Tranquil T2: not so peaceful

There's something odd afoot in the minds of Microsoft. This is the third Media Centre in a row that doesn't display video on a TV out of the box. Beat us like dogs if we're mistaken, but shouldn't a device that is brazen enough to claim it's the 'centre' of all your 'media' at home be able to communicate with the lowly television set?

Ok, we've coaxed these stubborn animals to output video to TV before, but why in the name of Bill aren't they configured for TV output by default? Things looked momentarily hopeful with the Tranquil T2 -- the Windows start-up screen appeared on our TV and then... an ominous black cloud fell across the world.

We'll be plugging a keyboard, mouse and VGA monitor into the Tranquil later today to sort this mess out, but what's the point in the T2's gorgeous glowing-glass facia and attractive chassis if it needs nannying to work? It's a shame because the Tranquil itself is a stunning looking machine. -CS