OK, so now you don't need to take my word for it....
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The editor got the AC3 part mixed up. The Ziva does that, the Zoran chip just handles PCI.
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zdnet.com
Dell Dimension XPS D300-DVD
Dell adds a DVD-ROM drive and USB-controlled speakers to its Dimension line of PCs.
By Carol Venezia
(12/3/97) -- If your holiday wish list includes a new Pentium II PC with a second-generation DVD-ROM drive, you can start your shopping at www.dell.com. On Tuesday, Dell Computer Corp. announced the availability of Dimension XPS D300-DVD, a 300-MHz Pentium II PC complete with DVD-ROM drive, hardware DVD decoder, and Altec Lansing USB-controlled surround-sound speakers-among many other goodies. And for a direct price of just $2,879 fully loaded, this machine is a huge bargain.
Loaded to the Gills
Like other PCs in the Dimension line, this model comes completely stocked with everything you'll need for some serious computing. To the system's 300-MHz Pentium II processor with 512K integral L2 cache, Dell adds a gargantuan 8.4GB IBM Ultra ATA hard disk, 32MB of synchronous DRAM, a 56-Kbps X2 modem, and a 17-inch (15.9-inch viewable) Trinitron 0.26-dot-pitch monitor.
But that's certainly not all you'll find inside this machine. Graphics are provided by an STB Velocity 128 AGP card with 4MB of VRAM, driven by the nVidia RIVA 128 accelerator. If you're a 3-D game maven, this board will knock your virtual socks off. In our most recent roundup of home PCs, a Dimension XPS D300-an Editors' Choice-with the same card was one of the top performers on our ZD 3D WinMark 98 tests.
The Dimension's DVD subsystem starts with a Hitachi GD-2000 DVD-ROM drive. This drive is a second-generation model, which means that-unlike with first-generation drives-you'll be able to read all CD-ROM formats, including CD-Recordable disks. The drive spins DVD disks at 2X speeds, while standard CDs operate at 8X/20X variable speeds.
For decoding MPEG-2 and AC3 (Dolby Digital audio) signals, the Dimension uses a Quadrant International CineMaster C-1.2D card, a PCI board that talks to the machine's graphics accelerator card via a pass-through cable. Full-screen, 30-fps MPEG-2 video decoding is performed by C-Cube Microsystems' single-chip ZiVA DS-C decoder, while AC3 audio is handled by a Zoran chip. The ZiVA chip is compatible with all DVD standards, and offers NTSC/PAL DVD video decoding, CD-ROM data decoding, as well as full VideoCD 2.0 compatibility.
Play that Funky Music...
The Dimension's audio subsystem starts with a SoundBlaster AWE64 audio card hooked to the Quadrant CineMaster card. To handle AC3 audio from DVD-ROM disks, the CineMaster board decodes the Dolby Digital signal, downmixes it to a two-channel signal through the SoundBlaster card, and plays it out as Dolby ProLogic Surround Sound via the included Altec Lansing ACS-495 USB-controlled speaker system.
This three-speaker set features two 10-watt satellites plus a 24-watt subwoofer. These speakers will operate in stereo mode, but the default operation is four-channel ProLogic sound (left, right, center, and surround). And while you will find push-button and rotary controls on the right satellite for manual speaker operation, you won't find a power switch. That's because the speaker system will power down into standby mode after 30 seconds without an audio signal.
...Via USB
If you're tired of spinning the wrong dial to adjust speaker volume and subwoofer bass levels, or double-clicking on that Windows 95 speaker icon (which provides limited functionality at best), you'll love the included ACS-495 Speaker Management Software. This software allows you to control and adjust audio levels on-screen, through the USB port.
Here's how it works: The ACS-495 speakers plug into the subwoofer, and the subwoofer plugs into a jack on the Dimension's sound card, just like a regular analog three-piece speaker system. But unlike other setups, this system's subwoofer has an additional wire connection to the PC's USB port. It's this USB connection that allows you to control system sound through the Speaker Management Software's on-screen graphical interface.
