ZOTAC Introduces First Mini PCs With Integrated Blu-ray Drives

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.


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!

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)