Weaknesses

Our Design

Here’s what we would change with the system if we were on the design team:

First, we would include more expansion options. Separate rear panels for upgrading the memory, CPU, and adding peripheral cards would have been nice. While this may interrupt the smoothness of the rear panel, it could be similar to what we have seen on laptops. This way we could easily transition to the latest video card technology and expand the memory or upgrade the hard drive. Although the Tek Panel is built around standard AGP/PCI devices, you need to take apart the entire rear panel to gain access to the system internals.

Second, we would have used an electronic power switch like you’ll find on your regular TV instead of a flip switch. The reason for this is once you shutdown the system in windows, you need to turn the system off with the switch so you can later turn it back on. You could leave the system on 24/7 and rely on the automated monitor shut-off mode, but we'd still prefer an electronic switch.

Third, we would have integrated some flash memory reader slots to the system, to round out the connectivity of the system. The 37" Tek Panel will add this feature.

Fourth, I believe that a PC that may be used in the living room our anywhere outside the central office should have wireless capability. I would like to see an option for a wireless 802.11g PCI card, further freeing up the outside the box thinking that created the Tek Panel. Wireless networking is perfect for sharing music and an internet connection, and it is almost getting to the point for sharing video.

Hmm that’s about it. I will add, again, that the chassis is so well integrated that you won’t be able to find anything like it on the market. You could buy a 30 inch S-IPS LCD and then build an awesome HTPC, but you will still be left with two separate boxes instead of this integrated system. The longer I use the Tek Panel, the more I realize that Hy-Tek has some great engineers and design personnel as the unit has operated without any bugs and will serve a broad audience.