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Features
Inputs and Outputs Notes
Features
Overview: Along with
Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center edition operating system, this Digital
Entertainment Center features the following: 3.0GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor,
512 MB system memory (DDR SDRAM; expandable to 4 GB ), built-in 200 GB hard
drive, ATI RADEON X300 SE graphics card with 128 MB video memory, dual built-in
TV tuner cards (compatible with cable, satellite, or over-the-air TV
broadcasts), personal video recording software with television program guide, FM
tuner, and integrated Intel High Definition Audio chipset with 7.1-channel
capability. The HP z545 also features a recordable DVD/CD drive, removable 160
GB HP Personal Media Drive with portable power supply, front-panel memory card
reader that accepts nine different types of memory, and built-in Wi-Fi
capability. A wireless keyboard with built-in trackball and remote control are
supplied for system control.
Note: A monitor and
speakers are not included.
Media Center:
You can control the Media Center functions and navigate Media Center windows by
using the remote control, keyboard, or trackball. You can easily switch back and
forth between them by moving the trackball or by pressing a button on the remote
control or the keyboard. When using the remote control and the Media Center
program, you can:
- Watch, record, and play back
television programs
- Pause, rewind, and fast-forward
TV programs
- Watch an instant replay
- Play back your digital videos
- View your digital pictures or
play them as a slide show with music
- Easily print your photos
- Browse, select, and play music CD
files with full-screen visualizations
- Record CD tracks to your media
library
- Play DVD movies
- Access streaming music and video
subscription services
Instant Messaging:
Media Center supports instant messaging so you can communicate with your friends
and family while you are doing something in Media Center. You always have the
option to turn this feature on or off.
My TV: The Digital
Entertainment Center acts as a digital video recorder (DVR) that works with the
Media Center remote control so you can watch and record TV programs at your own
convenience and pace. In My TV you can:
- Live TV: watch, pause,
fast-forward, or rewind your favorite TV shows. You can watch recorded TV
shows while recording another show.
- Recorded TV: record a
single TV program or an entire series, view a list of recorded programs by
date or title, view a list of programs scheduled to be recorded, play a
recorded program, find out why a program wasn't recorded, or add a TV
recording manually
- Search: quickly find a TV
program or a series to watch or record by entering a descriptive word,
program title, or program category
- Guide: scroll through the
free Television Program Guide to find programs to watch and record. You can
record specific TV shows or a whole series to your hard disk drive or an HP
Personal Media Drive.
- Movies: go online to find
movies to watch now or later. Get the latest information about movies on TV:
read reviews, see cast lists, find other times the movie is broadcast, view
the DVD cover, browse for related movies, and find other movies with the
same cast members.
My Music: The My Music window
in Media Center works with Windows Media Player to find and play your music
files and CDs. You can use Windows Media Player to create your music library and
then use Media Center to find and play your music using your remote control. In
My Music you can:
- Play music CDs; skip, shuffle, or
repeat songs or albums
- Play digital music files from a
music library you create and organize using Windows Media Player
- Search for music files by
categories: album, artist, playlist, song, or genre
- Download album information such
as artist name, song title, length of song, album name, label, year, and
cover art
- Play a music playlist with a
slide show
- Copy music tracks from a CD to
your Windows Media Library
- Display visualizations when
playing music CDs
- Buy music online from the Now
Playing page in My Music. The Internet browser opens the Windows Media Web
site where you can listen to and buy music by the artist or album you are
listening to at the time.
HP Tunes: With HP Tunes, you
can play your favorite music you have added to your iTunes music Library. iTunes
is an Apple-developed software program located in the All Programs menu that
works together with the HP Tunes area in Media Center. HP Tunes is linked to the
Apple iTunes music Library. Both programs work together to organize and play
back your favorite music files, CDs, and created playlists.
My Pictures: The My Pictures
and HP Image Zone Plus areas in Media Center are great ways to view, organize,
and print your pictures. With My Pictures, you can organize your pictures into
folders you create in the My Pictures directory in Windows Explorer. HP Image
Zone Plus is both a software program and a Media Center menu item that allows
you to view and search for your digital images by using the remote control or
the keyboard and trackball. HP Image Zone Plus allows you to organize your
photos, scanned images, and video clips by date, keyword or place. It provides
all the tools you need for viewing, organizing, editing, printing, sharing, and
protecting your digital images.
My Videos: The My Videos window
in Media Center makes it easy to play home video files you created or video
files you downloaded from the Internet. In My Videos you can:
- Play and scroll through videos
that are in the My Videos or Shared Video folders in Windows Explorer by
using your remote control or your keyboard and trackball
- View your videos in full-screen
mode or from an inset window in Media Center
- Browse your videos straight from
the device on which they are stored. Media Center recognizes removable media
from a CD or DVD drive or from a digital video camera.
