s, operating in the 2.4 GHz unlicensed frequency. The ORiNOCO USB Client has USB 1.1 certification, which ensures safe operation of the USB Client with your PC. With superior radio receiver sensitivity (ears) and resilience to microwave interference, ORiNOCO has proven to be the best 802.11b radio in the industry - delivering unbeatable range and throughput performance.The ORiNOCO USB Client is equipped with a choice of security levels to protect your data. The Silver USB Client delivers standard Wi-Fi compliant, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security, using a 64-bit key. The Gold USB Client offers enhanced security, with a 128-bit key, using RC4 encryption.

Product Description

The efina T offers a choice of three different print format selections. With a quick turn of the lever, the photographer can select the desired picture format from "C" (2: 3), "H" (9: 16), or "P" (1: 3) to best match their subject or situation. (C-Classic, H-High Definition TV, P-Panorama). To keep accurate track of memories, the user can imprint the date or time the photo was taken on the print. For special occasions, the user can even add one of the 31 prerecorded titles in 12 different languages. The date and titles are imprinted on the back of the print, so as not to interfere with the image pictured on the front. To ensure the highest possible quality in the finished prints, the efina T PQI (Print Quality Improvement) feature automatically records the brightness value of the scene, the use or absence of flash illumination and the direction of film advance onto the magnetic coating on the back of each frame.

Customer Reviews:

Very very good camera.......2002-07-11

I have never had a single problem with this camera or ever lost a photo for any reason in three years of use. Highly recommended for APS pocket camera users and travelers. But be alert to setting the settings correctly though this does not cause failure. The red eye does not work very well but that is the only fault.

Camera Hunter.......2000-08-05

Go to Pentax website for a picture of the Efina T. Also, it's range is 23-69mm ("equivalent" to a 35mm's 29-87mm range). Considering a purchase...forced to rate product without ever using it.

Pentax Efina T.......2000-07-27

Pleasantly surprised at all the features packed in to this little, easy to use camera. Most importantly I am very impressed by the quality of the photos. This is my first aps camera and was not expecting very sharp pictures. Surprised and peased to say the pictures are great so far. Was deciding between the new Pentax or a Canon Elph 2. The Pentax is metal just like the Canon and has a 3x zoom lens for basically the same price. Very happy with my decision.

P.S. The photo on this web site is not the Efina T but rather the original Efina camera. The "T" looks different.

Great APS Camera.......2000-06-13

This is a great APS camera. Compact, light, feature-filled, and aesthetically appealing. I was also comparing the Minolta Vectis 300, as well as the Canon Elph line. What sold me was the power of the zoom on the Pentax. It has a 3x zoom, and although the Vectis 300 also has a 3x zoom; seeing first-hand, I felt the Pentax's zoom was a little better. Feature-wise, the Pentax lacks nothing to its competitors. Also, the feel of the camera is superb. Very lightweight and compact; easy enough to holster on belt or slip into pocket. To compare, I have a StarTac cellular phone, and the Pentax and StarTac are nearly identical in size!!! How's that for a compact, powerful, feature-pack APS camera...I would definitely recommend to all.

Amazon.com Product Description

The RCA CC-6373 camcorder uses VHS-C tapes, which are simply smaller VHS tapes. You can play your tapes in any VHS VCR with the included cassette adapter. This feature also allows the manufacturer to make a compact, affordable camcorder. The CC-6373 is a lightweight 1.9 pounds and portable for vacation traveling and packing.

This convenient and light camcorder has many traditional features to aid you in recording. It has a built-in AutoShot feature that automatically focuses and adjusts to available light. The LCD color monitor lets you see exactly what you're taping. The monitor also rotates 270 degrees so you can watch and record at the same time. The CC-6373 includes the Steady Pix feature, which corrects slight shaking of images--especially handy for zooming in on a distant subject, recording an approaching small subject, recording while walking, or recording from a moving vehicle. Your viewers will appreciate this feature during playback because it will make your recording easier to watch.

