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Visionman Allio PCTV review - Part two: Specifications and general information
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Allio Connectivity
This section of the Allio PC/TV review considers the technical specifications and basic set-up of the Allio system. If you’ve just found this first, you might want to back up to the start of this review series.
Specifications are drawn directly from the Visionman web page:
- Allio 42” 1080p LCD HDTV
- 16:9 Full Screen Aspect Ratio
- 3D Y/C Digital Comb Filter
- 176 Degree / 176 Degree Viewing Angle
- 2000:1 Contrast
- 400cd Brightness
- Built-in 12Wx2 Speakers
- 7.1 Surround Sound w/Dolby Home Theatre
- 2 x Component Video & Audio Connectors
- 2 x HDMI Connectors
- 1 x S-Video & Audio Connector
- 1 x Composite Video & Audio Connector
- 6 x USB 2.0 Ports
- 1 x eSATA Port
- 1 x DVI-I Port
- 1 x HDMI Output Only
- 1 x S/PDIF Optical Audio Out
- Intel Core 2 Duo
- Up to 4GB High-Speed DDR2-800 Memory
- Slim 2X BD-ROM Blu-Ray Player (Play’s DVD’s too!)
- Plays & Burns DVD’s as Well!
- Up to Western Digital 1TB (1000GB) SATA-II HDD
- Integrated Intel GMA X4500HD Video
- Hauppauge HVR-950Q TV Tuner
- Gigabit 10/100/1000 Ethernet
- Wireless 802.11b/g
- Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit
- Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
- Wall Mountable
- Menu Languages: English, Spanish, French
- Includes A/V Cable, User Manual, Remote Control
A lot of numbers which different people have different opinions about. I’ll break it down into Real Life terms.
Like any good HDTV, the Allio system is wide screen. A 176 degree viewing angle is wholly accurate with a very low brightness falloff away from center viewing. This is a screen that you can see from pretty much anywhere in the room with no color shift observed from any angle. The screen is bright enough to view easily in high-indoor-light conditions and is matte anti-glare.
I have seen a few people (who do not have an Allio) complain about the 2000:1 contrast ratio being too low, so I feel it is important to point out: This is TRUE contrast ratio, not Dynamic Contrast Ratio. When working with “How does it actually look?”, any dynamic contrast ratio information is not an accurate indicator of the quality of the display. There is no standard for measuring dynamic contrast ratio, which is why it is used as a way to claim bigger numbers that look better. In reality itself, the display has a good, crisp, clear, and bright picture, whether the output is from the computer or any other source.
The TV has built in stereo speakers which will perform the function of standard use very well. I was not able to test extended volume levels.
The TV itself has a built-in digital tuner so is definitely ready for the 2009 transition. Other connectivity on the TV section includes S/PDIF optical audio in; Composite A/V, 1x in and 1x out; S-Video in (Audio apparently shared with the composite video in); 2x component A/V in; 1x VGA in with minijack audio in; 2x HDMI in.
The PC connectivity includes 7.1 DHT surround 4-minijack audio out; Line/Mic minijack in; S/PDIF optical out; 6x USB ports; 1x Gigabit 10/100/1000 ethernet; eSATA; DVI out; 1x HDMI out; Wireless network.
Standard set up will consume three of the USB ports one the computer for the IR, the TV tuner, and the keyboard and mouse, leaving three available for other uses. Of course, some are optional. The slightly disturbing bit though is that there is no internal connection between the PC and the TV, thus consuming one of the HDMI ports on the TV to get the PC data to it. This leaves one HDMI port actually free for other things.
Honestly, given that many high-end users who have multiple HDMI sources have an separate audio receiver to deal with HDMI switching and the single remaining HDMI port is sufficient for most other uses of this system, simply be aware of this factor. People with numerous video game systems as well as many other HDMI sources may want to make arrangements for a receiver to do HDMI switching though. The people who are most likely to be inconvenienced by this factor are folks who have a cable or satellite receiver outputting HDMI along with a single video game console outputting HDMI.
Noise-wise, I’m certain most people are used to the fan whir from their PC’s. While the fan on the Allio PC section does run at full speed for a few seconds when the PC is starting up, the normal operating speed of the fan leaves it very quiet. It was not discernable over the background noise of a small office environment and definitely would not intrude on home use of the system. I found no indications of heat issues after the system had been running for quite some time. The only possible concern may be dusty environments having an effect on the fan, however the CPU fan is visible through the vent slots in the back of the system, so likely can be air-dusted by knowledgeable parties if needed.
The iOne keyboard that currently ships with the Allio unfortunately seems to be of questionable quality. My use of the keyboard uncovered a proliferation of errors in typing from a few meters away. They keyboard itself has an odd feel, unlike that of a quality laptop keyboard, and the touch pad sensitivity leaves much to be desired. I feared I may develop friction calluses from the five or six swipes across the touchpad required to move the pointer fully across the screen. The good news is that the keyboard is simply a USB device. As such, it can be easily replaced with the control devices of your choosing.
Software-wise, the system comes pre-loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium with both Firefox and Internet Explorer loaded for web browsers; Windows Media Center; WinTV; CyberDVD; and an “Application” called MyAllio.
That last item deserves a bit more explanation. Currently, MyAllio appears to be a favorites list for IE that has links to web sites for access to IPTV. According to the developers, this will be updated in the near future (no timeline given) to a more comprehensive entertainment and media hub. This is definitely a location that they can capitalize on. Creating one-stop access to everything anybody may want will make the system much more home entertainment-friendly. Until this is accomplished, including potentially a method to control the PC via the TV’s remote, users do need to know how to use a Windows Vista system in order to make use of anything other than just the basic TV features.
Obviously the system is a normal computer, so people can use the drive space to load up any applications that they see fit.
The only other thing, which some people may consider to be nit-picking, however I was impacted enough by it to mention it, small as it may be: The Allio has a lovely little brightly-colored Allio logo directly on the frame of the screen in the lower center. The close proximity of this logo to the display itself is somewhat distracting.
The next section of this review will cover home user aspects of the system.
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