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Dell Zino HD - New mini HTPC - Page 4

post #91 of 5037
11/12/09 at 1:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by klas View Post

I don't see Zino on EPP site. Did you order over the phone?

I did not see it there either when I looked.

A few people here at AMD all want to place orders ASAP as well.
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post #92 of 5037
11/12/09 at 1:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by klas View Post

I don't see Zino on EPP site. Did you order over the phone?

I didn't order yet and now that you mention it, I don't see the Zino on the EPP site. I would try over the phone, at the least you should be able to get free shipping....*I would think*

Screw a discount on the thing, a least free shipping would be nice.
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post #93 of 5037
11/12/09 at 1:59pm
I know that Flash is soon supposed to be GPU accelerated on the Nvidia/Ion (Revo) platform - is this also true for ATI (Zino)?
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post #94 of 5037
11/12/09 at 2:05pm
Can you get DD or DTS 5.1 thru the HDMI output?
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post #95 of 5037
11/12/09 at 2:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Java Jack View Post

However, what I will do when I get my unit back is try disabling one of the cores and see what happens with flash content.

Could you specifically test this video? Legend of the Seeker 1x01 is often used as a benchmark for HD streaming video, as it is available in 720p and the first few minutes have a lot of high-motion, high-detail scenes. If the Zino is able to play this video without stuttering, it will play anything available online. If it can do it with a single core, then Dell and AMD really have a winner on their hands.

Sure, the C2D in the Mac Mini is still faster in the benchmarks, but if the AMD chips are fast enough to do HD streaming flash, then benchmarks don't matter.
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post #96 of 5037
11/12/09 at 2:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ralphkaz View Post

I know that Flash is soon supposed to be GPU accelerated on the Nvidia/Ion (Revo) platform - is this also true for ATI (Zino)?

Actaully, Adobe has not released any h/w accelerated flash player yet. Rumors are they are working on it but to my knowledge it is not yet available.

With that said, I fully expect that if such a h/w accelerated flash player were to be released that it would also work for this platform.
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post #97 of 5037
11/12/09 at 2:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by candre23 View Post

Could you specifically test this video? Legend of the Seeker 1x01 is often used as a benchmark for HD streaming video, as it is available in 720p and the first few minutes have a lot of high-motion, high-detail scenes. If the Zino is able to play this video without stuttering, it will play anything available online. If it can do it with a single core, then Dell and AMD really have a winner on their hands.

Sure, the C2D in the Mac Mini is still faster in the benchmarks, but if the AMD chips are fast enough to do HD streaming flash, then benchmarks don't matter.

Sure. I just got the unit back 10 mins ago. I will start setting everything back up.
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post #98 of 5037
11/12/09 at 2:26pm
How does this compare to the ASRock 330?
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post #99 of 5037
11/12/09 at 3:02pm
One question about the GPU, is this a regular 4330 or a mobility 4330? According to some AMD specs, the mobility 4330 handles HD decode, but SD is done in software by the CPU. Aside from how this plays with the 780G, I can only imagine how this would screw with pixel format and video dynamic range adjustments - it reminds me of the bad old days in drivers when video would use one set of output levels and games would use a different set.
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post #100 of 5037
11/12/09 at 3:42pm
Called Dell EPP and they couldn't order one... but I canceled my Home order though, they tried to lure me back
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post #101 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:07pm
OK...I'm sold, and chomping at the bit to pull the trigger tonight. Remember, it's my first foray into HTPC, so can someone help me find the "sweet spot" with this machine; which do you think are the worthwhile upgrades?

- 3250 dual-core processor for $60
- win7 for $30
- the BD drive for $100 (will it be easy enough to add a drive to this form?)
- 4330 graphics card for $75

Thanks,
CD
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post #102 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan4081 View Post

Are you planning on going with XBMC with this?
If so, are you concerned that this doesnt have an nvidia sound card, so no GPU acceleration?

Well Dan...initially, I wasn't thinking along those lines; although everyone says XBMC's GUI can't be beat (I love mine for what I use it for), so maybe. But I thought XBMC couldn't do HD?

As for your other question, it's all greek to me.

CD
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post #103 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner View Post

OK...I'm sold, and chomping at the bit to pull the trigger tonight. Remember, it's my first foray into HTPC, so can someone help me find the "sweet spot" with this machine; which do you think are the worthwhile upgrades?

- 3250 dual-core processor for $60
- win7 for $30
- the BD drive for $100 (will it be easy enough to add a drive to this form?)
- 4330 graphics card for $75

Thanks,
CD

Looks good. I would probably go with either 3 or 4 GB RAM. Also, probably worth getting a cheap IR Receiver separate so you can control with an MCE remote or universal (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-001-_-Product)
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post #104 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner View Post

Well Dan...initially, I wasn't thinking along those lines; although everyone says XBMC's GUI can't be beat (I love mine for what I use it for), so maybe. But I thought XBMC couldn't do HD?

