06.06.2007 — It's finally here. Alienware has formally announced its Hangar18: HD Entertainment Center, based on the AMD Live Home Cinema design.

The Media Center PC, which begins shipping June 25, starts at $1,999. I was hoping for something a little higher to entice the CE channel, but that price is still higher than the initial $1,500 they were planning to charge.

The products can be purchased through the Web site. I'll keep CE pros posted on Alienware's channel initiatives. Earlier, the company claimed they actually planned to sell the Hangar18 through home systems integrators.

All products feature:

• Windows Vista Home Premium
  
• Built-in 5.1 surround sound amplifier pumping out up to 200 watts per channel of "high-octane audio." (You wouldn't want the low-octane variety)
  
• HDMI interface with Digital Content Protection (HDCP)
  
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors for running multiple applications simultaneously
  
• Wireless 802.11b/g
  
• AMD Live Entertainment Suite
  
• Gyration universal remote
  

No word yet on CableCard, though.

Here's how they break down:

Entry-level ($1,999)

• 250 GB hard drive
  
• 720p HDMI output
  
• 1 analog, 1 HD/digital tuner (record 2 shows at once)
  

Mid-level ($2,909)

• 750 GB hard drive
  
• 1 Analog, 1 HD/Digital Tuner (record 2 shows at once)
  
• 1080p HDMI output
  
• Klipsch 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers w/ Subwoofer
  

Decked-out ($3,899)

• 2 TB hard drive
  
• 2 Analog, 2 HD/Digital Tuner (record 4 shows at once) – Note: in one place it says 2 tuners, and in another it says 4, but I'm going with the 4 here.
  
• 1080p HDMI output
  
• Klipsch 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers w/ Subwoofer
  

Better Options for the Channel?

Initially, I said Alienware could clean up in the channel, but not so fast. There's still Sony, with its XL3 Digital Living System, which I have also surmised could do well among home systems integrators.

As I have done with Alienware, though, I question Sony's commitment to the channel.

Integrators might fare better with the new entry-level products that have channel-friendly manufacturers behind them.

That includes:

• Inteset's Vana VA6420-sx
  
• Niveus's yet-to-be-detailed entry-level Media Center PC, ostensibly for MDUs (multidwelling units)
  
• ACE Computers' LMS Media Center
  
• Various new LMS PCs from Exceptional Innovation (No relation to ACE's LMS)