Well, I ordered parts to build an HTPC and everything should be in by early next week. I decided to go the "small" route rather than get a normal tower and piece it together. So I ordered a ZBOX ID41-U, some memory (4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM), a SSD (64GB), a Logitech wireless keyboard, and an IR based media center remote control. I will have to add a Windows 7 OS and get another 5 port 1GHz switch to complement the setup. Last night I got the keyboard and SSD in a delivery and I hope to have
the ZBOX and remote control delivered tonight. The memory has been
shipped but I don't expect it to arrive today since it is coming from a
longer distance.
My main concern is to get the system set up like a STB using Windows Media Center to stream from my HDHomeRun Prime. I already have an external USB DVD reader that I can plug in as necessary and I can stream content from the 3 TB drive on my Mac Mini. For that matter I could stream DVD content from my Mini as well.
I was actually intrigued by the ZBOX specs (from the Amazon site):
- NVIDIA ION GPU (with 512MB DDR3 memory), Intel Atom D525 CPU (1.8 GHz, dual-core), Intel NM10 Express chipset
- 1 2.5-inch SATA 3.0 Gb/s hard drive connection, 2 204-pin DDR3-800 SO-DIMM slots
- HDMI (1080p with 8-channel audio), Dual-link DVI, HDCP
compliant, VGA (with DVI-to VGA adapter), NVIDIA nView multi-display
technology
- NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology, NVIDIA CUDA technology, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 acceleration, DirectX 10.1
- eSATA, 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 10/100/1000 Ethernet (RJ45), Digital S/PDIF output, Power connector
- Compatible, DirectCompute ready, OpenGL 3.2 compatible, OpenGL compatible, Integrated 802.11n WiFi
- Headphone/Audio out jack, Microphone jack, 6-in-1 Memory card reader (MMC/SD/SDHC/MS/MS Pro/xD), 1 USB 2.0 port
It seems to have pretty good reviews, all except for the WiFi capability. I don't know what the reviewers setup was that caused him to make that comment. I do know that 802.11n is a little finicky in most situations and doesn't deal well with walls and they tell you to tilt one antenna to help with signal in a two story house situation. That is pretty much why I have decided to have a full up 1GHz ethernet connection between the HDHomeRun Prime, the Mac Mini, and the ZBOX. That way, the bits are pretty much delivered to the ZBOX, and it is up to the ZBOX to do something with them. I have heard a number of good things about the Intel Atom and a dual-core processor would make the setup just that much better for my purposes. The ZBOX is also a 7.5 by 7.5 by 2 inch box and comes with a mount for the back of a TV/Monitor. This will definitely be a plus based upon where I want to mount it.
So the game is afoot.
-- LW
