We have to assume there’s no intentional irony in the fact that media center and home theater developer VidaBox‘s Web site is almost entirely inaccessible today—we’ll just be kind and assume they’re doing some under-the-radar guerilla marketing in support of its just-announcd Stealth media center PC.
The Stealth isn’t quite as sneaky as VidaBox’s Slim, but at 3.6 inches tall, it’s not exactly going to stand out in your room like a pink elephant—particularly since VidaBox claims the Stealth offers a completely silient design, so no fans, clicks, and humming will interrupt your home theater and media experience. The Stealth is powered by an AMD X2 dual-core 3800+ AM2 CPU and offers VGA and DVI video output (along with S-Video, composite, and component outputs), and support for 1080i HD output (1080p in the high-end Limited Edition). For I/O, the system offers gigabit Ethernet, 6-pin FireWire, 3 USB 2.0 powers, three audio outputs, S/pDIR coaxial output, analog cable coax inputs, and an optional CableCard port. HDMI 1.3 (with HDCP compliance) is available as an upgrade option. The Stealth is dual-tuner capable, offering choices of dual SD tuners, mixed HD and SD tuners, and is driven by Nvidia graphics controllers: the 6150 in the standard edition, and the 256 MB 7600GS in the HDTV, Premium, and Limited Editions. Storage options range from 500 GB to 1,500 GB, with support for 1 to 4 GB of RAM.
“The Stealth is perfect for those who consider silence and small size as definite must-haves, without compromising or sacrificing any features,” says Steven Cheung, co-founder of VidaBox. “The Stealth really shines in home theaters, where noise must be kept to an absolute minimum. Our unique system design, using special heat pipes and heat sinks in conjunction with sound deadening hard drive and DVD drive enclosures, keeps the system completely silent without the use of any fans—which are a major source of noise pollution. The VidaBox Stealth is so small and quiet—you won’t even know it’s there!”
Of course, with prices started at $4,399 for a base system, some of us would never be able to forget it was there.
