ION NETTOPS - Perfect for XBMC

[Afrsa]

Here is a list of some new (or old) nettops:


ZOTAC MAG (~249 €)









CPU
Intel® Atom™ 330 (dual-core)
Intel® Atom™ 230 (single-core)

GPU:
NVIDIA® ION™

Display Options:
HDMI (Digital 8-channel LPCM Audio) and VGA

Memory
2GB DDR2-800

Hard disk
160GB 5400RPM 2.5”

Memory Card Reader

4-in-1 (SD/MS/MS Pro/xD)

SATA
eSATA 3.0Gbp/s

Ethernet
10/100/1000Mbps

WiFi
802.11n integrated

USB 2.0
6 (4 on back panel, 1 on front panel, 1 on top panel)

Audio
Onboard analog stereo high-definition audio

8-Channel LPCM digital audio (HDMI)

Optical S/PDIF audio output

DirectX support
DirectX 10 with Shader Model 4.0

Other hardware features
OpenGL 3.1 compatible, NVIDIA® PhysX® ready, NVIDIA® CUDA™ ready, NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology

HDCP:
Yes

Software Features:
nView Multi-Display

Windows Vista capability
Windows Vista/7 with aero user interface compatible

Mor info in: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Z..._Nettop/1.html


ASUS EeeBox PC EB1501






Specifications
OS Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
CPU Intel® Atom™ N330 Dual Core
Memory 2 x So-DIMM Slots, DDR2-800 2G (UP to 4G)
Storage SATA 2.5'' 250GB
Optical Drive Slim Slot-in Super Multi DVD-RW
Chipset NVIDIA® ION™
Graphics NVIDIA® ION™
LAN 10/100/1000 Mbps
Wireless 802.11b/g/n

Front Panel
* Slot-in Super Multi DVD-RW
* Card Reader x 1
* USB 2.0 x 2
* Headphone-out jack x 1
* MIC x 1

Rear I/O
* Wi-Fi antenna x 1 (built-in)
* USB 2.0 x 4
* D-Sub x 1
* HDMI out x 1
* eSATA x1
* Audio out (S/PDIF out) jack x1
* Giga Lan x 1

Power Supply 19Vdc, 3.42A, 65W Power Adaptor
Dimension 1.5 L (193mm x 193mm x 39mm)
Weight 1.2kg

Accessories
* QSG
* Power Adapter(65W)+ Power Cord
* Stylish Stand
* VESA-Mount Kit
* Remote Controller (Option)
* Wired/Wireless KB+ Mouse(Option)

Colors: Noble White & Modern Black

More info in: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?con...aDVvtKZ9hHhda2


Asrock ION 330HT (2nd-gen)





Designed based on our 1st-gen ION 330 systems, the 2nd-gen ION 330HT series have eliminated the impossibilities and integrated lots terrific features. Let’s
read on the following pages to see what’s extra new on our revolutionary 2nd-gen ION 330HT nettops!

Intel® AtomTM 330 1.6 GHz Dual-Core CPU, NVIDIA® IONTM 330 chipset
The cleverly named ION 330HT series mean that it is a full-feature home theater solution based on the wonderful NVIDIA® IONTM graphics architecture. And it is equipped with Intel® AtomTM 330 1.6 GHz Dual-Core CPU, NVIDIA® IONTM 330 chipset, 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 memory, maximum memory capacity up to
4GB. The native ION graphics also bring full support for CUDA applications and DirectX 10, Full HD 1080p (Blu-ray) playback and be able to play true high-definition videos and games.

Windows 7 compatible
ASRock NetTop ION 330 system is the world’s 1st ION NetTop system which passed the Windows® 7 logo submission! Surely, our nettops are all fully tested to compatible with Microsoft latest OS – Windows® 7!

RAID 0, 1
ION 330HT series is capable to support RAID 0 and 1 by adopting the second 2.5” HDD in its small 2.5-liter system! With RAID support, you may enjoy a faster transfer speed and never be afraid of the data damage or loss. Moreover, as the below graph shows, RAID 0 can let you have extremely 197% performance boost up compared to IDE.

AUDIO
For audio aspect, NetTop ION 330HT series supports 7.1 CH HD audio featuring the exclusive Premium Blu-ray audio and DTS technology. The DTS technology has been integrated in the ION 330HT series. With DTS support, you can get a cinema-style sound experience and can even hear every detail in riveting surround sound. In addition, ASRock signature Premium Blu-ray Audio can let you immerse in the Blu-ray entertainments in a high audio quality of 24-bit/192KHz.

