Specifications, Availability and Pricing

Since the specs list is very inclusive, I will assume you read it and we can consider what is on the inside of the MC001-BD covered. Although the TV tuner is marked as an option, all of the units, not just the Blu-ray model have these included. The unit tested today offers the DVB-T connection for said tuner, since I am from the ATSC camp, I won't be able to give Windows Media Center a try with this tuner. What really impresses me is that ARCTIC was able to get all of those components into a chassis that is 40mm wide, 143mm deep and 266mm tall. I have books on shelves bigger than this.

Not really covered in the specs chart is the externals of the MC-001. They don't cover that there is a two piece construction that is made of sleek, shiny black plastic that will match any HTPC environment. Nor do they cover that the other half of this construction is made from a thick piece of aluminum to aid the internal heat sinks like I covered in the intro. The last thing they don't cover is how good this thing looks once you have it sitting beside the TV.

The availability isn't really a question. You can locate these MC001-BD systems from ARCTIC directly for the cost of $629.95. I was able to locate a US version of this stateside for just over $600 for the unit. Of course the EU market has its listings as well, but mathematically they are all pretty close across the board once the currency is converted.

This is where I have my largest issue with this unit. For this sort of money I could even get a better laptop with an HDMI port to do just about the same thing, but then things like the Audio Relay I got included with my kit, wouldn't work, nor would some of the other accessories that make this unit so easy to use and navigate, even if you haven't owned an HTPC system before.