Believe it or not, Silicon Mountain has been around for some 14 years now, but it just recently splashed onto the consumer scene with its HTPC-infused Allio HDTV. Hailed as the first HDTV to offer an inbuilt Blu-ray drive, the set is likely just the beginning of what the company has to offer, or at least that's the vibe we get when reading through a recent interview with CEO Tré Cates. For starters, he mentioned a soon-to-come "Allio Effect," which sounds to be a customized internet TV portal to get you in front of interesting content quicker. The biggest news, however, was the Allio Extreme -- an upcoming (Q1 2009) version of the existing Allio that will boast an NVIDIA GPU and "be able to play Crysis." Furthermore, a cheaper Allio with Ubuntu is just around the bend, and if you're looking to buy in bulk, you could probably pick up a few sans an OS at all. Tap the read link for the full writeup should you please.

Troubled by your one and only option for purchasing one of Silicon Mountain's unique Allio HDTVs? No worries -- the company has just landed deals with ten more e-tailers in order to give you a litany of options when it comes time to purchase. Internet mainstays like Amazon, PC Mall, CompUSA, DataVision, TigerDirect and Safari Micro made the cut, all agreeing to offer the PC-in-an-HDTV that was recently loosed upon the unsuspecting public. Time to price compare, kids.

Talk about putting all of your eggs in one basket. Silicon Mountain has evidently taken a note from Lumenlab with its incredibly multifaceted Allio. For starters, the 42-inch set arrives with a full-blown PC within, including an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and Windows Vista Home Premium. You'll also find a smorgasbord of inputs, a number of USB ports, wired / wireless networking options and a 1080p panel; speaking of the TV itself, it features a 2,000:1 contrast ratio, 400 cd/m2 brightness and twin 12-watt speakers. On top of all that, the California-assembled unit even includes a slim-line Blu-ray player, theoretically beating both Sharp and Funai to the market with Blu-ray-infused HDTVs. As of now, six different configurations are available (including a 32-incher) starting at $1,599, and the company is planning on offering "low-cost" versions with Ubuntu in the near future. Head on past the break for the full release.

After spending a bit of time with Sony's new all-in-one desktop lineup at CEDIA 2008, it was easy to recognize that some serious thought went into the design. CNET was able to corral one of the lower-end JS units, the VAIO VGC-JS190J to be specific, and took the time to determine whether the innards were as delightful as the exterior. Overall, critics found that it was the "best deal" going on an all-in-one desktop with an inbuilt Blu-ray drive, and amazingly, they found it "relatively free of software clutter." Furthermore, they yearned for more screen space than just 20-inches when watching those BD flicks, but outside of that, they found that "no other all-in-one, including Apple's iMac, could do as much, as fast, for the same price." Sounds like a winner, no?

Rather than taking the circular approach, Sony's choosing more traditional design models to follow with its latest trio of all-in-one PCs. As you can see in the gallery below, the larger of the two were actually mounted up on swing-arms, essentially acting as monitors for watching TV / playing PS3. The small guy didn't do a whole lot for us, but the two hung up on the wall were pretty svelte. See for yourself, won't you?

We were already warned that Sony was gearing up to push the Blu-ray / HD recording abilities of its VAIO machines, and here's all the proof you need that it plans on keeping its word. Here at CEDIA, the outfit has unveiled a trio of new all-in-one desktop PCs -- not quite ready for an HTPC label, but definitely catering to the hordes of high-def junkies out there. The VAIO JS, LV and RT desktop models all boast at least an optional integrated BD optical drive, and surprisingly, each model is incredibly distinct. For instance, the budget-minded JS boasts a 20.1-inch XBRITE-ECO LCD alongside an integrated webcam and microphone for $1,000, while the LV includes a 24-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) screen, optional BD writer and built-in DVR functionality with up to 1TB of storage; furthermore, it offers an HDMI input for connecting your set-top-box or PS3. The $3,300 (and up) RT comes with a 25.5-inch Full HD LCD aimed at video editors, and there's also integrated digital TV tuners, HDMI in / out, up to 8GB of RAM and one of Intel's Core 2 Quad CPUs. The trifecta should arrive in mid-October for those interested, and there's one more luscious angle after the break.

Not even a month after Lumenlab loosed its luxurious Qmax on the world, the firm's Q42 has finally escaped beta and is ready to tackle your living room. This PC-in-a-TV features an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 processor, an optional NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 1TB of hard drive space, gigabit Ethernet, 7.1-channel surround sound, optional Hotwire networking technology, a silent cooling system, all aluminum frame and an optional (but totally necessary) Blu-ray drive to boot. As expected, everything's housed behind a 42-inch 1080p LCD panel, and for those still in shock over the Qmax's $10,000 sticker, the $3,850 starting price on this bugger should be a sight for sore eyes.

There's all-in-one PCs, and then there's the Q. This behemoth sports a unique identity crisis, as it attempts to pose as an aluminum-framed HDTV while featuring a full-fledged computer within. Nevertheless, the 42-inch Q packs a 1080p panel, compatibility with the Lumenlab's own Hotwire PnP powerline networking technology, a fanless design, 1TB of HDD storage, 2GB of RAM and an Intel Core Duo processor. Unfortunately, details beyond that are fairly slim, but we should get a better idea of specifications and pricing when its ship date draws closer.

[Thanks, Scott]