Blue-ray
The small, sleek, fashionable designs provide the ultra-portable function for our nettops, and it’s ideal for setting in your living room too. Designed with BD Combo, ION 330HT-BD allows you to enjoy the dazzling audio and visual experience by running the Blu-ray disc source. ION 330HT and ION 330Pro were equipped with DVD Super Multi Player which enables you to use it
immediately without having to get an external DVD playback device.

WIFI 802.11n
To get the latest WiFi technology, ASRock ION 330HT series features the highest speed networking of 802.11n as well. Compared to the 802.11g, wireless 802.11n can provide the faster wireless connections over the longer distance. Our nettops offer the fastest speed with two invisible antennas (placed in a vertical/horizontal position) hidden inside the front panel that provide you the most stable and unrestricted-direction wireless network coverage.

Certification EuP and Energy Star 5.0
Great looks doesn’t mean you have to give up on green credentials for your nettops. ASRock ION 330HT series nettop combines the sophisticated design with environmental friendly features, and was recently achieved both EuP (Energy Using Product) 2.0 and Energy Star 5.0 level certifications. To achieve EuP 2.0 standard, ASRock nettops fulfill the European Union’s stringent criteria by making the total AC power consumption of the completed system under 0.5W in off mode.

Remote Controller
What’s surprise on ION 330HT-BD / ION 330HT? This time, we have bundled a multi-functional remote controller with the nettop! The remote controller comes with MCE (Media Center Edition) function which facilitates the way of playing multi-media entertainments.

HDMI, Power eSATA connector
Perfect for multimedia playback, ASRock ION 330HT series comes with all major outputs at the back panel. You may find DC-in, S/PDIF OUT, RJ45 Gigabit LAN jack, USB2.0, System Fan, HDMI, VGA and Powered eSATA/USB ports. The most mentionable part should be the Powered eSATA/USB port, it not only supports USB device but also eSATA device without additional power source.

EZ OC and Software Suite
The full-specification ION 330HT nettops bring rich functional utilities as well. First of all, ASRock famous Instant Boot allows you to boot up to Windows in a few seconds. Secondly, EZ OC helps you to easily overclocking CPU frequency by providing you an easy-operate fine-tuning interface. Subsequently, the Good Night LED is another worth mentioning tool which can turn off the annoying LED lights and make you won’t be disturbed anymore. Last but not least, our nettops are bundled with ASRock Software Suite. It offers a string of Cyberlink’s user-friendly tools which offer you a zero barriers way to play, burn, backup and edit the multimedia contents.

Source



Acer Revo 1600 (199$)







Price
$199

CPU
1.6GHz Intel Atom 230

Memory
1GB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Graphics
128MB (shared) Nvidia Ion LE integrated graphics chip

Hard drives
160GB, 5,400 rpm hard drive

Optical drive
NA

Networking
Gigabit Ethernet 10/100 Ethernet

Operating system
Windows XP Home SP3


Acer Revo 3600



Acer's overhauled Aspire Revo 3600 nettop picks up where its predecessor left off. Like the original Aspire Revo, the new 3600 model supports HD video courtesy of Nvidia's Ion platform, but the latest iteration trades in the comparatively anemic single-core 1.6GHz Atom 230 processor for a 1.6GHz dual-core Atom 330.

Right off the bat, doubling up on cores will come as a boon to anyone, um, aspiring to do more than basic tasks with the Aspire Revo. Other specs include 4GB of DDR2-533 memory, an HDMI port, and VESA mount compatibility.


Haleron H-BOX (459$)



Dual-Core Atom N330 processor and ION graphics, 2Gb of RAM, 320 Gb of HDD, 5xUSB2.0, HDMI output, Ethernet, audio ports and card reader.

More info in: http://www.haleron.com/images/HBox.swf



Lenovo Q110/Q110





The slow wave of NVIDIA Ion-based machines continues to wash in -- as expected, the Lenovo Q110 nettop is now on sale. We'd actually wait another couple weeks to score this rig with Windows 7 preloaded, but if you're into Vista you can grab it right now for $399 with 2GB of RAM and a 160GB drive and take a free upgrade disc when it's available.

