Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

So Dell has finally shipped the XPS 410 with Digital Cable Tuners. By my count, there are now three viable companies selling media centers with CableCard support: Dell, HP, and Velocity Micro PC.

Dell also has made an interesting choice with the XPS 410. Digital Cable Tuners (DCTs) are only available on the high-end version, which also comes with a Blu-ray drive standard. With two DCTs and a Blu-ray drive, the XPS 410 costs about $2,000. Not too bad considering a comparable system at Velocity Micro PC costs $3,500. Unlike HP, you can buy two DCTs through Dell, though they are only available as external readers.

Hopefully, Dell will offer the occasional price break for this system.