PC Peripherals Dell zino HD - decent HTPC setup??

A

arrow004

Disciple
Thinking about getting dell zino HD for watching HD movies on my 40 inch tv...Is it a good choice.i know i can build an HTPC cheaper but i like the looks of zino(Very important for HTPC) and don't have the time or energy to build another rig....... my question is,can it playback full 1080p movies with high bit rates without any issues?? heard there were some issuesd about ti being nopisy or audio being outta sync??Any other i should know about??

total cost:-29k.Kinda expensive but it's a one time purchase.it also has an HDMi port which is necessary to transfer both audio and video to the tv since my speaker system is directly hooked to the tv.

Here are the specs:-

Case Piano Black Chassis with 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330

Processor AMD Athlon(TM) X2 6850e Dual-Core Processor (1.8GHz, 512Kx2, 2C)

Memory 3GB (1X2GB/1X1GB) DDR2 SDRAM Memory

Monitor Dell(TM) IN1910N 18.5" Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor

Hard Drive 320GB SATA

Optical Drive Integrated Slim Tray 12.7mm DVD +/-RW (8X DVD+/-RW)

Wireless Solution Integrated Dell(TM) 1397 Wireless 802.11 b/g Card

Item included in the system Standard Fan & Heatsink

Item included in the system Dell Connect 2.1

Item included in the system Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN

Item included in the system 4-in-1 media card reader

Item included in the system Integrated Audio (analog stereo 2.1 on Audio Jack and digital 5.1. capable over

Item included in the system 250V Power Cord 3W/3P (G-Type)
 
Re: Dell zino HD----decent HTPC setup??

Hmmm.. interesting... which audio chip though ?

and if its just watching movies, then y not go for a WD TV Live ??
 
I too have had the same thoughts for quite a while.. esp. if form factor is critical then there are really few choices. But I still have a feeling it's an average choice. Not killer, yet not too bad either .. especially if you plan to use it well as a comp/DL rig+.. apart from its HTPC duties.

What you do get is one nice looking box with Dell behind it..

Just a suggestion. Choose the S241230IN8 (the one on the left) and then opt for the same config you have mentioned. Except now, you'll be able to choose 2GB RAM and the price comes to Rs.27,360.84..

Another suggestion would be to go with the 24" ST2410. The price would then go upto Rs.32,842.11, but you should be able to sell the 24" (in case you don't wish to use it). Dell charges 900 for delivery, taking the total price upto ~33.7K..

Now you should be able to sell 24" ST2410 for around 12-13k easy..
That way the Zino HD will come for about 20-21K..

20K prospective for a Zino HD with X2 6850e Dual-Core, Radeon HD 4330 and 2 gigs of RAM, with Win-7.. without the monitor

What's your source for AV being out of sync?.. I did read a few such articles, but nothing concrete that points back to the lack of processing. That dual core with HD4330 is the strongest combination possible and should be sufficient for Full-HD. Many av/play back issues pointed to incorrect flash version, bad players used for playback etc.

This is feedback from what I've read. Since I don't own one, I can't really vouch 100%.. however, I hope it was of help..

It'd be absolutely awesome if we got any feedback from any person on TE who might own a Zino HD ..
 
SPECIFICATIONS:

Model

Model: MAGHD-ND01-B/C/E/U/J

Chipset

Manufacturer: NVIDIA® GPU ION™

CPU Compatibility

Name: Intel® Atom™ 330 (dual-core) (1.6 GHz)

Intel® HyperThreading™ technology

Socket: NA (integrated CPU)

Front-side bus: 533 MHz

Memory

Memory: 2GB DDR2-800

Storage

Hard Drive: 160GB 5400RPM

Expansion: eSATA 3.0Gbps

Memory Card Reader: 6-in-1 (MMC/SD/SDHC/MS/MS Pro/xD)

Networking

Ethernet: 10/100/1000Mbps

WiFi: 802.11n/g/b

3D API

DirectX DirectX 10

OpenGL OpenGL 3.1

Ports

HDMI: 1 (HDCP w/8-channel digital audio)

VGA: 1

e. SATA: 1 (SATA 3.0 Gbps)

USB 2.0: 6 (4 back panel, 1 front panel, 1 top panel)

Ethernet: 10/100/1000Mbps (RJ45)

Audio: Headphone jack, Microphone jack

Operating system: User installed (Windows XP, Vista, 7 and Linux ready)

Packaging

Packaging Content

1 x ZOTAC MAG HD-ND01

1 x Stand

1 x VESA mount

4 x Mounting screws

1 x AC adapter

1 x Power cord

1 x Warranty card

1 x User manual

1 x Driver CD

For Complete Details Click Here --> Zotac MAG HD-ND01

Price: Rs. 16,600/- + shipping

Warranty: 1 Year

Shipping: Rs. 200/- flat through DTDC Air
Click to expand...

It sells in E -> The forum which cant be named in TE :p
 
Anyone here owns or have friends who own Dell zino..

Looks like a nice machine for these price.

Inspiron Zino HD - 20900

Inspiron Zino HD + 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 - 26500

Can be used as download rig, very small cabinet then HUGE cabinets as well can play any damn file coz you have VLC, GOM, KM etc etc

What say ?
 
Anyone using Insipiron Zino HD ?

I Really liked the small factor size of it rather then using HUGE cabinets with fans sounding like helicopter.. :)

Looking for users/review of Insipiron Zino HD sold in INDIA -
Inspiron Zino HD Desktop | Dell India

Main Use - Normal surfing, HD Movies by HDMI out to LCD, MS office works,
Price around - Zino HD with 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 = 26500 Rs

Any comments on :
AMD Athlon(TM) 2650e Processor Vs AMD Athlon(TM) X2 3250e Dual-Core Processor ?