IdeaCentre Q100 and Q110 Nettops
Dimensions:6inx6.3x0.7
Processor: Intel Atom 230 single core, sis672 chipset
Memory: 1 GB DDR2 on Q100, 2 GB on Q110
Storage: 160 GB on Q100, 250 GB on Q110
Graphics: Intel integrated on Q100, ION 1980x1080 high definition and Direct 10X graphics on Q110
Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g wireless dongle included (no keyboard and mouse)
Multimedia: Gigabit Ethernet, VGA connector (HDMI connector on Q110)
Other: Windows XPHome, Vista Home Premium



LG XPION







Apparently not content to let ASUS have all the fun, LG's just announced the XPION X30, its first Ion-based nettop. This little fella features an Atom N230 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, and ships with Windows Vista (for the time being, at least). Aside from sporting six (count 'em!) USB ports, it weighs in at a mere 2.4 lbs, draws just 40 watts of power, and can be VESA mounted to the back of your LCD. But never mind all that -- as long is it allows us to stream American Ninja from Netflix with minimal fuss we're happy. Debuts tomorrow in Korea.



Pegatron IPP7A-CP



No specs available yet... but probably it will have a single Atom, 2 gb ram, 160 Hd... and so on!



Fiono 330















Ultra slim design
HDMI connectivity (HDCP 1.3a) supports 1080p HD video
Intel Atom 330 CPU
Discrete GPU NVIDIA GeForce 9400
Low energy consumption and quiet
True fidelity support for 5.1 and 7.1-channel audio


Specifications

ION Platform

Intel Atom 330 + NVIIDA MCP7A
Memory

DDR-II 800 SO-DIMM socket(Support up to 4GB)
Storage

Support SATA-II 2.5-inch HDD
Connectivity

DVI, HDMI, eSATA, SPDIF, Audio-in/MIC-out jack
USB

2.0 High-speed * 5
Card Reader

SD/SDHC/MMC
Network

Gigabit Ethernet(RJ45)
Dimension

194 x 136 x 55mm
Weight

900g(without HDD/memory)



Viako



The Viako Mini E nettop has 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and packs a VGA port in addition to a DVI and HDMI output. This nettop also has built in WiFi as well as an Ethernet jack. It appears to come with a wireless remote control for in case you want to stick this little guy next to your TV and use it as a home theater PC.





This one is not a ION... it's a much more powerfull platform but more expensive than the rest! (699€)

Fujitsu ESPRIMO Q1500





Rather than using an Atom processor or similar, the Fujitsu Esprimo Q1500 makes use of a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo T9600 processor, along with 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a nice selection of six USB 2.0 ports.

Fujitsu Esprimo Q1500

The reason the Fujitsu Esprimo Q1500 is of great interest to this site is it’s powerful specifications, along with an optional slot-loading Blu-Ray drive and HDMI output. This makes the Fujitsu Q1500 a great choice for use as a HTPC / media center, as it’s more than powerful enough to decode and playback 1080p HD to your HDTV.

The machine is also energy efficient, using only 19 watts of power in idle mode.



Fell free to had more!

[oliverjg]

nice list! needs a table listing/comparing media center features. for example,

hdmi/dvi/vga, 2.0/5.1/7.1 analog out, coax digital, optical digital, ir remote, bundled os version, price. number of usb ports.

one thing i think might be missing on all ion boxes is component video out.

[StardustOne]

Wow, those are great, it's hard to decide. I like the Asrock because of it's expandability, I will probably get the Asus because it also has a built-in drive and it's small size makes it attractive to put in the living room. Finally I can retire that crappy Xtreamer with something that works :-).

[tangent1138]

Another one for the list:

Haleron H-BOX
Dual-Core Atom N330 processor and ION graphics, 2Gb of RAM, 320 Gb of HDD, 5xUSB2.0, HDMI output, Ethernet, audio ports and card reader.



http://www.haleron.com/images/HBox.swf

[Afrsa]

Thx! Added to the first post!

[oliverjg]

you can build your own nettop with these....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...%20VGA%20Combo

[oliverjg]

zotac has a new one with a PCI Express x16 slot....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813500036

[oliverjg]

asus has 7.1 analog out and pci slot...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131408

[srauly]

You should add the $220 Acer AspireRevo 1600 to this list. Compared to the 3600, it's got a single-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP. But it plays 1080p Blu-ray rips just fine.

Another interesting addition to the list...the HP Mini 311 netbook starts at $400, but can be found discounted as low as about $350. It has HDMI and could make for a cool portable option. Take it on the road with you and watch videos on its built-in screen, or plug it into your big screen at home via HDMI.

[Afrsa]

Originally Posted by srauly

You should add the $220 Acer AspireRevo 1600 to this list. Compared to the 3600, it's got a single-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP. But it plays 1080p Blu-ray rips just fine.

Another interesting addition to the list...the HP Mini 311 netbook starts at $400, but can be found discounted as low as about $350. It has HDMI and could make for a cool portable option. Take it on the road with you and watch videos on its built-in screen, or plug it into your big screen at home via HDMI.

