SilverStone MFP51 LCD

Introduction:

    Do you happen to own a HTPC enclosure without a fancy LCD display and are perhaps lacking a MCE remote control, or you just want a fancy display on your current enclosure? Well, the folks over at SilverStone have a solution to that problem and it's the MFP51. What is this MFP51 I speak of? How will that help me with my problem? Well, the MFP51 is a (now get this) Integrated Multilanguage capable LCD that includes multimedia software and a remote control that is compatible with MCE remotes and keyboards. With that said, let's move on to the review.    

About the Company:

    Founded in the summer of 2003, Silverstone Technology is now a proven leader in the field of aluminum enclosure design and manufacturing. Our expertise in creating functional works of art from ordinary electronics and computer components is widely recognized. Numerous designs and ideas for improving computer enclosures were first created by our talented team of engineers, who are regarded by many as leaders in their respective fields. Today, Silverstone Technology continues to garner attention and awards that reflect our original vision of creating the most advanced and beautiful products available on the market.

Specifications:

A Closer Look:

Retail Front

Retail Rear

Inside the Box

CD and Manual

    Like many of the other SST products, this one comes packaged in a nice retail box with a shiny picture of the MFP51 on the box. We at VH like shiny stuff {:-Þ. The back of the box has the specs of the unit, along with a picture of the LCD and the screen's layout.

3/4 Left

Front

3/4 Right

Bottom

    The purpose behind the MFP51 is to add a display to the front of a particular enclosure. The LCD screen is dot matrix with 96x16 dots for the graph area; the rest is preset information. The preset data indicator consists of:

• Optical disk

• Multi-media

• Audio 7.1 surround sound

• Broadcasting control display

• Audio/Video formats

• Image formats

• Equalizer display

    Each one of those items I mentioned are broken down to even more specific applications. The optical disk indicator spins when a disc is in the drive. The Multi-media indicator will display a Music, Movie, Photo, CD/DVD, TV, Web Casting, News/Weather icon. The Audio indicator will display all the working speakers up to a 7.1 surround system. The Audio/Video indicator icons consist of MPG, DIVX, XVID, WMV, AC3, DT3, WMA, MP3, OGG, WAV.

Blank Screen	Scrolling	System	Info
Login	CPU	Information	Scrolling
MHz	RAM Usage	C: Drive Info	D: Info
Speaker Settings	Graphic EQ	Task Switcher	My Computer
mIRC	Email	News	Email Account
City Info	Pittsburgh	Temp	Winamp

    The LCD can display incoming Emails, News and Weather updates from around the world, and can also display the current media playing on the computer from Media Player, Winamp, iTunes, QuickTime, and more. Not to mention the actual system information from the computer like CPU type, system temperatures, fan speeds, HDD size, memory usage, speaker settings, and, oh, so much more. The feature I like the most is the graphics equalizer, which moves with the beat of the music and the sensitivity can be adjusted in the iMon program settings.

MCE Remote

Top

Middle

Bottom

    The Media Center Edition remote control can control the entire computer system. It has the ability to power the computer On/Off, act as a mouse, and even be used as a keyboard. A small, circular opening on the right side is where the remote receiver is hanging out. The signal from the remote can be picked up at a 45° angle in all directions and up to 15 meters (almost 50 feet) away.

Installation and Setup:

USB Adapter

Mobo power

Power header cable

    The MFP51 is not a very complex unit to install. It pops into a 5.25" drive bay, and only has three wiring connections and a few screws to secure the unit in place. (On this particular enclosure I used the tool-less clips.) The first connection is the motherboard power cable adapter. This adapter supplies power to the MFP51 unit. The next connection is a power lead from the MFP51 to the power switch pins on the motherboard front panel header. This connection allows the computer to be powered On and Off with the MCE remote. The last connection is to the USB port. An adapter is included to convert the USB plug to a USB header plug that is on the motherboard.

Cable Installed

Mounting Holes

LCD Installed

    The last thing to do is install the software from the CD. After the installation is complete, the iMON software will download an updated version of the software automatically. The system must be rebooted; otherwise, some of the features will not work. After that, it's just a matter of setting your personal preferences for the MFP51, then sitting back and enjoying the scrolling data.

Conclusion:

    The MFP51 is the perfect addition for someone who wants to customize their system, or for someone who has a HTPC without a display (and we all know it's just not HTPC without some sort of scrolling display.) The ability to display text in different languages make this unit very versatile. Not too mention all the different functions it can perform and information it can display. Worldwide weather and news accessibility compliments the multi-language display. The scroll speed is adjustable, along with the font and its size.

    Silverstone has a nice little product here that looks and functions quite well. Whether you want a front display to add to a desktop computer, or to a HTPC that's missing one, the MFP51 is the choice product to get for it. I would like to thank Silverstone for sending this product for VH to review.