Dell IN1910N 18.5" Widescreen Or upgrade to Dell S2209WFP 21.5 " Full HD ?

Normal Or 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 Card ? Will it be able to play HDMI 1080p ?

Config says (Integrated Audio (analog stereo 2.1 on Audio Jack and digital 5.1. capable over) - What is digital 5.1. capable over ?

Give your views on this..
 
AMD Athlon(TM) 2650e Processor Vs AMD Athlon(TM) X2 3250e Dual-Core Processor ?
Click to expand...

1.6GHz Single core vs 1.5GHz Dual core. You'd obviously be better off going with the dual core.

Normal Or 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 Card ? Will it be able to play HDMI 1080p ?
Click to expand...

Both will manage 1080p. The HD 4330 will do a better job at off-loading HD Decoding from the CPU. A dual core will ensure you have enough headroom even with the onboard HD 3200 graphics.

Config says (Integrated Audio (analog stereo 2.1 on Audio Jack and digital 5.1. capable over) - What is digital 5.1. capable over ?
Click to expand...

The standard onboard audio chip supports only stereo audio.

But the HD 4330 has its own audio chip that can pass digital 5.1 audio via the HDMI connector.
 
Eh, Was looking for my post, It got merged here :)

Crazy_Eddy, Thank you. Do you recommend Zino HD for home use ?

@arrow004, Which city you from ? When do you plan to take this up ? Did you see demo of Zino HD ?
 
Should be pretty good for general use and a 24x7 download box. Plus it looks like a lifestyle device, without the high price tag.

But it really depends on how you intend to use it, considering the obvious problem of expandability.

If you're a gamer, you cannot upgrade the graphics card.

If you have a large collection of HD content, you will be limited by the storage space eventually.

Putting aside the gaming, someone like myself would buy it but use it only in conjunction with a file server/NAS.

Edit: Stumbled upon this page at AVS forum that has quite a bit of info, plus more detail on HD playback : http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1170527
 
Thank you.

I would never play games, even if req then will think of PS2

It comes with 320 GB HDD & can surely connect ext HDD if req.

Do you think this processor & graphics card will be able to play 1080p output to LCD ?
 
Quoting from the AVS forum link above :

Media capabilities:

* Blu-ray disc playback - All configurations, requires BD-ROM & software

* 1080p h.264 and VC-1 M2TS/MKV/BD-rips - All configurations

* SD streaming Flash - All configurations

* HD streaming Flash - Any GPU, 3250e & 6850e confirmed, 2650e & 2850e probable with Flash 10.1

* 5.1 AC3/DTS bitstreaming over HDMI - All configurations

* 7.1 LPCM over HDMI - HD4330 versions only

* Dolby TrueHD / DTS-MA bitstreaming - Not possible
Click to expand...

As I said, you're better off going with the dual-core. Any GPU should do according to AVS.
 
^ No offence, but are you reading any of the posts? :S

This is the 3rd time you're asking about 1080p when I've clearly highlighted it from the AVS thread.
 
My friend, I have read all of the post on AVS.

It is Media capabilities given by Dell. There is a difference b/w company claiming Media capabilities & able to play them.

If you look at Java Jack's posts (AMD guy) he posts that most 1080p vids are lagging with single core processor. Thats the reason was asking for it again :)
 
If you read again, Jack's tests were on HD content delivered via Flash.

Now compare it with the AVS post and see if the info matches up. That info is not given by Dell - in fact no company will even go to that level of detail - they are compiled by people based on reviews/info.

Nonetheless as I already said, its definitely preferable to go with the dual core.
 
After quite a lot of thinking between the Zino and Zotac, I've gone with the Zotac MAG HD-ND01 .. since it is proven good at HD content and can happily hide behind a monitor using the vesa mount.. also, I don't wish to go with the Dell monitor combo and then bother selling it etc..

To those who are still battling between the two.. they can be considered fairly equal on value.. those who feel will limit their usage to HD and light gaming may choose the Zotac. Anyone who wants that and want to upgrade (RAM) in the future to that box may go with the Zino.

From my earlier post on this thread.. Zino works out about 5-6K more compared to the Zotac. The 4330HD from reports online suggest that its a tad better than the IonITX 9400.. and for the 5k extra, what you'll get is a built in DVD-writer and Win-7.. and ofc, the pretty box that Zino is. To add to it, you will be able to upgrade RAM upto 8-gig in future ..

Truth be told, HTPCs and gaming rigs are and should remain opposites.. .. Gaming is best enjoyed on a proper comp, with options to upgrade.. while HTPCs should be cheap and be powerful enough to provide Full-HD decoding with HDMI, SPDIF optical out etc.. any higher expectations will result in losing out on form factor, power consumption, noise levels etc..

For those looking to manage.. there's obviously the NAS option.. and there is eSATA on both.. so either of them are good choices.. you should just choose the one you feel fits your requirements best..
 
If I would ever go the HTPC way, I would look for these:

*Blu-ray playback with the lowest CPU utilisation

*8ch LPCM decoding

*A SFF system with the lowest thermal profile

*Ability to stream high bit-rate blu-ray/hd-dvd rips off a NAS thru Gigabit LAN

I think the ION almost matches these requirements. We may see a lot of developments with newer AMD chips rivaling the ION. Intel's almost there with the G45 chip.

The Apple TV was a good option but failed in so many aspects.
 
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