Aug 12

Lenovo debuts “fit anywhere” Q700 home entertainment PC

Posted in: HTPC, lenovo, Today's Chili

Looking for something in between a nettop and a full-fledged, sometimes HTPC? Then you might want to consider Lenovo’s recently announced Q700 system, which the company describes as the “perfect fit” for anywhere in your home. That’s apparently assuming you have some less-than-demanding computing needs, however, as the Q700 is currently only available with a Pentium Dual-Core E5200 processor, along with 4GB of RAM, a max 640GB hard drive, a built-in DVD burner, and the usual integrated Intel X4500 graphics. It does pack an HDMI out, TV tuner, and plenty of other media-friendly features, however, not to mention a starting price of just $499 and a form-factor that lets it be neatly tucked away in your home theater rack. Hit up the link below to get your order in, or a closer look if you’re still undecided.

[Thanks, David]

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Lenovo debuts “fit anywhere” Q700 home entertainment PC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 12

Viako’s Ion-equipped HTPC is more like an HD-capable nettop

Posted in: HTPC, korea, nettop, NVIDIA, nvidia ion, NvidiaIon, South Korea, SouthKorea, Today's Chili

You can tussle over semantics all day long (particularly machine translated semantics), but there’s little doubt that Viako’s Ion-equipped machine is more than eager to handle whatever high-def material you throw its way. The Mini E series of HTPCs (or nettops, if you will) looks to be available in a variety of configurations, with the higher-end model snagging an Atom N330 processor, NVIDIA’s GeForce 9400M GPU, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, integrated WiFi, VGA / DVI / HDMI outputs, Ethernet, plenty of USB sockets and audio / in ports. There’s no mention of price nor a stateside release date, but those in Seoul ought to find it in their local shops pretty soon.

[Via AVING]

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Viako’s Ion-equipped HTPC is more like an HD-capable nettop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 04

AMD’s integrated 785G graphics platform review roundup

Posted in: AMD, ASUS, ati, GraphicsCard, HTPC, radeon, Today's Chili

It’s mildly hard to believe that AMD‘s DirectX 10-compatible 780 Series motherboard GPU was introduced well over a year ago now, but the long awaited successor has finally landed. This fine morning, a gaggle of hardware sites around the web have taken a look at a number of AMD 785G-equipped mainboards, all of which boast integrated Radeon HD 4200 GPUs, support for AMD’s AM3 processors and a price point that’s downright delectable (most boards are sub-$100). Without getting into too much detail here in this space, the general consensus seems to be that the new platform is definitely appreciated, but hardly revolutionary. It fails to destroy marks set by the 780G, and it couldn’t easily put NVIDIA’s GeForce 9300 to shame. What it can do, however, is provide better-than-average HD playback, making it a prime candidate for basic desktop users and even HTPC builders. For the full gamut of opinions, grab your favorite cup of joe and get to clickin’ below.

Read – HotHardware review
Read – The Tech Report review
Read – Tom’s Hardware review
Read – PC Perpective review
Read – Hardware Zone review
Read – Hexus review

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AMD’s integrated 785G graphics platform review roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 30

ViewSonic’s VOT120 and VOT121 nettops suck in their guts for the camera

Posted in: hands-on, HTPC, nettop, portable, Today's Chili, video, viewsonic, wifi

Unsatisfied with only having the tall and slim 130 and 132 nettops, ViewSonic’s newly announced family of hardware also features a pair of even more diminutive options: the VOT120 and 121. Snapped in the wild for your delectation, these machines are small enough to be confused for a well-filled CD wallet and come with WiFi, four USB inputs, gigabit Ethernet and DVI-out. While the 120’s standard netbook spec is nothing to write home about, the 121 does receive a (comparatively) potent 1.4GHz CULV chip and a HDMI output ’round back, making for an intriguing HTPC proposition. Prices in Taiwan are set for $304 and $423 respectively, but feel free to browse past the break for an inquisitive look at these miniature computers.

Continue reading ViewSonic’s VOT120 and VOT121 nettops suck in their guts for the camera

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ViewSonic’s VOT120 and VOT121 nettops suck in their guts for the camera originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 29

Neuros OSD 3 in development, makers want your input

Posted in: 1080p, arm, dvr, HTPC, open source, opensource, texas instruments, Today's Chili

Neuros has earned significant kudos with techies for its hackable OSD media player / recorder and its commitment to open source software. It’s no surprise then to see the company reaching out to its loyal community for input on what should be found in the third generation of the device. Yes, technically the OSD 2 isn’t even out of the developer kit stage yet, but Neuros is planning well ahead of time, with the 3.0 model unlikely to be seen for another 18 months. Founder Joe Born has confirmed a continuing partnership with Texas Instruments on an ARM-based unit, which should be able to play and record at 1080p / 60 with support for all the relevant formats and containers. There’ll be a minimum of 2GB DDR3 RAM, as well as a HTML5- and Flash-compliant browser, but the rest of the specs are up to you — if there’s some killer feature you simply must have, hit the read link and let Neuros know.