Make no mistake, however: These are not USB speakers. There's still a multiple-wire tangle involved with their setup (although all plugs are conveniently color-coded to ease the process), and you can't daisy-chain any other USB devices off the subwoofer. But once you see how easy it is to control and adjust audio through this setup, you probably won't care about the jungle of wires that it creates behind your desk.
The Speaker Management Software is completely graphically driven. So adjusting left and right surround, the left and right satellites, and the center channel is as easy as clicking on and sliding the controls up and down. There's also a master volume slider, as well as a mute button. And although the Help files are extensive, the software is so intuitive that you probably won't need them.
This software interface is also fully user-customizable. You can define settings for either stereo or ProLogic surround-sound mode. There are also quick-access radio buttons for defined music, game, and movie sound settings, as well as three more miscellaneous user-definable presets. The software is also very easy to access: Just spin the volume knob on the right satellite and the interface pops up on screen.
All of this innovation in an unassuming gray minitower case may sound great, but you're probably wondering just how this setup performs with a DVD movie. Well, wonder no more: It's fabulous.
During testing with the DVD version of the movie Legends of the Fall, playback was simply flawless. Audio was clear, crisp, and vibrant, with resonant bass tones. Video playback went off without a hitch-no jerky movements due to dropped frames were evident throughout the entire movie, even during wide-angle, fast-moving pan shots.
We played the movie in full-screen mode and easily controlled playback through Dell's on-screen DVD interface. The icons on this interface are a bit esoteric, but if you hover your mouse briefly over each button, a short function descriptor window pops up to help.
Software vs. Hardware DVD
In PC Magazine's December 16 First Look of a Compaq Presario 4850 with a DVD-ROM drive, we noted the Presario 4850 relies on software to decode MPEG-2 video and AC3 audio signals. This system provides a good point of comparison between software and hardware DVD, as it, like the Dimension, is a 300-MHz Pentium II PC.
The Presario was able to play back all of the DVD titles that we threw at it. However, we did witness jumpy and jerky motions due to dropped frames in slow motion and in wide pan shots. While we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of playback, it didn't quite match the quality of the hardware-aided DVD playback of the Dimension machine. This is because the maximum frame rate that the Presario can achieve is 25fps (through software decode and motion compensation conducted by the system's graphics accelerator), while the Dimension's CineMaster board can handle 30fps completely in hardware.
Another drawback to software DVD is that it uses all of the CPU's bandwidth. Conversely, the Dimension's CineMaster board only uses an average of 20 percent of CPU bandwidth during MPEG-2 video decode. Granted, if you're watching a movie, it's highly unlikely that you're going to be doing anything else. However, if you're using a DVD software title, you'll likely have trouble running anything else at the same time on a fully software-DVD-decoded system.
Until now, the argument for software DVD has been cost: Hardware DVD typically adds a few hundred dollars to the price of a PC. But while the Presario 4850 and the Dimension XPS D300-DVD both cost close to $3,000, the Presario's price doesn't include a monitor (a 17-inch Compaq monitor will cost you an additional $700).
Stellar Support
It's no secret that Dell's Web site is the best in the business for ordering a PC online. But with the competition hot on its heels at every turn, we weren't surprised to find new offerings at the site. The vendor now has its own Active Desktop Channel for Internet Explorer 4.0, which will (if you allow it) push Dell news, as well as product and software updates, right to your desktop.
Dell customers can also build their own Web-accessible, personalized service and support page via their service tag number. Through this page, you can link to 80,000 items of troubleshooting information, as well as BIOS and driver updates.
The Bottom Line
If DVD is what floats your boat this holiday season, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better buy than the Dell Dimension XPS D300-DVD. The only gotcha here is DVD software: There isn't any included. So while you're waiting for your new machine to arrive, we'd suggest picking up a couple of titles, so you'll be ready to test-drive after setup. But when you've got a DVD disk and you're ready to rock, you'll be blown away by this machine's roll.
Dell Dimension XPS D300. Direct price: $2,879 with 300-MHz Pentium II CPU, 32MB SDRAM, 8.4GB hard disk, Hitachi GD-2000 DVD-ROM drive, Altec Lansing ACS-495 speakers, 56K X2 modem, 17-inch monitor. Dell Computer Corp., Round Rock, TX; 800-388-8542, 512-338-4400; www.dell.com. |