Added to the list! Thx!

[Chrome Sushi]

Originally Posted by srauly

Another interesting addition to the list...the HP Mini 311 netbook starts at $400, but can be found discounted as low as about $350. It has HDMI and could make for a cool portable option. Take it on the road with you and watch videos on its built-in screen, or plug it into your big screen at home via HDMI.

Any suggestions for where I can find one for ~$350? I've been keeping an eye out for one of these.

One thing to keep in mind when comparing an ION box to a player like WDTV is whether you need a multitude of outputs. While I use HDMI at home I like that I can take my WDTV on the road and hook it up to TVs with component, S-video, composite etc. Not sure if you can do that with any of the ION rigs.

[srauly]

Originally Posted by Chrome Sushi

Any suggestions for where I can find one for ~$350? I've been keeping an eye out for one of these.

I don't know what the rules are here about that sort of thing, but in checking some deal sites recently I saw mention of Bing cashback of 15% from HP. I don't know if that deal is still current. But I seem to recall HP offering various steep discounts in the past when purchasing direct from their store (I think these usually require some sort of discount code that can be found on the deal sites). With Thanksgiving approaching, we may see some big discounts offered soon if they follow what they did last year.

Originally Posted by Chrome Sushi

One thing to keep in mind when comparing an ION box to a player like WDTV is whether you need a multitude of outputs. While I use HDMI at home I like that I can take my WDTV on the road and hook it up to TVs with component, S-video, composite etc. Not sure if you can do that with any of the ION rigs.

True. OTOH, with this netbook, you could also use it to watch movies on a plane/train. I don't know of any decent/low-cost options for converting the VGA out to composite or component. Maybe someone else can offer up some ideas there. You can get stereo audio out of the analog headphone/line out, but you'll need a little adapter cable to convert it from the single mini jack to a regular RCA L/R stereo cable.

I agree, though, that the WDTV Live looks like a very compelling option for travel purposes.

But one other advantage to the ION devices for traveling is that they have a built-in hard drive, though not a very large one (though you can choose to reconfigure the HP Mini with a larger hard drive for more money). With a 160GB hard drive, you probably have about 100GB free, which is enough for about 20 DVD .iso files (uncompressed), 10 compressed Blu-ray rips, or 3-4 uncompressed Blu-ray rips (main movie and one soundtrack).

And don't forget that it's also a real computer, so you can use it to check email, surf the web, etc. Try doing that with the WDTV Live.

[saiga6360]

Sorry for being a noob here but are these essentially super lightweight HTPCs or are they real appliances? They seem to be running Windows OS so does it still need to be configured as media player and will the player support all media files? And as for streaming internet sources like Netflix, since these are essentially PCs are they not limited to SD content? I like the versatility but I would also like it to be as idiot-proof as possible for us non techie types who would rather have a simple remote and not a keyboard.

I also like the idea of an internal drive for performance and caching or as a laptop for on the go entertainment, but for a set-top it seems to be a waste of electronics when you can just plug in usb drives. I doubt anyone would use these for heavy editing so the idea of another beefier machine seems unavoidable.

Also, has the Blu-ray playback for PCs matured enough to be on par with a player? I remember a while back that it was such a painful and buggy affair with the software.

Only clear advantage I can see with these is interface. You can probably have better choices for a GUI since a PC is more open than any appliance.

[christoofar]

I've got an ASRock 330 (non-bd) coming this Thursday. Looking forward to (finally,hopefully) ending up with a real ALL MEDIA box.

[foofoobar]

Originally Posted by saiga6360

Also, has the Blu-ray playback for PCs matured enough to be on par with a player? I remember a while back that it was such a painful and buggy affair with the software.

Having seen the "The Dark Knight" BD on a PJ recently (106" screen), I can say that the PQ is absolutely stunning. In this case, the playback was on an A-open MP45-BD system (with a Penryn mobile CPU and G45 chipset), but I would expect similar results with this chipset as well.

Edit -- it seems prudent to wait for real world reports about this chipset:

Seems like PC-mag was less than enthused about the 1080p playback:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353909,00.asp
[CONS]
Keyboard is only 92 percent of full size. Mouse buttons are noisy. ION can't handle high-end games and didn't deliver on 1080p playback.

[iboum]

Hmmmm. Lists. Would anyone object (i.e. does the OP have similar plans) if I tabulated data relating to these and added it to my site? Once these get a little cheaper they will be a real mainstream alternative to a media player.

[foofoobar]

Originally Posted by srauly

You should add the $220 Acer AspireRevo 1600 to this list. Compared to the 3600, it's got a single-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP. But it plays 1080p Blu-ray rips just fine.