- Display your video details such
as the name and date your video file was modified
- Sort videos by date or name
- View small image (thumbnail) and
title of video file
- Scroll through your digital
videos and folders by clicking the page up and page down buttons using the
trackball
Listening to FM Radio: The
radio tuner card allows the Media Center to play FM radio. The Radio window in
Media Center makes it easy to play FM radio stations by using your remote
control. In Radio mode, you can:
- Listen to FM radio stations
- Set up presets of your favorite
radio stations
- Delete or organize your radio
station presets
- Use the time-shifting feature;
pause, rewind, and fast-forward up to 30 minutes of radio programs
- Note: Since this
Digital Entertainment Center has dual TV tuners, you can watch or record
TV and listen to FM radio at the same time.
Recording TV Shows to DVDs: You
can use InterVideo WinDVD Creator to copy your recorded TV programs to DVD for
viewing and playing on your PC and in some set-top box DVD players. When you
copy your recorded TV programs to CD or DVD using RecordNow!, it is recorded as
a data file, which can be played back from a PC only.
Creating (Burning) CDs: The DVD
Writer allows you to make your own music or data CDs. Your Digital Entertainment
Center has four recording software programs, iTunes, Windows Media Player,
RecordNow!, and Windows XP.
Creating DVD Movies: The
Digital Entertainment Center allows you to capture (copy), edit, and record your
home movies in four easy steps by using the InterVideo WinDVD Creator software
program:
- Capture: take videos and
pictures from digital camcorders, capture cards, and Web cameras, and then
save them to your hard disk drive
- Edit: arrange and trim
your files; add titles, transition effects, images, and audio
- Author or Add Menu: add a
menu with chapters to your DVD
- Make Movie: finalize your
project by burning your movie to a DVD
HP Personal Media Drive: The
supplied HP Personal Media Drive is an internal and external USB hard disk drive
designed to quickly and easily increase your storage capacity and to transfer
media files such as digital photos, music, videos, and other important files.
You can also use the HP Personal Media Drive to back up other drives on your
Digital Entertainment Center. The HP Personal Media drive is designed to:
- Work with the Digital
Entertainment Center and PCs that have a USB port
- Store large media files and
personal files
- Transfer files between PCs
- Play media files
- Back up your files
Memory Card Reader: The memory
card reader is accessible directly on the front of the Digital Entertainment
Center. The memory card reader has four horizontal card slots, which accept the
following memory cards: CompactFlash (Type I & II), IBM Microdrive, SD (Secure
Digital), MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick (including Memory Stick PRO), SmartMedia,
and xD-Picture Cards.
Wi-Fi Capability: Your Digital
Entertainment Center includes a Wireless LAN 802.11b/g Device. This device
allows you to establish a wireless network using your Digital Entertainment
Center as a Wireless Access Point or as a Wireless Client (Station Mode) if you
already have a wireless network running.
Wireless Keyboard: The Digital
Entertainment Center comes with an RF wireless keyboard that uses a built-in
receiver/transmitter for communication. In addition to the standard
alphanumeric, function, arrow, and numeric keys, the keyboard also has an array
of special buttons. The special buttons are at the top of the keyboard. These
buttons operate the DVD player, connect you to the Internet, or provide quick
access to specific functions.
Remote Control: You can use
your remote control with Media Center to play CDs, DVDs, and videos, to view
pictures, and to watch and record television programs. This remote control helps
you navigate the Media Center windows on your Digital Entertainment Center just
as a cable TV remote control navigates cable TV options or controls the playback
of a movie in a VCR or DVD player.
Inputs and Outputs Notes
Front Panel: The front panel
has the following connections:
- Front Input: left and
right RCA audio jacks, RCA composite video jack, and S-video jack
- DV In: 4-pin IEEE 1394
port
- Headphones: standard
headphone output
- Mic In: minijack for
connecting an optional microphone
- USB: two USB 2.0 ports
Rear Panel: The rear panel has
the following connections:
- Audio In: left and right
RCA audio jacks
- Audio 7.1 Pre-Out: analog
7.1-channel audio output that consists of the following RCA jacks: front
left, front right, center, surround left, surround right, surround back
left, surround back right, and subwoofer
- Video Out: video output
that consists of the following jacks: composite video, S-video, component
video, and VGA
- DVI: DVI digital video
output
- Digital Audio Out: Toslink
optical digital jack and coaxial digital jack
- USB: four USB 2.0 ports
- 1394: 6-pin IEEE 1394 port
- Ethernet (10/100/1000):
10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet port for networking
- Wireless LAN: threaded
connection for the supplied wireless LAN antenna
- TV Source 1 In: left and
right RCA audio jacks, RCA composite video jack, and S-video jack
- TV Source 2 In: left and
right RCA audio jacks, RCA composite video jack, and S-video jack
- Cable/Antenna 1 In: 75-ohm
coaxial jack
- Cable/Antenna 2 In: 75-ohm
coaxial jack
- FM Antenna In: 75-ohm
coaxial jack
- Infrared Transmitter Out:
two minijacks for use with the supplied emitters