Hi-Grade builds low-rise Viiv PC

To the doubters who thought Microsoft’s Viiv tech would turn out to be another blast of marketing hot air (us included), we present to you the Hi-Grade DMS: one of the sleekest media centres we’ve seen on our recent gadget travels.

The laptop-sized PC – which can stand vertically or horizontally – looks ideal for a spot in your lounge thanks to minimal fan-cooling and a host of Viiv home entertainment features.

Chief among these is a DVD player-style ‘instant on’ function, which is ably backed up by HDTV compatibility via an DVI output, plus a built-in analogue tuner (a digital one is optional) and a DVD rewriter.

Despite all these multimedia extras, it doesn’t forget its PC roots. There’s a standard 1.6GHz Intel Core Duo processor, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a hat-trick of USB ports. You also get a wireless keyboard and mouse and a remote control for navigation.

The DMS 60 comes in two flavours – the 1600 version with a 1.67GHz processor, 80GB hard drive and 512MB RAM will set you back £800, while the 2000 model with a 2.0GHz processor, 100GB hard drive and 1GB RAM goes for £1000. Head over to Hi-Grade’s site for directions on where to get one. 

22/03/06 Update: Kudos to Paul C for pointing out we were linking to a fine purveyor of door cylinders and more. The link’s now updated.