[bmcclure937]

NVIDIA's Ion technology may be hogging the limelight when it comes to netbook graphics, but Broadcom's no stranger to the space. After giving Acer's Aspire One HD playback capabilities that it could only dream of just months prior, the company's newly announced Crystal HD platform could provide Intel's Atom N450 with the multimedia boost it badly needs. The nitty-gritty details are still being withheld, but we're told that "top-tier OEMs including Asus, Dell and Samsung" will be slapping this into their upcoming N450-based netbooks. If you're curious as to why you should care, the BCM70015 promises "near flawless" HD video playback, including support for Flash Player 10.1 and Blu-ray flicks. We're told to expect it to start popping up in forthcoming machines throughout 2010, and if you're looking to soak up anything else in the meanwhile, a promotional video awaits you after the break.

[via Engadget]


Hopefully this gives some insight on the mysterious Broadcom Crystal HD technology. As we all know, this will be an option in the upcoming Mini 10 based on the Atom N450.

YouTube- Broadcom Crystal HD Solution

YouTube- Broadcom Crystal HD Solution

[TobyRhino]

Very very cool, but not sure if I'd want to pay a massive premium for the option of playing HD vids.

And the video posted really does show how annoying stuttering sound and video can be.

[bmcclure937]

Regarding the video. I do not understand why they would use 2 different netbook models (although configured "identically"). I would have liked to see 2 of the exact same netbook, 1 with the Broadcom Crystal HD and one without. I understand that the comparison used in the video is still valid, since the specs are
"identical"... but still.

[dsf3g]

I'd like to see a netbook with a built in blu-ray player. Sure it would be a bit bulkier than your typical netbook, but it would make a nice portable Blu-ray player/mini computer combo.

[bmcclure937]

Originally Posted by dsf3g

I'd like to see a netbook with a built in blu-ray player. Sure it would be a bit bulkier than your typical netbook, but it would make a nice portable Blu-ray player/mini computer combo.

and the slim style BluRay player would be valued at more than the entire rest of the netbook... seems strange.

[holmes4]

Well, not quite. Maybe a third to a half. (Blu-ray recorders are much more expensive, but players are probably in the $100 range.) Still, since netbooks don't tend to have optical drives at all (no room), asking for Blu-Ray hardly seems appropriate. Consider instead buying Blu-Ray discs with the "digital copy" option - you can then load that onto any netbook and watch.

[drizek]

There is little point in watching actual blu ray movies on a netbook, given that you are lucky to get a display that supports even 720p, let alone 1080p.

What I really want to know is if this broadcom chip can decode 720p x264 blu ray rips. That would make me throw out my Mini 9 and get one of the new fangled Mini 10s. If not, I will probably be buying an Acer Timeline or something with a similar form factor in the near future.

[dsf3g]

Originally Posted by drizek

There is little point in watching actual blu ray movies on a netbook, given that you are lucky to get a display that supports even 720p, let alone 1080p.

Yeah, but assuming it's got HDMI out, then you've got a nice portable player that you can hook up to any half decent TV.

The attraction to the portable blu-ray player is mostly that it would allow you to buy only blu-ray discs from now on, instead of a blu-ray disc for the home theater and a DVD version for watching on the plane.

[drizek]

Oh yeah, with HDMI out it could become an HTPC, and I would definitely use it for that. I bought and then returned a Blu Ray player because I figured that I would have little use for it once I buy a new computer in the next couple of months.

[Teh Lurv]

Any idea of this decoder will work for Linux/OS X?