HP Mini 110 netbook goes pink and white, adds Broadcom's HD video acceleration

It's July 8th which means the white swirl and pink chic editions of HP's Mini 110 netbooks are available. Unfortunately, the addition of color over the base-black models will cost you an extra $20. More importantly, this commonly speced netbook with choice of Atom N270 or N280 processors and integrated GMA 950 graphics is also getting an HD video boost thanks to a $30 option for Broadcom's Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator. That should make HD video playback silky smooth without taxing the CPU (and battery) too much. Of course, it looks like you'll have to give up your favorite media player and use the bundled ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre software if you want to take advantage of the acceleration. A small price to pay for portable, 10.1-inch LCD-backlit access to all your MKV, MOV, MP4, AVI, WMV, and TS/M2TS files -- or at least as many as you can fit on 160GB of HDD or 32GB of SSD storage. Pink and white models pictured after the break, for free.

[Via PortableMonkey, thanks David]

[rezaudio @ Jul 8th 2009 8:26AM]

Now this is what we want on our Netbooks!

Cool

[Wwhat @ Jul 8th 2009 8:35AM]

You definitely don't want arcsoft in netbooks, or any other device or computer for that matter. and I bet all the services and constant calling home of the arcsoft crap means it will NOT reduce power use in practise when you count it all up.

[Peter @ Jul 8th 2009 9:44AM]

What's wrong with Arcsoft Total Media Theatre 3? I have the platinum version and it is BY FAR the best Blu-ray (and HD DVD) player out there! I supports both formats, all profiles, HD audio codecs, playback from file folders, and 24p playback.

[OneLove @ Jul 8th 2009 10:33AM]

Just get atom N280 + coreAVC + MPC-HC and you can play 720p just fine .

A hardware solution tied to a specific software is plain stupid and a waste of money. Fuck!

[OneLove @ Jul 8th 2009 10:47AM]

Your Mini 110 XP series

Color Black Swirl
Genuine Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3
Processor Intel(R) Atom(TM) Processor N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2, 667Mhz FSB)
1GB DDR2 System Memory (1 Dimm)
160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with a 5-in-1 Digital Media slot
10.1" diagonal HD LED Anti-glare Widescreen Display (1366 x 768)
HP Mini Webcam with HP Imprint Finish (Swirl)
Wireless-G Card
Broadcom(R) Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator with ArcSoft TotalMedia(TM) Theatre
HP Color Matching Keyboard
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

$484.99 + shipping = NO!

[kornchild2002 @ Jul 8th 2009 1:01PM]

OneLove, my configuration didn't come out that high:
N280 processor
Black swirl finish
160GB hard drive
1366X768 display
6-cell battery
Broadcom HD
HP slipcase
No extended warranty

The price came out to $455.89

That is only $50 higher than most of the competition from Acer and Asus yet it can playback 1080p video content without issues. I ordered one with 16GB SSD (everything else stayed the same including the slipcase) all for $439. I don't see how that is bad considering that Sony will be charging $499 for their generic N280-GMA 950 netbook with a 3-cell battery, Samsung is charging $450 for their N270-GMA 950 netbook since it comes with a "subwoofer," Lenovo is charging $500 for their 12" N270-GMA 950 option, and Dell charges almost $450 for their Mini 10 with an Atom Z530 and the ever so crappy GMA 500. $439-$460 really isn't all that bad for what the HP mini does (ie full playback of 1080p videos without issues).

[OneLove @ Jul 8th 2009 2:40PM]

@kornchild2002:

Your configuration is missing the "Broadcom(R) Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator with ArcSoft TotalMedia(TM) Theatre" option, so i guess it cant play HD. lol.

...and have you seen this.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9370272&type=product&id=1218093001788

Out of the box HD for only $399:

[OneLove @ Jul 8th 2009 2:43PM]

...oh wait. my bad. :)P

[kornchild2002 @ Jul 9th 2009 9:21AM]

Yeah, I wasn't missing the Broadcom HD card in that configuration (as you spotted). I actually have that Gateway netbook and it is nice except that 1080p video playback is impossible and I have now started to come across issues with high bitrate 720p mpeg-4 AVC content. Additionally, the battery life on the Gateway netbook is 4 hours for real world usage. It drastically drops to 2 hours when playing back 720p content. It is still my netbook of choice but Gateway (Acer) needs to release a higher capacity 6-cell battery (or 9-cell battery) for it to push the battery life past the 6 hour mark. That is pretty much my only complaint about Gateway's netbook and, from the reviews I have read, HP's Mini 110XP can last for around 6-8 hours on a single charge (some places say 6, some places say 8).