The CC-6373 has a fade-in and -out option that adds a professional touch to your recordings. For artistic flexibility, RCA includes the wide-format 16:9 mode. You can also record in a special animation mode that creates the illusion of movement for an otherwise stationary scene when you shoot a series of slightly different poses. The time-lapse recording mode shows subtle changes when focused on an object (such as plant growth or cloud formations). You do this by programming the CC-6373 to record at preset time intervals. If you like to add scene transitions, a five-second recording option exists.

The playback options are basic, including position on the tape, visual search, stop-action pause, time counter, tracking, and time base corrector. The CC-6373 includes a rechargeable battery, AC adapter and charger, shoulder strap, cassette adapter, cassette adapter battery, and a clock cell.

Customer Reviews:

Phil Tomlinson.......2000-06-24

This is my first camcorder and I think this RCA is so cool! It is extremley user friendly, excellent color, and excellent video quality. I thought I would have to spend $1000.00 to get this kind of quality. I would highly recommend this product!

Cool Camcorder.......2000-06-19

I purchased this camcorder for my Mother for Mother's Day. She found it extremely easy and practical to use. We made tons and tons of home movies and sent them to the rest of our family. It helped us all connect more. We've had this camcorder now for 2 years, and it still works well for us everytime there's something we never want to forget.

Product Description

RAINBOW - 1/2" W FOCUS AUTO IRIS VIDEO TYPE W 4 PIN CS MOUNT FOCAL LENGTH: 8.5-51MM MAX RELATIVE APERTURE: 1:1.6 IRIS: F1.6-APPROX 360 ALL GLASS OPTICS 4YR WA

Product Description

Panasonic offers the black seamless ribbon for its KX dot-matrix printers. This Panasonic nylon ribbon will deliver sharp black text.

Customer Reviews:

Old stock at an overpriced billing.......2007-03-13

The dot matrix ribbons are from old stock and the ink on ribbon and internal pad have dried out. Print is not black enough except for draft type. Supplier should destroy remaining stock or determine way to re ink the internal pads. In present state selling these ribbons is a scam.

Product Description

Get your home theater started off right with Onkyo high fidelity at an affordable price. The handsome TX-DS494 pumps out a respectable 55 watts of high-current, FTC-rated, full-bandwidth power to each of the five channels - more than enough for a thrilling home-theater experience in most entertainment rooms. It also offers an extensive list of features extremely rare in this price range: low-impedance drive to handle higher quality speaker systems (testimony of high-grade parts and engineering excellence), three S-Video inputs and one output to maximize the full potential of your DVDs, three assignable digital inputs for setup flexibility, a 100-kHz frequency response to support DVD-Audio, heavy-duty dual-banana-plug compatible binding posts for all channels to deliver high-quality, loss-free speaker connection, a 5.1 channel input to accommodate new multichannel formats, Dolby Pro Logic II to bring some of the excitement and spatial experience of Dolby Digital 5.1 to your stereo CDs and Dolby Surround material, a brushed, anodized-aluminum front panel to ensure chassis rigidity, world-renowned Wide-Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT) to provide better delivery of momentary power peaks from all software, including regular CDs and analog sources, and an intuitive "Easy-Set" feature to make speaker configuration swift, straightforward and simple. All in all, it's an incredible features/performance package for this price.

Customer Reviews:

Decent but not great. .......2005-06-04

Bought this reciever back in 2000 and have been using it daily ever since. I utilize it to listen to everything from vinyl to DTS 5.1...And I mean EVERYTHING. The receiver is very clean and in stereo, the 55 watts overpowers many manufacturers "100 watt" rating. It is a great musical reciever. I also own an Onkyo TX-8211(50w ch stereo only) reciver and the two are identical in clairty. However something about the reciever in Surrond mode, isnt quite "stunning". The sound, albeit good, isnt great and the volume could stand to be a bit louder. I'm not one of those people who likes to turn the volume to the max just to get loudness. Maximum volume is usually at or over the threshold in which the reciever can efficiently operate. The sound also seems somewhat dull and lifeless at times. Onkyo makes great products and I am not denying this one, But there just seems as if there is something "not right" with this reciever. Its about time to upgrade and I'm currently looking into Denon as an alternative.

