Hi-Grade UltiNote G6000S review

If you don't have space for a PC and a TV, or you just can't face the hassle of setting up a full-blown Media Center PC with lots of cables and a big screen, then Hi-Grade's Ultinote G6000S offers a simple solution.

Not only is it crammed with the latest notebook components, but it also comes with an analogue TV tuner and Microsoft's Windows Media Center operating system.

Windows Media Center can be switched between normal mode and Media Center mode. In Media Center mode, the G6000S can be operated by a remote control and gives you instant access to all five terrestrial channels. Just plug an antenna into the laptop's TV tuner, run the Media Center setup Wizard and you can watch, record and even pause live TV. Media Center also gives you fast access to all the music, video and picture files on your laptop, so you'll be able to use this as your one-stop home entertainment centre.

Specifications

The 2GHz processor makes the G6000S a powerful notebook. In our benchmarks it scored a respectable 101.86, which is enough for the most demanding applications like video and photo editing. The ATI X700 graphics chip ran our Doom 3 games test at 36fps. That's enough graphics power to play any of the latest games - though not always with their detail settings turned up high.

Recording video uses up lots of hard disk space, so the 100GB hard disk is a necessity. If you find yourself running low on space, you can always use the DVD writer. You can burn your recorded shows to dual-layer DVDs, which can hold hours of good quality footage.

Elsewhere there are four USB 2 sockets, as well as ports for connecting to a network or using the 56K modem. There laptop also has an 802.11g Wi-Fi adapter. External speakers can be hooked up via the line-out and if you want to watch your DVD collection on an even bigger screen, there's a handy S-Video port that can be connected to most televisions.

Usability

As you'd expect from a laptop primarily meant for watching DVDs and TV, the G6000S comes with a screen fit for a king. The 15.4in monitor is super-bright and glossy enough to enrich colours without reflecting too much background activity. It also has superb viewing angles, which means that even someone who's sitting at an angle to the screen will be able to see what's happening - vital for an entertainment centre. It's a widescreen display too, so you can watch DVDs as they were intended to be seen.

Generally speaking, the G6000S is comfortable to use. The keyboard gets a little warm, but nearly all the keys are full size, thanks to the extra width allowed by the widescreen. One small complaint is that the keyboard is a little noisy - loud enough to be a distraction if there are others in the same room. The trackpad's good though. It's smooth and the mouse buttons offer a satisfying click when pressed.

Carry On Notebook

In our intensive battery tests the G6000S kept going for one hour and 59 minutes. It wil probably last longer in general use, for instance if you're just writing a letter in Word. If you're watching a DVD or playing games, however, around two hours is a more realistic battery life. This is still very good. If it were just a little lighter we'd be a little happier recommending it for keeping you entertained while travelling, but at 3.6kg, it's going to be responsible for some seriously sore shoulders.

Buying Decisions

The Ultinote G6000S is powerful enough to handle any software you'd care to run on it. It's comfortable to use and has a long enough battery life to be used away from the mains, though it's quite heavy. Add to this the excellent widescreen display, Windows Media Centre and a TV tuner, and you've got the ideal system for any media buff. Our only misgiving is that the TV tuner is analogue, which means you only get five channels, rather than the thirty or so you get with a digital Freeview tuner. There's also the added disadvantage that if you still have this laptop in 2010, when BBC and ITV stop broadcasting in analogue, you won't be able to get any TV at all.