Living With the Hp Touchsmart 600: Part 1
March 15th, 2010
The guys over at HP asked me to take a challenge – to see if I could live with their TouchSmart 600 computer as a serious all-in-one entertainment hub. Over the the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the chance to put the TouchSmart through its paces and will be sharing my experiences with you during the course of the week.
Since this is the first post in the series, I thought I’d take a minute to walk you through the TouchSmart 600′s hardware. The particular configuration I had my hands on was the 600-1055. The system features a beautiful 23-inch widescreen display, powered by NextWindow’s optical multitouch technology. Since the display uses an infrared touch technology, it can only handle two points of input, but that’s enough for manipulating simple media interfaces and handling gestures like flicks, pinch and zoom with aplomb. The system also has a high quality sound system built in, and the audio is certainly as good as anything you’d find built into a good television these days. It’s no substitute for a full surround rig, but it’s fine for a small room. And of course, there is an SPDIF optical output if you really do want to hook the TouchSmart to a proper surround system.
Under the hood, there’s a serviceable Core 2 Duo P7450, running a 2.13GHz, and the system has 4GB of RAM and a speedy 7200RPM 750GB SATA hard drive, perfect for recording television programs and handling other media utility work – right in the sweet spot for this machine. The system ships with Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit edition, so they didn’t skimp on the OS, either.
My first objective with the TouchSmart was to see how well it would work as a TV/DVR. The timing for this couldn’t have been better, as my brand new 58-inch Samsung plasma died and we had no TV in our living room for the last month (eeegads!) So while I wouldn’t normally recommend using a 23-inch display as your primary television, it worked for us in a pinch. The TouchSmart’s display size is definitely better suited to a bedroom, or maybe an office or den. It’s just a little large for most kitchens, but they do offer a 20-inch model as well.
So, back to the TV/DVR thing. There are a few ways to slice and dice this on the TouchSmart, and that’s part of the beauty of this thing. You can watch live television using the computer’s built in Digital ATSC tuner, and using either the included TouchSmart software or Windows Media Center, you can view live programs, and record them for later playback. I personally preferred the Windows Media software for this, as it works with the bundled remote control, and was a bit zippier than the TouchSmart interface. That said, the TouchSmart version does work well if you plan on primarily the touch screen for input, so maybe it would be good in a small room where you will be right by the screen all the time.
I recorded several programs in both the foreground and background, and didn’t run into any problems with playback quality, even for 720p and 1080i HD broadcasts. Oddly enough, I did run into some stutter on HD content in the TouchSmart app during live TV though, but it’s possible some sort of background task (maybe anti-virus or system updates) was hogging resources. This only occurred once or twice in my experience. The recording worked fine, even in the background while other tasks were going on, although since there’s only a single tuner, you won’t be able to record two programs at the same time like you can with some DVRs. However, I couldn’t figure out a way to pause or scrub that program while the program was recording using the TouchSmart software. It works fine with a live program that you’re not currently recording, though, so go figure.
That all said, I felt that the program guide interface for the Windows Media side of the house was much easier to read from a distance and found more APG program data than the TouchSmart version managed to muster. That said, the system includes both interfaces, so its your choice. Here’s the TouchSmart running Windows Media Center Live TV for comparison:
In addition to over-the-air television, the TouchSmart software includes apps for Netflix and Hulu, both of which performed admirably, and featured touch-enhanced interfaces with bigger buttons, and nice scrub bars for jumping through content. I’ll be covering the DVD/Blu-Ray and streaming video capabilities in more detail in my next post.
But what if you’ve got a satellite or fiber-optic receiver? With most desktop PCs, you’d be out of luck. There’s an S-Video input and an IR blaster output if you want to use a set-top tuner with Windows Media Center. And while you can’t use the built-in media or touchscreen software to watch from one of these devices in high-def, the TouchSmart has a handy HDMI input on the side, which lets you flip out of computer mode, and use it just like a regular HDTV.
I tried it with both my DirecTV HD DVR and my Sony PlayStation 3, and it worked great with both. My only issue with this input is that there’s no decent cable management for it, whereas all the other ports on the computer are neatly tucked behind a cover, this cable ends up sticking out of the side of the display. That said, It’s a minor complaint. More computers need to include this feature. There’s also a component RCA and stereo audio input there too, but I’m not really looking forward to watching crappy old video signals on a beautiful 1920 x 1080 LCD, are you? On the other hand, God of War III looks mighty nice.
Overall, I’d say the TouchSmart 600 is a fine performer for watching and recording television programs, and there are numerous choices for how you get your digital content into the system. I wouldn’t say it’s an ideal living room system because of the relatively small screen size, for a bedroom or office, it’s perfect. And while the TouchSmart software itself may not be as refined as Windows Media Center for TV viewing, the hardware is quite capable, and it’s your choice which interface to use.