As for your other question, it's all greek to me.

CD

They are working on HA for XBMC in Windows but it is not there yet. If you really want to use XBMC you can called up MPC HC for video playback so you get HA.

I would suggest going with 7MC + MediaBrowser
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post #105 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:21pm
forget MCE remotes, Gyration RF remote is much better, plus it can be programmed to control tv, speakers etc...
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post #106 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

Looks good. I would probably go with either 3 or 4 GB RAM. Also, probably worth getting a cheap IR Receiver separate so you can control with an MCE remote or universal (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-001-_-Product)

So you're suggesting ALL of these upgrades...plus more RAM? That turns our affordable $229 box into a $500 box. I know that's still not a lot of money for a well fleshed-out HTPC, but this is my first attempt; isn't there something to be said for easing in?

CD
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post #107 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner View Post

So you're suggesting ALL of these upgrades...plus more RAM? That turns our affordable $229 box into a $500 box. I know that's still not a lot of money for a well fleshed-out HTPC, but this is my first attempt; isn't there something to be said for easing in?

CD

Do you plan on using the BR drive or are you just going to be streaming? You can always skip the BR Rom since that is a big cost and add later. To be honest you will be perfectly fine with 2GB RAM, I have just always been in the habit of upping the RAM.
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post #108 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:36pm
How much ram does Windows 7 use just sitting by itself, not including anti virus/spyware and whatever addons.
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post #109 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by candre23 View Post

Could you specifically test this video? Legend of the Seeker 1x01 is often used as a benchmark for HD streaming video, as it is available in 720p and the first few minutes have a lot of high-motion, high-detail scenes. If the Zino is able to play this video without stuttering, it will play anything available online. If it can do it with a single core, then Dell and AMD really have a winner on their hands.

Sure, the C2D in the Mac Mini is still faster in the benchmarks, but if the AMD chips are fast enough to do HD streaming flash, then benchmarks don't matter.

+1. The opening sequence of Legend of the Seeker Episode 1 HD is my standard test for a "fast enough" machine. I think it should be a staple for reviews. Most of the reviews I've seen, particularly for ION netbooks/nettops, only tested YouTube HD videos and complexity of those tend to vary, not to mention I've found them to be relatively easy on the processor. One reason I'm enamoured with dual-core CULV notebooks is because they were able to pass the fullscreen Hulu HD test.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Java Jack View Post

Sure. I just got the unit back 10 mins ago. I will start setting everything back up.

Can you also monitor CPU usage while you're at it? I don't think you'll be able to do so in fullscreen mode but maximizing the pop-out window should do the trick.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner View Post

OK...I'm sold, and chomping at the bit to pull the trigger tonight. Remember, it's my first foray into HTPC, so can someone help me find the "sweet spot" with this machine; which do you think are the worthwhile upgrades?

- 3250 dual-core processor for $60
- win7 for $30
- the BD drive for $100 (will it be easy enough to add a drive to this form?)
- 4330 graphics card for $75

Thanks,
CD

The CPU is a definite yes. Windows 7 Home Premium is a yes, too, assuming you plan on using Windows Media Center. The specs on the $229 model changed so it now comes with Vista Home Basic 32-bit. Earlier today, $229 gets you Windows 7 already. The Blu-ray drive depends on you. I don't need the machine to play Blu-ray discs as mine gets ripped to a file server and I just stream from there. However, if you want Blu-ray on yours, you won't currently be able to find a slim Blu-ray drive cheaper than $100. The 4330 is a maybe. I'm still waiting on how Jay's tests go. As for RAM, I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit on an Intel D945GCLF2 (945GC+Atom330) with maximum 2GB RAM on both a nettop and an HTPC (old CRT TV w/S-Video). The nettop works just fine albeit it tends to slow down when Firefox is left running a couple of days in a row. The HTPC works like a champ, albeit, it can only do 720p H.264 and 720p/1080i MPEG-2. 2GB RAM is more than respectable especially if you're trying to cut costs.
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post #110 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dbone1026 View Post

Do you plan on using the BR drive or are you just going to be streaming? You can always skip the BR Rom since that is a big cost and add later. To be honest you will be perfectly fine with 2GB RAM, I have just always been in the habit of upping the RAM.

Well...if I had my way, I'd skip the BD drive for now. I have a PS3 at the same spot, and that can handle the very rare BD disc playback. Mostly I stream. If down the road, I wanted to have the BD disc capability, I'm usually happier adding after the fact...although I wasn't sure this would be an easy option, with the form factor?