Another interesting addition to the list...the HP Mini 311 netbook starts at $400, but can be found discounted as low as about $350. It has HDMI and could make for a cool portable option. Take it on the road with you and watch videos on its built-in screen, or plug it into your big screen at home via HDMI.

Seems like PC-mag was less than enthused about the 1080p playback:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353909,00.asp
[CONS]
Keyboard is only 92 percent of full size. Mouse buttons are noisy. ION can't handle high-end games and didn't deliver on 1080p playback.

[ghart999]

Does anyone know if the Acer AspireRevo 1600's video card can output component video through the VGA port? My HDTV is oldschool and only has component inputs. Looks like the Revo uses the NVIDIA GeForce 9400 card if this helps.

If the Acer doesn't does anyone know if any of the above listed Nettops can do this?

I know I can buy a converter box, but its a deal killer if I have to spend another $100 or so for a good converter. Otherwise I think I am going to have to go with WD TV Live.

Thanks all.

Gregg

[srauly]

foofoobar, I own the Acer AspireRevo 1600. With the stock 1GB of RAM and Windows XP install. With MPC-HC as my video player, I can play 1080p Blu-ray rips at full bitrate completely smoothly and with 5.1 audio over HDMI. I'd be curious to know what video player PC Mag was using for its tests, and whether they had upgraded to the latest versions of the NVIDIA drivers.

[Afrsa]

Originally Posted by foofoobar

Seems like PC-mag was less than enthused about the 1080p playback:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353909,00.asp
[CONS]
Keyboard is only 92 percent of full size. Mouse buttons are noisy. ION can't handle high-end games and didn't deliver on 1080p playback.

Pure BS!

A single core Ion, with VDPAU (linux) or using MPC-HC well configured can easily... I mean eaaaasssiiillllyyyy play the killa sample using only 10-15% of CPU! 1080p 16 reframes!

No need to worry on 1080p playback! That review is just fluff...

Although, HD flash video will stutter because its not decoded by the GPU... YET! Adobe and Nvidia are now working on it...

[Warpdrv]

Im also looking pretty hard at one of these...
http://lucida.tv/

TV II
Intel 2.0-3.0GHz CPU
NVIDIA GeForce 9400 chipset
160-250G HDD, 1-2GB RAM
Up From $399

Can be shipped with Xubuntu and XBMC
One guy just posted that he just received his on XBMC forum, waiting to hear more http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39186

• Ports and interfaces Connections
• DVI-I (VGA+DVI-D)
• HDMI (video and audio)
• S/PDIF Out port
• 3.5mm MIC in
• 3.5mm Audio out
• RCA audio out
• USB 2.0 *5
• SATA *2
• AHCI SATA controller with support for two drives at 1.5 Gbps or 3.0 Gbps speeds.
• eSATA *1
• eSATA support without need for external buffer
• RJ45 Gigabit LAN port
• 10/100/1000M LAN
• Built-in IR receiver

More specs
http://lucida.tv/lucida-tv-2-2.html

[candre23]

Originally Posted by Warpdrv

One guy just posted that he just received his on XBMC forum, waiting to hear more

Can you link to that thread please? I'd like to read his impressions as well.

[Warpdrv]

Fixed my post above to include link

[candre23]

Thanks for the link.

[ScoHo]

So if I have an older RPTV that doesn't have HDMI, what are my options with one of these Nettops? It doesn't appear any of them have component.

[christoofar]

Originally Posted by ScoHo

So if I have an older RPTV that doesn't have HDMI, what are my options with one of these Nettops? It doesn't appear any of them have component.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...ormat=2&style=

[srauly]

Originally Posted by christoofar

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...ormat=2&style=

Chris, from the monoprice page:

THIS CABLE WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO CONNECT YOUR COMPUTER'S VGA PORT TO THE COMPONENET INPUT ON YOUR HDTV unless your video card supports component out function through it's VGA port (please confirm with your video cards documentation before purchasing

Does the ION chip support sending video out of the VGA port in the required manner?

[christoofar]

Originally Posted by srauly

Chris, from the monoprice page:

Does the ION chip support sending video out of the VGA port in the required manner?

Yes, sorry. Saw that after I'd posted in same thread I found the link at.

[ScoHo]

So Chris, sorry, you're saying YES, the ION chip DOES support component out through the VGA port? How is that confirmed?

[christoofar]

no,no,no, I inadvertantly posted a link for a VGA to comp. adapter cable, but it sounds like you would still need a transcoder to get it to work properly.

Please ignore me!

explained better here

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=840626