Over the next few days, I’ll be talking about my experiences with movies and streamed content, as well as music and audio on the system. Be sure to swing by again for more details. And if you’re really attentive, you’ve got a chance to win a TouchSmart 600 for yourself.
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Categories: Computing Home Entertainment Technology Video
Tags: 23-inch blu ray computer dvr hdmi hdtv hp htpc multitouch nextwindow review touchscreen touchsmart windows 7
I love this Computer. I want to have one…
this computor is probably the best out there
This is so sweet! Oh, hope at some point I can get my hands on one! Gotta love HP!
Why doesn’t the contest include other countries?
My daughter recently purchased one of these. It will be interesting to get my hands on one. So far they seem to be awestruck with the touch screen.
I have to admit I am practically enamoured with the idea of fusing touch screens typically found on our small hand-held devices to a much stronger PC-based media center. I wonder if the next post will touch on the screen at all?
Seems like an innovative product that, with a few software upgrades, would fit well into man, many homes. Maybe in my own as well someday.
Just one word: superb! With HDMI connects to HDTV, may be with Xbox or PS3, internet search, and TOUCH!!! I wonder if someone could make an visual keyboard application on Touch Smart 600 so I don’t have to use my USB keyboard and just type it on the screen….that would be really cool~!
Question: Is Wi-fi built in? or have to buy an adapter?
I will really like receive this computer and try making applications for TOUCH…
nice i look forward to the reviews regarding the computer the next couple of weeks. one of the guys in my dorm just got new apple imac and i am interested in seeing how this hp does against the imac.
very nice. if you look around done companies do make right angle hdmi cables, so that side mounted port shouldn’t be a problem at all
Great review so far, thanks!
Great article. Looking forward to the next couple. Have been very curious about the “touch” technology on a home PC – if it’s useful. Was wondering, though, if you can hook up an additional display for this computer? It does not seem to have a DSUB port to hook up another monitor or TV. Is there another way to do this?
If only it good do the grocery shopping. It all sounds good to me. Can’t wait to try it out.
~~fingers crossed~~
This is defiantly a forward thinking product since the lines between TV and PC are starting to blur and some people like me are canceling their cable and going all streaming content. The merge between PC, HDTV and Touch Screen is an awesome combination. The specs you listed are fairly decent and your only grips are, in my eyes, easily overlooked. I am already using my PS3 and PC together as a media server it would be nice to have a product like this the take out the middle man.
How is the screen after using it? Is it a fingerprint magnet like so many smooth and shiny devices? How difficult is it to clean the screen?
I second the visual keyboard idea – this would be great in the kitchen mounted to a cabinet but I really don’t want a keyboard on the counter cluttering things up. An on-screen keyboard would be fine for media / recipe lookup / etc.
How quiet is this system in a home environment? Is the noise generated by 7200RPM drive noticeable at all? Any fan noise?
Its crazy the distance we have traveled in technology and entertainment. The HP touchsmart is a time stamp for both. Got to want it!
Hey, this looks sweet! Will you talk at all about how it works as a Blu-ray player? I’d also like to hear about the touch screen technology. Does it work with Windows 7? What about standard apps like the Office products?
Looking forward to the next articles in this series.
@Jeff it does work with Windows 7, in fact it runs Windows 7 64 bit
You guys might want to say something about the drawbacks of the desktop, it doesn’t seem to have any… Does it have built-in wifi?
This computer looks pretty sweet. Perfect for a bedroom setup. Or say a dorm room.
Every time I look at those pictures I can’t help noticing how the keyboard is nicely lit, making it perfect for night flights! The desktop seems to be a perfect multi-purpose machine for people who like to use their space wisely…
touchsmart ftw.. Ive been wanting to get some multitouch dev on for a while.. its an impressive system
I loved my HP TX1000. The touch was years behind this one and still did amazingly! So I would welcome this into my collection of gadgets lovingly =] PLEASE PICK ME!!!
Answer to Question : Yes the previous models had WIFI built in, I’m sure this one does too.
Yes, 802.11n built in.
Is there only a single hdmi input?
Yep, just one HDMI input. But one is better than none
Wish I had this thing when all I had was my tiny studio apartment. Being able to watch live tv and hooking up a gaming system and have it still function as a computer? Wow
Wow, looks amazing. Would fit perfectly in my small apt.
This is great! I wonder how well it works with gaming? Are there any bonuses in gaming with a touchscreen?
