HP Digital Entertainment Center z556 Review

If you're looking for the ultimate home entertainment PC, the HP Digital Entertainment Center z556 could be right up your alley. This machine offers all the features one would ask for from a PC cum living room entertainment system. There is a lot to like about the HP Digital Entertainment Center z556, and this review looks at some of its attractive features. Read on to find out more and see if the z556 is the machine for you living room ...

HP also lays claim to the use of certain cooling channels for silent performance in the living room. The HP Digital Entertainment Center z556 is best for watching terrestrial broadcast channels, watching movies from CDs or DVDs and to playing your favorite games.
 

CPU and Memory

More powerful CPU, more memory … technology has spoilt us so much that our needs can never be satiated. The HP z556 has a powerful CPU and RAM performance better than comparable PCs. A 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 640 processor powers the system. 512 MB RAM, 250-GB hard disk storage and an nVidia GeForce 6600 graphics card are also standard features.
 

Case

The next portion of our HP Digital Entertainment Center z556 review looks at the device's case. The HP z556 sits pretty in a look great jet-black case, befitting that of a living room attraction. Horizontal AV component style design incorporates a variety of input/output ports, including a 9-in-1 media card reader slot to facilitate sharing movies, music and photos. The 9-in-1 memory card reader is also placed in easily reachable position.
 

Graphics

An nVidia GeFOrce 66000 video card powers the graphics of the HP Digital Entertainment Center z556. This review won't go into detail, but suffice to say that z556 offers some of the best graphics in the business. Dual analog tuners let you watch TV program from local broadcasting (it doesn’t support Cable or satellite receiving). And there's more ...

Gaming! The HP z556 also promises a great gaming experience. The remote control system allows you to play your favorite games with a 60-inch wide plasma TV screen and blasting 5.1 surround sound while staying on your couch. The HP z556 can also give sharp images – game lovers who are used to sharper 3D images can upgrade to more powerful nVidia or ATI graphics video cards.
 

Data Storage

HP z556 comes with a 250 GB Hard drive, larger than standard PC configurations available in the market. It can be disappointing for those who are used to larger storage area in their desktop. Yet you can save all your movies, music, photos and (if you choose) data with little trouble.
 

Other Components

Just note that broadcast receivers, radio antennae are standard accessories in the HP z556. The unit comes with a remote control too. The included network adapter makes networking easy, while wireless LAN compliance frees you from wires.
 

Shortcomings

This HP Digital Entertainment Center z556 review would not be complete without mentioning some of the unit's shortcomings. The absence of cable and satellite receiving support can be deemed as a shortcoming. Also, an external CD or DVD changer is also missing – although the z556 supports external CD/DVD changing via Fire Wire.

For ardent gaming fans, an upgraded graphics card would be necessary to get the maximum resolution images. And the z556's price is also at the higher end, comparatively higher than similar desktop PCs available in the market.
 

Conclusion

We've come to the end of this HP Digital Entertainment Center z556 review. Everyone who does not want to miss their favorite reality shows or wants to store hundreds of DVD movies in one place can look to the HP z556. Its digital timer allows you to record up to three shows at the same time and the whopping 250 GB of hard drive space ensures all your favorite TV programs and movies are safe. On the whole, a great media center PC that's highly recommended.