NEC to do Blu-ray Only?

[marzetta7]

Touted as a big backer of the HD DVD format, NEC is selling a water-cooled Blu-ray PC now. It is pretty expensive, but I guess it includes the monitor, surround sound speakers, etc. Anyways, I have yet to see NEC jump into the HD DVD fray, so does this mean they've had a change in plans to go Blu-ray exclusively? Regardless, this is yet another CE company joining the very large Blu-ray wave...

http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=25491

Oct 04, 2006NEC to Sell Water-Cooled PC With Blu-ray Drive
OCT 04, 2006 07:57:23 AM | Add Comment (0) | Permalink

Japanese users won’t have to worry about a noisy cooling fan disturbing them while they watch high-definition movies on NEC’s newest computer. The PC, equipped with a Blu-ray drive, uses water-cooling instead.

A prototype of the PC, called the Valuestar X VX780/GD, was on display this week at the Ceatec exhibition in Chiba, Japan.

As most Japanese live in small apartments, PCs often do double-duty as both a computer and an entertainment system. But the use of cooling fans means that PCs are not as quiet as standalone DVD players, often interrupting the movie-watching experience. The use of water-cooling means NEC’s Valuestar X runs quietly, making just 31 decibels of noise, or slightly more than a whisper.

Priced at 543,000 yen (US$4,612), the PC is clearly not intended for people on a budget. But for those willing to pay more for a high-end system, the Valuestar X, which is due to go on sale in December and runs Microsoft’s Windows XP Home Edition operating system, offers some impressive features.

In addition to the Blu-ray drive and water-cooling system, the PC offers a digital television tuner, a 3.4GHz Intel Pentium D 945 processor, 1GB of RAM, and dual 250GB hard drives. It also includes a remote control and a 20-inch widescreen liquid crystal display (LCD) with internal flat-panel NXT speakers that provide surround sound.