And I hardly ever max RAM out on the build...it's so easy, and usually cheaper, to add later...if you even need to at all. So, in asking about the upgrades, I was mostly questioning which would keep the Zino from being "useless"; is the "included" processor going to keep it from doing a lot of things, in which case the dual-core 3250 is $60 well spent? Ditto the upgraded graphics card, and I'm pretty sure I want to make the jump to 7 (I went this long skipping Vista, now's certainly not the time to go down that road...lol).

CD
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post #111 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner View Post

OK...I'm sold, and chomping at the bit to pull the trigger tonight. Remember, it's my first foray into HTPC, so can someone help me find the "sweet spot" with this machine; which do you think are the worthwhile upgrades?

- 3250 dual-core processor for $60
- win7 for $30
- the BD drive for $100 (will it be easy enough to add a drive to this form?)
- 4330 graphics card for $75

Thanks,
CD

Here are some things to consider...

Blu ray?
How big is your TV? Anything under 50" does not really need BD IMO. BD really starts to look a lot better on screens larger than 50". Don't misunderstand me, BD looks better on any screen but upscaled DVD looks pretty darn good and I don't know that BD is really worth it unless your TV is larger than 50". Once cost parity for DVD/BD is nearly the same, then sure, but at $100, you really need to think on that one.

GPU?
I am still waiting on the 4330 version of this system so I can test it out to see the real advantages. I would love to say spend more money here as that would certainly be good for me. However, until I test it, I can't really offer too much help. If you think you are going to game on the system then yes, upgrade the GPU. If this is going to be a streaming and DVD playback box, then you probably won't need the GPU upgrade.

CPU?
Given the options here, more would be better. However, my testing with the 3250e has been pretty good for most HTPC tasks. I always like a little more processing power available, provide a little headroom. Some of this depends on what all you plan on doing with it. higher freq. might be more important than core count, or core count might be more imporant that freq. all depends on what you are doing. You could solve both of these by going to 6850e, but it depends then on what your budget is going to be.

Memory?
2GB is pretty good for almost any HTPC task. I have systems with 2GB in them and others with 4GB, I can't see any real perforamce difference between the two.

HDD?
Again, depends on what you are doing. Do you have other PCs in the house that will store the majority of content or will you be storing it on the Dell box? If the Dell box, then more is always better. If you have a home server, etc. that will store the content, then more may not be needed.

Add Ons to consider...

TV Tuner. Part of the HTPC experience can involve the DVR functions available. I have 1 or more tuners on all my HTPCs. However, keep in mind the comments on storage. If you DVR a lot of stuff, more storage is better.

Remote
USB Ir receiver and remote combos for about $20.00. HTPC is just not an HTPC if you are stuck using keyboard/mouse to operate. One with mouse functionality like the Gyration even better.

Wireless Keyboard/Mouse
Dell box comes with wired keyboard/mouse. Not the best HTPC experience. a nice wireless solution is worth the investment. However, if you get your set up done right, you may rarely need a keyboard.


Maybe I should do a blog on building an HTPC experience around the Dell box and set a budget around it...hmm.
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post #112 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner View Post

Well Dan...initially, I wasn't thinking along those lines; although everyone says XBMC's GUI can't be beat (I love mine for what I use it for), so maybe. But I thought XBMC couldn't do HD?

As for your other question, it's all greek to me.

CD

XBMC on the $199 Acer Revo can do HD perfectly. XBMC for linux uses the graphics card to help handle the HD content, but it needs to use an nvidia video card.

Now on the dell Zino you can load XBMC for Windows and configure it to launch an external player for HD content and it should play it perfectly.

Read this thread for some more info on using XBMC with the $199 Revo to play HD content: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1185529

The Zino and the revo are both similar, but the Zino looks like it has a few more nice features.
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post #113 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovejedd View Post

Can you also monitor CPU usage while you're at it? I don't think you'll be able to do so in fullscreen mode but maximizing the pop-out window should do the trick.

No problem. I should be able to full screen it and just set the task manager to always on top.

I will test it out tomorrow when I am back in the office.
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post #114 of 5037
11/12/09 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan4081 View Post

XBMC on the $199 Acer Revo can do HD perfectly. XBMC for linux uses the graphics card to help handle the HD content, but it needs to use an nvidia video card.

Now on the dell Zino you can load XBMC for Windows and configure it to launch an external player for HD content and it should play it perfectly.

Read this thread for some more info on using XBMC with the $199 Revo to play HD content: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1185529

The Zino and the revo are both similar, but the Zino looks like it has a few more nice features.

Thanks Dan. I'll cross the XBMC bridge when I get to it; first things first.

CD
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post #115 of 5037
11/12/09 at 5:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner View Post

So you're suggesting ALL of these upgrades...plus more RAM? That turns our affordable $229 box into a $500 box. I know that's still not a lot of money for a well fleshed-out HTPC, but this is my first attempt; isn't there something to be said for easing in?

