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Zotac Zbox HD-ID34 Blu-ray playing nettop reviewed, scores well for non-audiophiles
Little PCs are wonderful things, and those that can handle Blu-ray playback and do so while sucking down less than 45 watts are doubly delightful. Zotac's Zbox is such a machine, an Atom D525 and ION2 nettop with a Blu-ray all built into a lovely sliver of brushed metal. AnandTech found its performance to match its looks the majority of the time, able to play most HD footage without issue either from the network or straight from the optical drive. However, there's one problem: surround audio. The box cannot bitstream DTS-HD MA or Dolby TrueHD and comes with playback software that's not capable of delivering 5.1 channel surround over the box's HDMI output. So, it's perhaps not a home theater audiophile's dream, but at $399 without memory or storage, or $499 with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD, it is at least a heck of a good bargain.
Zotac introduces ID33 and ID34 Zbox mini PCs, complete with Atom D525 and Blu-ray
Now this is an HTPC worth gawking at. Zotac has just revised its long-standing Zbox line with a new duo, and we have to say -- we're digging the new look. Beyond the exterior improvements, the outfit has bolstered the internals by providing the HD-ID33 and HD-ID34 with Intel's new 1.8GHz Atom D525 CPU, 2GB of DDR2-800 memory, NVIDIA's next-gen Ion graphics platform, an HDMI output, 6-in-1 card reader, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a couple of USB 2.0 ports and an unexpected pair of USB 3.0 sockets. The only notable difference between the two is the inclusion of a 250GB hard drive in the ID34, while the 2.5-inch HDD slot is left open for DIYers in the ID33. Windows 7 is onboard, naturally, as is a slot-loading Blu-ray drive that the company is (rightfully) proud of. It's not talking prices just yet, but we're willing to overlook a modest premium to finally get BD support within a delightfully small package. Hit the gallery below for more eye candy.%Gallery-101686%