[mcallister @ Jul 27th 2009 4:16PM]

please?

[Conceyted @ Jul 8th 2009 8:28AM]

Okay, who is going to be the first to try this out and tell us how it games on this HD card? Will it even matter?

[mbentley @ Jul 8th 2009 8:29AM]

it seems that unless you have software written specifically for the card, it doesn't do any video acceleration.

[Conceyted @ Jul 8th 2009 8:31AM]

Bummer. Oh well, thanks for the reply. I have been searching for information on it. It looks like I will still be waiting for the Ion.

[simbr @ Jul 8th 2009 8:38AM]

Reminds me of the Hollywood+ / DXR3 MPEG2 accelerator which required special software (which wasn't all that great).

[OneLove @ Jul 8th 2009 10:49AM]

This a much better HD netbook (out of the box):

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9370272&type=product&id=1218093001788

Make sure to delete all the bloatware first.

[Fanfoot @ Jul 8th 2009 7:22PM]

It ONLY currently works with the ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre (windows) software that comes with the unit. And then only if it is one of the listed video formats.

[rezaudio @ Jul 8th 2009 8:29AM]

Although it states Atom as the CPU of choice - I have something else in mine (can't remember the name) so I guess I'll not be getting HD? :o(

[htd @ Jul 8th 2009 8:30AM]

I wonder if it only works on certain media playback applications.

[Wwhat @ Jul 8th 2009 8:38AM]

It's a few lines, the article, is it so impossible to read it?

[darkstar @ Jul 8th 2009 8:46AM]

VLC cant handle this?

[simbr @ Jul 8th 2009 8:33AM]

I assume this app is for Windows? Is there any Linux support for the broadcom card? It isn't available as an option for the Mi edition at any rate.

[tc @ Jul 8th 2009 8:38AM]

But can it play Crys...nevermind.

[DoctaDJones @ Jul 8th 2009 8:46AM]

"...use the bundled ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre..."

Ewww. So I guess that means no accelerated Hulu then?

[Rollins @ Jul 8th 2009 8:50AM]

You can also get it with the 1366x768 screen now. Happy day.

[L @ Jul 8th 2009 8:54AM]

Read this Adobe press release to find out why that Broadcom HD chip is likely more important than Ion for many netbook users :)

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200906/060209AdobeandBroadcom.html

Typical slow Adobe development means that Flash supporting the Broadcom chip is still far off (H1/2010), but at least it's coming...
Also, if Flash is going to support this, I guess we'll see that chip in many other netbooks, thus making it a viable target for other video codec/media players support.

[216 @ Jul 8th 2009 8:56AM]

well i like the idea of the GPU, but if I can't use it with VLC player then that's a bummer.....but it still beats the GMA950

[bex @ Jul 8th 2009 8:59AM]

Woah look how pink it is, I soooo want that seriously I don't care its its a pile of crap which by the sounds of it, it is. I'm sure they will sell a good few just on the colour!

[larry.nic @ Jul 8th 2009 9:17AM]

Ewww. They go through the bother and cost of adding HD hardware acceleration, but no HDMI out, and you're limited to it only being used by one software program???? FAIL

[mikeg @ Jul 8th 2009 9:36AM]

The only reason it is limited is because the people writing the players haven't written their programs to take advantage of this card.
Dell has been using this card in their Studio Hybrid line for those that ordered the Blu Ray drive option since they launched it.

The problem for the people writing the player software is that they didnt have enough need to rewrite for this. Now with the card going into other mainstream computers (and possibly even more in the future) there is more likelyhood for the players to be written for it.

