Zalman HD160XT HTPC Enclosure Review

M-Play Zini Software (Cont’d)

M-Play Installation:

Just follow the detailed installation procedure… 

A lot of the basic HTPC program functionality can be found in the M-Play Zini Home Center.  Along with Setup, Quick Launcher and Application Command (very powerful tool), you will find the AFC Fan Control screen, which provides a lot of flexibility for configuring the case fans.  This is where you can make adjustments to fan speed and find the optimum balance between cooling performance and noise to suit your personal needs.

MediaBay Installation (optional):

Continue with the installation procedure.

MediaBay is a multimedia portal program that enables you to organize and enjoy various media files such as TV, Movies, Music, Photos, etc.  It also provides network access to other media types via the remote control.  MediaBay duplicates much of the functionality provided by Windows MCE so you may opt to skip installing it if you are using Windows XP MCE.  On the other hand, if you are not using MCE, you may find MediaBay a great asset.

Keep in mind we have barely scratched the surface of the bundled software’s capabilities.  There is enough here to keep even the most die-hard tweaker entertained for weeks!  However, if tweaking software isn’t your game, then the majority of the default settings work just fine.

Edit 10-12-07

If you are interested in trying out an alternate software package for the HD160XT, check out Dr. Daniel Rolf’s free software here.