CD

I'm pulling the trigger now. I am going with the dual core 1.8ghz Athlon, 2GB RAM, smallest hard drive, Win 7, and standard DVD.

Unless you plan on doing heavy computing why on earth would you need 4 GB of ram for movie playback? You really dont.

And the mobility 3200 does Avivo so I dont see a reason for the 4300 at all...again, unless you plan on doing more than media playback.
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post #116 of 5037
11/12/09 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner View Post

Thanks Dan. I'll cross the XBMC bridge when I get to it; first things first.

CD

No problem.
I just assumed you were looking to get the Zino to use as an HTPC, and if so I figured you would probably first decide what front end you are going to use so you know what upgrades are important.

The Revo thread I posted really lays out whats important for HD streaming in one of these mini-pc's. (Zino or Revo)
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post #117 of 5037
11/12/09 at 5:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fcorona76 View Post

I'm pulling the trigger now. I am going with the dual core 1.8ghz Athlon, 2GB RAM, smallest hard drive, Win 7, and standard DVD.

Unless you plan on doing heavy computing why on earth would you need 4 GB of ram for movie playback? You really dont.

And the mobility 3200 does Avivo so I dont see a reason for the 4300 at all...again, unless you plan on doing more than media playback.

Whats the total on that come to?
And any deals on shipping found yet?
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post #118 of 5037
11/12/09 at 5:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Java Jack View Post

Here are some things to consider...

Blu ray?
How big is your TV? Anything under 50" does not really need BD IMO. BD really starts to look a lot better on screens larger than 50". Don't misunderstand me, BD looks better on any screen but upscaled DVD looks pretty darn good and I don't know that BD is really worth it unless your TV is larger than 50". Once cost parity for DVD/BD is nearly the same, then sure, but at $100, you really need to think on that one.

GPU?
I am still waiting on the 4330 version of this system so I can test it out to see the real advantages. I would love to say spend more money here as that would certainly be good for me. However, until I test it, I can't really offer too much help. If you think you are going to game on the system then yes, upgrade the GPU. If this is going to be a streaming and DVD playback box, then you probably won't need the GPU upgrade.

CPU?
Given the options here, more would be better. However, my testing with the 3250e has been pretty good for most HTPC tasks. I always like a little more processing power available, provide a little headroom. Some of this depends on what all you plan on doing with it. higher freq. might be more important than core count, or core count might be more imporant that freq. all depends on what you are doing. You could solve both of these by going to 6850e, but it depends then on what your budget is going to be.

Memory?
2GB is pretty good for almost any HTPC task. I have systems with 2GB in them and others with 4GB, I can't see any real perforamce difference between the two.

HDD?
Again, depends on what you are doing. Do you have other PCs in the house that will store the majority of content or will you be storing it on the Dell box? If the Dell box, then more is always better. If you have a home server, etc. that will store the content, then more may not be needed.

Add Ons to consider...

TV Tuner. Part of the HTPC experience can involve the DVR functions available. I have 1 or more tuners on all my HTPCs. However, keep in mind the comments on storage. If you DVR a lot of stuff, more storage is better.

Remote
USB Ir receiver and remote combos for about $20.00. HTPC is just not an HTPC if you are stuck using keyboard/mouse to operate. One with mouse functionality like the Gyration even better.

Wireless Keyboard/Mouse
Dell box comes with wired keyboard/mouse. Not the best HTPC experience. a nice wireless solution is worth the investment. However, if you get your set up done right, you may rarely need a keyboard.


Maybe I should do a blog on building an HTPC experience around the Dell box and set a budget around it...hmm.

JJ, thanks for the info. I'm new to HTPC, but not BD/HT/NMT...I already have 2 BD players, and 2 NMTs that stream BD...lol. So it's not a matter of whether I'm on-board for BD (one location is my 96" HT screen, btw; the other, the 50" Kuro), but whether I need it in this, my first HTPC. I know, I know...only I can answer if I need it; my question was more is it likely to be hard to add later, given the Zino's form factor?

I don't plan on gaming on this PC, just VOD and streaming. I want best resolution available from the source. I don't know what Fancast, Hulu, Netflix, etc. will do, but if they'll do 720p for example...I don't want to settle for 480p because my GPU won't handle it. But are you saying the 3200 should handle anything video, and only upgrade to the 4330 for hardcore gaming? Ditto for the CPU.

Memory, bigger HDD (never, as I have an MSS with 6T and growing), remotes, etc will all come later. I'm defintely a walk before you run kinda guy when I'm getting into something new.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
CD
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post #119 of 5037
11/12/09 at 5:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan4081 View Post

Whats the total on that come to?
And any deals on shipping found yet?

$369 + $39 shipping.

That shipping sucks...second thoughts...
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post #120 of 5037
11/12/09 at 5:08pm
they are including Windows Vista now with base system.
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