[Via Slashgear]

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Neuros OSD 3 in development, makers want your input originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 21

How-to: Build a Blu-ray / TV tuner-equipped HTPC for under $1,000

Posted in: ASUS, desktop, Features, HTPC, intel, Microsoft, PC, Today's Chili

Pundits may argue that the modern day HTPC has no place in the modern day living room, but we disagree. In fact, with the economy still struggling to regain its swagger, folks are staying in and finding entertainment at home more than ever. It’s that truth that spurred us to start this here project: building a fully capable, Blu-ray and TV tuner-equipped HTPC for less than a grand. And lo and behold, we made it happen. If you’re interested in seeing exactly how we pieced together a mighty fine entertainment box for less than the starting price of most pre-configured systems, hop on past the break with your notepad open.

Continue reading How-to: Build a Blu-ray / TV tuner-equipped HTPC for under $1,000

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How-to: Build a Blu-ray / TV tuner-equipped HTPC for under $1,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 24

Silicon Mountain debuts Allio Link streamers and HTPCs

Posted in: HTPC, media streamer, MediaStreamer, PC, stream, streaming, Today's Chili

Up until now, the only way to really get the all-in-one “Allio Experience” was to purchase one of its HDTV / HTPC hybrids. But, let’s just say you wanted to have that same experience on your current set. The answer? Silicon Mountain’s latest wares: two new media streamer models and five Allio Link HTPCs. The entry-level $299 Allio Link ADTI-194500 gets powered by an Intel Atom N330 CPU and features 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 4GB of flash storage, GMA950 graphics, four USB 2.0 sockets, VGA / S-Video ports, Gigabit Ethernet and Ubuntu 9.04 running the show. If you’re interested in an integrated DVD player, you can snag an upgraded model for $399. If those just aren’t potent enough for your needs, you can snag one of five Allio Link Media PCs, which range from $659 to $1,199 and feature Windows Vista, 2GB of RAM, the same Atom N330 CPU, a built-in TV tuner and a 250GB HDD. Each of the units are available to order right now, with most shipping out within a week.

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Silicon Mountain debuts Allio Link streamers and HTPCs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 19

Maingear’s Axess HD Gamer PC looks to blow your mind, empty your wallet

Posted in: CoreI7, gaming, HTPC, Today's Chili, video games, VideoGames

Make no bones about, Maingear‘s new Axess HD Gamer (and by merit of its namesake, HTPC, too) is nothing if not a powerhouse for those wanting to pay an arm and a leg for a souped up gaming experience. You want specs? At its best, we’re looking at an Intel Core i7 on a X58 chipset, dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT in SLI, up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM, Blu-ray, Windows Vista / Media Center, and two 3.5-inch storage bays supporting 320GB SSD or 2TB HDD. If you need more nerd cred, ghost of vaporware past Phantom Lapboard serves as one of the bundled input devices, as does the NVIDIA GeForce 3D vision kit and a 22-inch Samsung LCD. Starting price is $1,799, but if you wanna go for broke — and whether not you can, you probably want to — top configurations can run you well over $5,000.

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Maingear’s Axess HD Gamer PC looks to blow your mind, empty your wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 17

ASRock’s Ion 330-BD nettop gets reviewed

Posted in: HTPC, nettop, Today's Chili

AsRock’s Ion 330-BD nettop got a little lost among the twenty other Ion-based products that debuted at Computex, but the folks at TweakTown recently got a chance to spend a bit of one-on-one time with it, and they’ve now turned out an expectedly thorough review. As you can tell from the model name, one of the big selling points of this with this particular model is the built-in Blu-ray drive (it’s also available without one), which TweakTown says feels right at home in the nettop, delivering “silky and smooth” playback with nary a hiccup. The rest of the nettop also seems to be more than up to par, with it delivering on its promise of quiet, low-power operation, and providing the performance you’d expect from the Ion / Atom combination. Better still, TweakTown says that the system can be easily overclocked to 2.1GHz without any apparent hit to stability. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown, including plenty of benchmarks and a closer look at the system itself (inside and out).

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ASRock’s Ion 330-BD nettop gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 15

Hillcrest Labs Loop combines Wiimote, mouse, and Ouroboros

Posted in: controller, HTPC, mouse, Today's Chili
Hillcrest Labs Loop combines Wiimote, mouse, and Ouroboros

Hillcrest Labs has taken a few moments away from its bitter patent dispute with Nintendo to finally release its $99 Loop controller, a Freespace mouse intended primarily for use by those with some sort of HTPC setup. It’s the latest in bangle-inspired design, sporting four buttons and a scroll wheel, compatibility with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, and lacking any sort of chunky sensor bars or the like, detecting hand movements to glide the cursor across the screen. We hear it also makes a great accessory for geek-chic parties.

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Hillcrest Labs Loop combines Wiimote, mouse, and Ouroboros originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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