There are a few simple multitouch games with the Windows 7 Touch Pack, but they’re more for show than anything else. On the other hand, the touchscreen works really well with many flash games, as well as RTS games.
Wow! An HP computer that I could like, maybe even love. I think I’m ready for a new long-term relationship again.
Yup, it makes for a nice TV. I want to hook up my Xbox 360 to it!
Having gotten spoiled by the windows media center on our current tv, this looks like an excellent solution for the “I still want to watch a movie we’ve got stored on the computer but not in the living room on the 52 inch screen” –ie: the kids are using the tv for lego star wars and i want to be somewhere else! We have a lot of converted British TV that is only viewable via computer and this makes evenings watching “Hyperdrive”much more appealing than sitting at my macbook.
This computer is so awesome… forget the tv… this has a better ui experience.
The sleek design for all in ones is a plus for me, the HD input is a much have even if it does stick out of the side to enjoy cut scenes from such games as FF13 or GoW3.
Nice review, looking forward to the other two. I’d love the chance to get this computer.
This would be great, but does the screen get dirty easily? Plus, it looks like the screen is reflective, which could give a bad glare if you’re looking at it from the wrong angle.
Still have about 5 different places to use this. Now I think maybe the shop to view instructables would be a good place too. or remote in to my work pc to get to my cad software would be great too.
Hulu isn’t available in Canada, will the app be in the Canadian release of this machine?
Good question. While the app may be installed, I would doubt that the videos will play if there’s a Canadian restriction on the actual streaming infrastructure.
There most definitely is an IP location restriction on Hulu content in Canada. Some of the Canadian networks are starting to stream content online (The Comedy Network and Global come to mind), but there are no dedicated apps for these sites that I am aware of. Also, no streaming Netflix at the current time that I am aware of either, although Netflix keeps talking about a northernly expansion.
The hp touchsmart 600 looks outstanding and seems like it would be perfect for college dorm life. I also think if I got one of these I would spend the first hour just messing around with the touch screen because that would be so fun!
this looks so amazing.
What does “scrub the program” mean? Delete commercials from a recording or clean it up somehow?
Scrubing is a video editing term which means to scan the content back and forth in realtime to find a specific edit point. For example, hitting the 2x/4x/8x/ FF button on your DVD remote is a form of scrubbing. Most video editing hardware has a “jog” dial which allows you to quickly and intuitively “scrub” back and forth to find the exact video frame you want to edit.
In the case with the TouchSmart, it would appear that you can use your finger on the timeline of the movie and “jog” or “scrub” the video around to the exact point in the video you want to start watching at.
thanks!
I think this computer is very interesting for someone who does gaming (PS3 /XBOX on HDMI) and can also take advantage of a big screen for computer use.
I really like the fact that it has integrated apps for Hulu and Netflix for sure!
I’ve been trying to win one of these since Christmas to replace my broken DV9000. It has very similar spec (overall), except for the added touchscreen interface. I would love to have this continue the long line of HP/Compaqs I’ve had. Thank you for the opportunity!
Wow, this is just the first post on the series and I am already drooling! That’s definitely more than your average array of fancy inputs , it can definitely make my home office (aka man-cave) more like a corporate home office!
I once bought one of those ATI TV Tuners and at the time (7+ years ago) I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
DVR, Blue-Ray, touch screen, netflix, hulu, touchscreen, pick me, pick me!
I love that it has a Tuner card!! I used to have a desktop that had a tuner card and it was amazing. At the time I didn’t have an iPod, like I do now. I wonder if it’s possible to record using the tuner card and put it on the iPod without much hassle? This is a beautiful machine, with a great picture! Thank you for offering it HP and Technabob!
Wow thank you for being so detailed! I have been thinking about this computer for awhile and it is nice to learn about the media features especially that it has a Netflix app and Hulu app since I use those daily! Also thanks for doing this contest (fingers crossed)
nice sweet awesome
Oooh, that sounds awesome! Would go great in my studio.
The features that really interests me in this touchsmart 600 are the touch screen and DVR capabilities, seems pretty cool. Looking forward to learning more.
I wish you’d delved into the usability, ie “if ergonomic use the touch screen or keyboard is more convenient?
How timely. I was just considering purchasing one of these, and this blog entry came up in a google search.
How responsive is Windows with the touch screen? I’ve heard mixed opinions on it.
I’ve had no issues with touch responsiveness, although the IR NextWindow screen does have two tiny dead zones at the top right and top left of the screen. This is a limitation of the IR technology that enable such large touchscreens. Someday, I hope HP will go with a true capacitive multitouch, but today, that would be price prohibitive.
Cool. Thanks for the response.
This is a great looking computer.