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If you have been listening to our show for a while you know that we have love the ability to watch TV or listen to music in any room in the house. So when we were given the chance to live with the HP TouchSmart PC we jumped at the chance. The TouchSmart PC is an extremely capable PC that will do your email, spreadsheets, and word processing. But for this review, we will strictly focus on the Multi Media Aspects of the computer. In fact, in our minds, this is a TV that also is a computer.

HP TouchSmart PC (Buy Now models from $1200 to $1900)

Features:
  • 64-bit Vista Home Premium (SP1)
  • Intel Core 2 Duo T8400 (2.26GHz)
  • 1 TB HDD, 4 GB RAM (DDR2)
  • 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS HD
  • Wireless N and Bluetooth
  • Blu-ray reader/DVD burner
  • 5-in-1 memory card reader with 2 USB
  • 1394, and audio ports
  • built-in TV tuner (ATSC & NTSC)
  • wireless remote.
Setup:
Setup was a snap. We connected to our Wireless N network and started downloading applications for our evaluation in a matter of minutes. The complete setup took about 45 minutes and that included setting up the Microsoft Media Center. In addition to what HP loads on the machine we installed Firefox, SlingPlayer, and iTunes. HP has a nice touch interface application that you can customize so we added these applications to it and removed a bunch of other applications that in our opinion cluttered up the interface. Once everything was installed and configured we moved the TouchSmart to the Bathroom. We were shipped the 22 inch model which is a little big for where it was placed. Hewlett-Packard has smaller versions that will fit in Kitchens, Bathrooms, or Bedrooms. The TV has an ATSC tuner so it can be used as the main viewing TV for an apartment or den.

The TV comes with a stand that's similar to a picture frame and can be placed within a couple of inches of the wall. You can buy a wall mount adapter that will allow the TouchSmart to be mounted without taking up any counter space. The TouchSmart PC measures 21"W x 2.6"D x 17.4"H (53.34 x 6.6 x 44.2 cm) and weighs 37 pounds (16.8 Kg). HP informed us that the wall mount adapter is only available for the 25" model.

Performance:
The Touchsmart works well! There are three ways to interact with this "TV". You can use a keyboard and mouse, a remote control, and of course as the name suggests touch. The interaction within the Home application is good. Its kind of like a large iPhone or iPod Touch. But once you get into an application like iTunes or the SlingPlayer the touch interface kind of breaks down. We ended up keeping the wireless mouse around for fine control of the applications. The TouchSmart comes with plenty of MultiMedia applications that will display Photos, play Music and play Videos. It has the Vista Media Center Software included but we really didn't spend too much time using it. The Home application along with iTunes and SlingPlayer completely met our needs. However, when we did go into Media Center for a quick evaluation it worked perfectly. Control with the included remote control made you feel like you were watching a TV rather than a computer.

Using the Home application's Photo Viewer, Music and Video Player is straight forward and easy to do with the remote or your fingers. However, for this evaluation, Ara preferred using iTunes for music and videos. The advantage using iTunes is that its trivial to view and play content from other computers on the network. This can be done without iTunes but it requires some knowledge of networking. With the addition of the TouchSmart, Ara's kids insist on showering in his bathroom so they can listen to their music as they shower.

The Sling Player looks incredible on this HD resolution screen! The TouchSmart in this mode is an HDTV. We connected an ATSC tuner to the TV scanned for channels and were amazed at how good the picture looked. We also used the HD Homerun and found the picture to be equal to the built-in ATSC tuner. In the end we just use the Slingbox Pro because it too looks great on the internal network and its the easiest interface to use.

Although we don't watch many Blu Ray movies in the Bathroom we figured that we should test it out for those of you who plan on using the TouchSmart in a more normal setting. The picture looked spectacular. However, the included player is a bit flaky. Some discs required three attempts before the movie would play. Also, there is no way to get Dolby True HD out of the box. Not really a big deal as most won't use this as their primary display device but its something that we thought should be mentioned. An added benefit is that the Cyberlink Software supports BD-Live.

While we didn't expect too much in the way of sound we were pleased with what we heard. The built in speakers are loud enough to be heard while taking a shower. They produced a rich sound better than any built in computer speakers we have heard previously. For stereo they sound great!

Odds and Ends:
As a computer the touch screen is difficult to use. You are not really going to work in Vista with your fingers. But as a TV or Multi Media device the touch screen works fine. If you have big fingers you'll want to use the mouse for fine screen control. The remote control works well for volume and control of the Media Center application. It even kind of works with the SlingPlayer and iTunes. The TouchSmart can be put to "Sleep" and woken up with the remote almost instantly. This is critical for use like a TV. It is also dead quiet. We were pleasantly surprised how quiet the TouchSmart is. The Home application also has calendering, email, and RSS capability to round out its features. There is also a built in camera that can be used for video chat. While not a great idea in the bathroom, you'll love this feature in almost any other room in the house.

Conclusion:
The TouchSmart PC is a good computer that packs a ton of features into a nice looking display. If you are looking for a computer or TV to put into your Kitchen, Bath, or Den you will be very pleased with the TouchSmart by Hewlett-Packard. The only real downside is that if you use the touch screen a lot be prepared to clean the screen often.