Great Tuner.......2002-04-29

Solid, simple, sounds good. We live in a fringe area for FM reception -- heard stations perfectly this morning that hadn't heard in years.

Quality with no frills.......2001-12-17

Used with
Panasonic DVD RV31
Klipsch SP1 speakers (built in powered SW)
Infinity center channel,
Infinity reference rear surrounds.
optical connection, monster cables/wires

First of all, I like it, but don't pay too much for the DS494. (...).

- A bit difficult to figure out, had to refer to manual for a while to make sure I had it right to enjoy DTS...or Pro Logic II. But I enjoy that aspect.

-The remote is pretty bad, surprisingly bad.. Very small buttons, almost impossible to see in *any* light, let alone low light situations. I feel like an old lady, squinting at the little words on what the little buttons do. And you can NOT adjust BASS and TREBLE with the remote...must be done via knobs on unit itself...

Recently tested it with Jurrasic Park III in DTS and once I tinkered a bit to balance it all, I was very very pleased. Giddy is more like it...:)

This unit lacks a lot of those silly soundfields, which are fun for a minute, but I find a waste of time.....unless maybe you use only 2 crappy speakers and want it to have a synthetic echoey weird effect.
It has Orchestra, Unplugged, and maybe one other, all of which I don't find too appealing...and serve zero purpose for 5.1 surround sound movie experience....so if you want a system for theater like sound for movies, don't let the lack of these phoney 'sound fields' bother you.

Great sound + little gimmics +poor remote=good value for the tight budget yet high standards taste!

Average customer rating:

Newest technology - music adapter for your telephone

On-Hold Music Adapter for Single Phone

Manufacturer: On-Hold Plus, Inc.
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Office Electronics | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
Phones | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
On-Hold Plus | Brands | Electronics Features | Electronics
PBX Phones & Systems | Telephones | Office Electronics | Categories | Electronics
Product Features:

Compatible with nearly all 1- and 2-line telephones

No Hold button required

Simple plug-in installation; no power source required

Excellent sound quality

Works with On-Hold OHP3000 or any external radio or CD player

ASIN: B000023VU4

Customer Reviews:

Newest technology - music adapter for your telephone.......2000-06-25

On Hold..two words we tend to hate..but wait, now you won't be bored ever again..This new product makes it as enjoyable as possible..No extra power needed, clear, quality music makes this product a must have..Be the first on your block, or in your family to buy this music adapter.

Product Description

Ogio Dispatch Messenger Style Computer Carrying Case - Fabric wrapped grab handle Size (inch) - 11.5 H x 16W x 3D 600 Cubic Inches of storage Weighs - 2 Pounds

Electronics:

Electronics

Electronics

TV & Movies
Watch TV when and how you want, and never miss a moment of your favorite programs. Pause and rewind live TV. Record a TV episode, series, or category. Automatically record a personalized selection of TV programs using Keyword Record. Media Center downloads the latest program listings for you and even wakes up from power-saving standby mode to record programs, so you can watch shows on your schedule.

	Photos & Video
	Easily edit your digital pictures and digital videos, and then launch a dynamic slideshow complete with animated transitions and your favorite soundtrack. While viewing a picture, zoom in to see more detail. You can rotate, correct red-eye, and print your pictures using the remote. Play slide-shows straight from digital storage devices.

Music & Radio
All your music is stored in one digital jukebox and using the remote, shuffle your entire music collection according to artist or genre or listen to your tunes through playlists that learn what you like. Tune in FM stations and pause live radio. Full-screen visualizations pulse to the beat of the music. Cool on-screen effects show music information, such as track title, track time, and artist.