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ZOTAC has made a living from producing graphics cards and PCs that are smaller than your average mid-tower, but their latest round of Mini PCs may be their nicest yet. For years, HTPC owners have wondered why so many HTPCs were shipping without Blu-ray support. Now, the times are finally catching up. ZOTAC has stepped forward with the first Mini PCs to be loaded with integrated slot-load Blu-ray drives, as both the ZBOX Blu-ray HD-ID33 and HD-ID34 come stocked from the factory with optical drives that can handle the latest and greatest BD flicks.
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The two machines are largely similar, with Intel's new 1.8GHz Atom D525 powering the pair and NVIDIA's next generation Ion platform handling the graphics. Each have 2GB of DDR2-800 memory, while the the ID33 has a 2.5" HDD slot and the ID34 ships with a 250GB unit already. There's even USB 3.0 support, onboard Wi-Fi and plenty of Blu-ray related software bundled in. There's also an HDMI output, Windows 7 installed, a 6-in-1 card reader, 7.1 channel audio, and Gigabit Ethernet. There's no word on pricing just yet, but with Blu-ray involved, it'll surely be more expensive than prior units. But hey, there's finally Blu-ray!
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ZOTAC® Announces World’s First mini-PC with Integrated Blu-ray Drive
New ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series combine stylish looks with energy-efficiency, high-performance and integrated slot-load Blu-ray drive
HONG KONG – Sept. 8, 2010 – ZOTAC® International, a leading innovator and the world’s largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today announces the new ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series mini-PCs -- the world’s first shipping mini-PCs with an integrated slot-load Blu-ray drive and slim and stylish design. The new ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray mini-PCs combine a powerful graphics processor with an energy-efficient system processor, premium integrated features and class-leading expansion capabilities to form mini-PCs capable of deliver premium high-definition video playback online and offline.
Next-Generation NVIDIA® ION™ graphics technology with 16 unified shaders and 512MB of DDR3 memory enables the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series to deliver stunning high-definition Blu-ray video playback at resolutions up to 1080p. Hardware-accelerated Adobe® Flash® video support enables smooth playback of streaming high-definition content.
A new dual-core Intel® Atom™ D525 processor delivers a performance punch for daily use while sipping minimal amounts of power for energy-efficient computing with the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series. Intel® HyperThreading™ technology enables the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series to process up to four threads for superior responsiveness for everyday use.
A built-in slot-load Blu-ray drive capable of 4x Blu-ray, 8x DVD and 24x CD speeds enables playback of Blu-ray and DVD movies and ability to write to DVD±R/RW and CD±R/RW discs with the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series. A Blu-ray ready copy of Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 is included with the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series to let users instantly take advantage of high-definition Blu-ray playback with Microsoft® Windows® 7 and Vista operating systems.
“The ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series is more than just a system for playing games and watching movies. The ZOTAC ZBOX Blu-ray series is the ultimate multimedia hub for all your entertainment needs and replaces the function of multiple electronics devices. With the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series, we are bringing the ability to view Blu-ray movies, streaming Internet video, downloaded videos, store and access your music collection, listen to Internet radio, browse the web, play games and even manage your social networking profiles into a single device,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC® International.
Two USB 3.0 ports are available on the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series for external expansion and enables connection to external storage, video peripherals and other devices at speeds up to 10-times faster than USB 2.0. Internal expansion capabilities of the ZBOX Blu-ray series include one mini-PCI Express slot, two 200-pin DDR2 SO-DIMM slots and room for one 2.5-inch SATA hard drive or SSD drive.
Integrated dual-stream 802.11n WiFi technology enables lightning-fast network transfers up to 300Mb/s without the hassle of wires when networking the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series. When using wired networking, the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series supports speeds up to 1000Mb/s.
“Mini-PCs typically have limited upgrade capabilities, but we have addressed these limitations with the ZOTAC ZBOX Blu-ray series. With a combination of mini-PCI Express, USB 3.0 and eSATA expansion capabilities, the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series is in a league of its own.“
The ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series are shipping in two models – the ZBOX Blu-ray HD-ID33 and HD-ID34. The ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray HD-ID33 is a customizable media mini-PC that lets users install their own memory, hard drive and operating system to build the perfect mini-PC while the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray HD-ID34 ships with 2GB of DDR2-800 memory and a 250GB 5400RPM hard drive preinstalled – the user only needs to install an operating system.
It’s time to play with the ZOTAC® ZBOX Blu-ray series.
General details
• ZOTAC® Announces World’s First Mini-PC with Integrated Blu-ray Drive
ZOTAC ZBOX Blu-ray series combine stylish looks with energy-efficiency, high-performance and integrated slot-load Blu-ray drive
• ZBOX Blu-ray HD-ID33
o 2 x DDR2-800 SO-DIMM slots
o Support 1 x 2.5-inch SATA 3.0 Gb/s HDD/SSD
• ZBOX Blu-ray HD-ID34
o 2GB DDR2-800
o 250GB 5400RPM HDD
• Intel® Atom™ D525 processor (1.8 GHz, dual-core)
• Intel® NM10 Express chipset
• Next-Generation NVIDIA® ION™ graphics processor
o 16 unified shaders
o 512MB DDR3 memory
• NVIDIA® CUDA™ technology
• NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology
• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 technology
• 1 Mini-PCI Express expansion slot
• Slot-load Blu-ray drive
o 4x Blu-ray read
o 8x DVD / 24x CD read/write
• Blu-ray ready Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 included
• Onboard 802.11n WiFi (300Mb/s)