[Kevin @ Jul 8th 2009 9:50AM]

Of course this would be irreverent if they used real video cards *cough*ion*cough*

Though considering I was one of the lucky people on my eee pc 4g (in that it has the extra mini pcie slot) i can't help but wonder if it could be made to work on my asus :D

[OneLove @ Jul 8th 2009 10:38AM]

*cough*irrelevant*cough*

*cough* word fail *cough*

[Art @ Jul 8th 2009 9:59AM]

i love how i got the 1000 THREE weeks before the 110 comes out. fml

[Michael @ Jul 8th 2009 10:27AM]

I wonder if this module could be refit into my five month old HP 2140?

[Jurai @ Jul 8th 2009 10:40AM]

I remember reading in some early reviews of the original hp mini 1000 about how hp was planning to expand it with an hd video option, kind of a shame they skipped out on that generation though. Unless the card does work in a mini 1000 in which case, dowant!

[kornchild2002 @ Jul 8th 2009 10:46AM]

Well, I was holding out to purchase one of these HP netbooks but I ended up getting Gateway's AMD powered model. However, I have one on order anyway since I will likely pass my Gateway netbook onto someone else.

I know that ArcSoft's media player might be crap but it is only a matter of time until other applications start supporting Broadcom's chip. My Gateway netbook can playback 720p content but HP's, with the Broadcom chip, can playback 1080p content. I think that is pretty impressive. Companies need to now start supporting it such as Apple (iTunes), Microsoft (WMP), the development team behind VLC, Nero, and a few others. Either way, I don't think that $439 is too much for a netbook with a Broadcom chip, N280 Atom processor, 1336X768 display, six-cell battery, slipcase, and warranty. A little more than I wanted to spend but it isn't like other companies who offer up the generic N270/GMA 950 option for $500 (I am looking at you Lenovo).

[Neeko @ Jul 8th 2009 11:36AM]

why give it HD capability and no HDMI out? whats the point really? Yeah i can watch 720p or 1080 videos on my 10inch screen...the big advantage would be to be able to watch in on a larger screen with an HDMI out connection. prob good for gamers but not for video people.

This sounds like a waste of good Hardware acceleration.

[Cheesus(Crust) @ Jul 8th 2009 1:44PM]

The screen is 1366x768

[kornchild2002 @ Jul 9th 2009 9:23AM]

Additionally, the use of VGA means that people can hook the Mini to higher resolution monitors and LCD/Plasma HDTVs. I too would have preferred HDMI but using VGA means that older monitors are supported.

[Matt @ Jul 9th 2009 9:58AM]

Seriously, if Broadcom had a clue they'd have made DirectShow filters and codecs that take advantage of this card instead of writing a new software application. People don't like to change their software, and hardware manufactures aren't limited to custom solution like this anymore. Also, it's a waste of time.

It's not the stone age, anymore. Write a decent codec that uses your card and maybe people will think about using it. Also, don't call it "TotalMedia Theatre". Bad choice in names, that.

[kornchild2002 @ Jul 9th 2009 4:27PM]

Broadcom didn't write the application that comes bundled on the Mini 110XP. In fact, you can find a video of CyberLink showing off their PowerDVD software on a netbook using the Broadcom chip (and a net-top using the Nvidia ION platform) http://www.liliputing.com/2009/06/cyberlink-powerdvd-optimized-for-computers-with-nvidia-ion-broadcom-chips-video.html

It is only a matter of time before software companies begin taking advantage of the hardware. I wouldn't be surprised if Nero is even working on a solution for their ShowTime software. Either way, consumers will have a choice in terms of media players by the end of this year.

[Narendra Sankar @ Jul 9th 2009 11:30AM]

Once someone gets this unit - they would realize that the system comes with standard directshow filters and codecs for the Broadcom HW that can be used in any Directshow aware player. I have it working on MPC, KMplayer, GOMplayer etc. etc. Hopefully VLC and others coming soon.

------------------ speaking for myself and not for Broadcom ---------------------

[simbr @ Jul 10th 2009 11:56AM]

That is good news. Is anyone working on Linux drivers?

[Narendra Sankar @ Jul 9th 2009 11:35AM]

In order to see the performance in 1080p playback -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkhIZqOePps

[joan @ Aug 9th 2009 11:01AM]

thank you....
Pink and white models pictured after the break
HP NY221AA laptop battery http://www.cheap-laptop-batteries.com/laptop-battery/hp-ny221aa.htm
HP NY220AA laptop batteries http://laptop-batteries.com.au/computer-battery/hp-ny220aa.htm