SilverStone Lascala 10M Home Theater (HTPC) Case

The iMON Software:

SilverStone chose to bundle the iMON VFD from SoundGraph with this case (they also have another case model without this bundle). The front VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) comes pre-mounted, inside the case is a power connector (connects to floppy plug), USB connector (can use a motherboard header or USB port on the back I/O panel), and power switch connector (allows for power on/off via the remote).

Installing the iMON software from the CD was very simple and I was up and running in no time. There are several programs that perform various tasks. The first program is for the VFD, allowing customization of the display, which can do all sorts of tasks like local weather, or even checking email. The next program is for the remote, which allows complete customization of all the buttons for any program. There are dozens of preset files for popular software like PowerDVD for example. The third program is the Multi-Median software package, this is the multimedia component, much like Windows MCE.

The iMON Multi-Median program allows for simple interaction via the remote control, and everything is easily read on a television. The initial menu lets you choose several sources, HDD, CD/DVD, TV, or Camcorder. Once choosing a source, the next menu level allows for playing music, movies, or viewing pictures. The display for all three is very similar in a folder fashion, allowing for sub-folders or however the user chooses to separate their data.

The manual doesn't really mention the TV portion of the software, and unfortunately I don't have TV tuner card yet, so I wasn't able to test it out. From what I gather the Multi-Median software allows for simple viewing / recording TV, but doesn't have any sort of TV guide / recording schedule.