This unit is pretty tiny, has a cute chiclet keyboard, and video outputs HDMI and VGA. ION graphics chip.
Comes with 1GB memory, and one free slot. No CD/DVD. Windows XP Home. Very low power unit, not as efficient as a Z530 system, but at less than half the price, I won't complain.
JamesD1343 said: is this the box to load ubuntu and xbmc on to replace an old xbox as a media center then?
yes! ION (9400m) can decode x264/vc-1 in hardware so you should have no issues with HD playback. if you are crafty with a soldering iron and enjoy breaking your warranty, you can internalize and add the original Xbox IR dongle for use on your new apsirerevo-powered XBMC box =] another recommended addon if you do go the IR route, is the XERC2 from sickmods.net This little device will attach to your computer (and if you use the xbox dongle will allow you to use its sensor) to remotely power on and off your PC in hardware, no suspend necessary.
djmoksha
Member
posted: Nov. 9, 2009 @ 9:14a
I also saw this up on frys, are those of you who bought this running the XP that came with it? Ubuntu? or Win7?
God Dammit...making me spend more $$$. Thanks alot OP ;P
Q for the XMBC. Which verion of the XMBC is recommended. Is the Windows version as good as the native one?
ScAndal
Addicted Member
posted: Nov. 9, 2009 @ 10:26a
Windows version of xbmc does not support gpu decoding so it will use the CPU only. The Atom processor cannot handle HD content so you will need to use a linux variant of XBMC.
zulu2003 said: Can this thing run Windows 7 Media Center? I would love to use it as a media extender for my main MCE...
I bought one of these to use as a dedicated WMC 7 machine in my living room (Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit). Using HomeGroup, I share recorded TV and other content from my main HTPC. I installed 4GB of RAM and changed the BIOS settings for the video card to a 512MB buffer. So far it's working great and no lag. I also turned off Aero and installed an IR to use with my Harmony. I have it programmed to turn on at 6:30 every morning and shut down at midnight. The thing is completely silent and is doesn't get hot at all. I also enjoy the Netflix integration. The downside: the Internet TV is terrible and that vmcPlayit (PlayOn) brings the Atom to its knees. I haven't even tried HULU desktop yet but I know it will stutter until Flash 10.1 is released.
The best part is that it is wife friendly. Before this setup I used the Xbox 360 as an MCE which was very loud and sucked up tons of electricity. Now I can leave this thing on nearly 24/7 and not worry about electricity bills.
I also bought this from JR.com with the 5% BING CashBack, bringing my shipped total to $189, which is slightly better than the Fry's deal since I am in CA and have to pay tax.
raedon said: If you love 1080p content and Anime you want to go with something with more power. These can't handle 1080p with softsubs.
bad info. proper video hardware acceleration support allows almost all processing offloaded the CPU leaving plenty of power for softsubs. improper configuration or implementation is a different issue.
it seems windoze users attempting to use DVXA (win VPDAU offering) run into issues as the softsub loads a filter unable to coincide with DXVA. more info here, along with a fix for the problem: http://www.frankehlis.de/flog/wordpress/?p=424
a much more robust fix is using XBMC under linux =]
this box should have plenty of power to handle softsubs with hardware video decoding enabled.
No digital audio out via either optical or COAX. But the HDMI should output surround, provided you have the receiver that has HDMI input and output. At least on the Newegg model, it does have an ESATA port, so that is cool. Plus the network is GB. I saw this in Sunday's Fry's ad and thought this would be perfect for many people. You could pair it with the 18.5" LCD they had for around $90 and have a decent little computer, especially for Internet stuff.
Grok said: Not exactly the same but since the new version is coming out soon (Atom 330, 802.11G/n, 2GB Ram) for ~$330. Wonder if its worth getting instead?ETA 11/13/09 at NewEgg
followsportsdiscount
New Member
posted: Nov. 10, 2009 @ 12:06a
Is the link safe？
yazyazoo
Senior Member
posted: Nov. 10, 2009 @ 12:30a
All sold out in Bay Area Frys!
vladgur
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Nov. 10, 2009 @ 1:28a
robohomer said: This is a great deal, too bad I am in the bay area. I guess I have to go for the second best. Found this on eBay, from tattoo4electronics. Order it and got it. It looks great. Now just looking for a great deal for a mini ITX motherboard. Any suggestions?
Weird, this is a second time i see a reference to this fugly case from an eBay seller when discussion an ion platform. Considering it comes from a new member, i smell spam
Oh yeah, here it is: Different ION thread on FW robohomer said: Saw a similar combo on eBay much cheaper and ready built. In addition, it has a killer casing and kicks ass!! It has the smallest mini ITX and coolest on the market. Let me know if you see anything smaller or nicer. eBay link Message edited by: robohomer on 2009-10-27 22:49:13 CDT And this is from a user registered in October of 09
Got a raincheck and will be back there once they get them. I would like to try if this thing can run Windows7 MCE and record from HDHomerun tuners. If that works well, I will add the Acer EastStore and connect it using eSATA. This could be a sweet and quiet HTPC system. I currently have a quad-core inspiron that I would like to hackintosh if I get this going.
Anyone else has tried this as their main Win7 MCE recording from HDhomerun?
hummeriah
Senior Member
posted: Nov. 30, 2009 @ 7:37a
back in stock at Fry's for $179, looks like local pickup is not an available option, yet
zulu2003 said: Got a raincheck and will be back there once they get them. I would like to try if this thing can run Windows7 MCE and record from HDHomerun tuners. If that works well, I will add the Acer EastStore and connect it using eSATA. This could be a sweet and quiet HTPC system. I currently have a quad-core inspiron that I would like to hackintosh if I get this going.
Anyone else has tried this as their main Win7 MCE recording from HDhomerun?
Installed 2GB RAM, Windows 7 64-bit and it's not able to play HD recordings. It can record with no problems from the HDHomerun streams, as the CPU is used for less than 10% even with 4 concurrent streams. But, it's not able to play smoothly the recordings. I will try to stop some of the other services, but this is close to be moved away as a small desktop in the home office.
jasonjk
New Member
posted: Dec. 14, 2009 @ 9:12a
@paolobeltran
How did you get this to work?
I've been trying to get Win7 Media center up and running on this machine for a couple days now. I've set the memory to 256MB in the bios (highest it will allow without upgrading RAM).
I am dualbooting a 32bit Win7 Home Premium with the original preloaded XP. I updated to all of the latest drivers from nvidia and yet, anytime I try to play anything in media center I get the Video error which says that some files are missing or not working properly.
Can you shoot me a quicklist of settings and drivers for me to try? Did you have these issues while making your system?
please help. email me if you don't want to continue on forum 00jmail@gmail.com
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