Asus EeeBox PC EB1501P Review And Functions

Monday, December 27, 2010 - by Jennifer Johnson in Systems

Asus is out to prove that big things really do come in small packages with its EeeBox PC EB1501P. This nettop offers an array of I/O ports as well as a slot-load optical disc drive and the ability to play content from your own media library in Full HD. Thanks to USB 3.0, the EeeBox PC EB1501P also supports fast transfers of high definition content as well as other large files from external storage.

Powered by Intel's energy efficient Atom processor, the EeeBox PC EB1501P uses up to 70 percent less energy than a traditional desktop PC. To ensure you're not trading too much performance for power savings though, Asus' Super Hybrid Engine enhances the system's performance and also tailors the nettop's power consumption to suit your performance demands.

For a full HD 1080p home entertainment experience with 5.1 channel surround sound, you can connect the EeeBox PC EB1501P via HDMI and S/PDIF output ports. The nettop's 802.11n WLAN and Ethernet LAN port will keep you connected to your home network.

Nettops are definitely gaining some traction in the market, especially now that the dual core Intel Atom D525 processor is available. NVIDIA's next generation Ion is also key factor in today's nettops, providing users with 1080p playback as well as some light-duty gaming capabilities. Given their compact size, affordability, and capabilities, nettops are looking to make their way into more and more homes.

Although the price for the EeeBox PC EB1501P is a bit higher than the Zotac HD-ID34 Nettop we reviewed earlier this year, keep in mind that Asus' model is a complete package—system, operating system, remote, etc. The Zotac unit lacked an operating system, which, in turn, also gives it a lower price on the surface.
The EeeBox PC EB1501P's thin design makes it ideal for apartments, college dorm rooms, or even your home theater setup. For desktop use, the EeeBox comes with a stand. Alternatively, you can also attach the EeeBox to the back of an LCD monitor using the included mount. 

Asus EeeBox PC EB1501P Specifications & Features

OS	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU	Intel Atom Processor D525 Dual Core, 1.8GHz
Memory	DDR3 SO-DIMM 2GB (up to 4GB)
Storage	SATA 2.5'' 250GB/320GB HDD + ASUS WebStorage Trial
Optical Drive	Slim Slot-in Super Multi DVD-RW
Chipset	Intel NM10
Graphics	Next-Generation NVIDIA ION(GT218-ION)
LAN	10/100/1000 Mbps
Wireless	WLAN 802.11b/g/n @2.4GHz
Front I/O port	Card Reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC) two USB3.0 Headphone-out jack MIC
Rear I/O port	Built-in Wi-Fi antenna four USB 2.0 HDMI out eSATA Audio jack (S/PDIF out) Lan RJ-45
Power Supply	19Vdc, 3.42A, 65W Power adapter
Dimension	193mm(W)x193mm(H)x39mm(D)
Weight	1.2kg (2.64 lb)
Accessories	Quick Start Guide Power adapter& Power Cord Stand VESA Mount Kit S/PDIF adapter Warranty Card Remote Control (Option) Wired/ Wireless Keyboard+Mouse(Option)
Color	Black, White
Price	Street price around $519.00

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Western Digital Latest Model WD TV Live Hub Review

Tuesday, December 28, 2010 - by Paul Lilly in Cameras/Gadgets

One day while sitting in an office going over TPS reports, someone over at Western Digital heard a voice. It whispered, "If you stream it, they will come." After hearing this, he marched into the board room and pitched his idea for a streaming media player, and thus the WD TV series was born. Now whether or not it actually played out like this is irrelevant (it didn't); what matters is that Western Digital did build a line of streaming set-top boxes, and the customers have certainly shown up.

Western Digital's WD TV Live Hub, which is what we're looking at today, is the company's fourth generation media streamer, and it's the most fully functional to date. Unlike the previous generation WD TV Live Plus, as well those that came out before it, this latest iteration adds several welcome additions, including a built-in 1TB hard drive, a built-in media server to stream content to multiple rooms, and more apps than before, including the ability to download movies and TV shows from Blockbuster On Demand.

The idea here is simple. Just plop the WD TV Live Hub into your home theater, connect it to your home network, and proceed shuttling movies, photos, and music back and forth from any of your network-connected PCs to the set-top box, and/or from the set-top box to any of your network-connected PCs. And while you're at it, you can tap into your Pandora account, Facebook news feed, watch Netflix videos, and a whole bunch more all without the complication or cost of integrating a true home theater PC into your living room.

 

WD TV Live Hub Specifications & Features

CPU	Sigma Designs 500MHz
Platform	Mochi
Internal Storage	1TB
Video Formats	AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG 1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MKV (H.264, X.264, AVC, MPEG 1/2.4, VC-1), TS/TP/M2T (MPEG 1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, H.264), M2TS, WMV9
Photo Formats	JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG
Audio Formats	MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital DTS
Playlist	PLS, M3U, WPL Subtitle -- SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI
Connectivity	Gitabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, HDMI, Composite A/V, Component Video, Optical Audio
Dimensions	1.25 x 7.80 6.10 inches (H x D x W)
Weight	1.22 Pounds
OS Support	Windows / Mac

Perhaps most impressive right off the bat is the number of video, photo, and audio formats the WD TV Live Hub supports. Western Digital warns that you won't be able to play "protected premium content such as movies or music from the iTunes Store, Cinema Now, Movielink, Amazon Unbox, and Vongo," but pretty much everything else is fair game.

We also like that Dolby Digital DTS is thrown in the mix, and the various connectivity options are a definite plus. It's clear that Western Digital put a lot of effort into making sure its latest media set-top box would integrate seamlessly into just about any home theater/network setup (sans Linux).

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