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        Atom PC has HD decoder chip

        Jonathan Angel | Date: Mar 12, 2009 | Comments: 1


        Habey announced a computer that uses Intel's Atom N270 CPU, yet is claimed to be capable of full 1080p video playback. Targeting set-top, digital signage, and media center applications, the "BIS-6550HD" offers fanless operation, HDMI output, gigabit Ethernet, and CompactFlash storage, the...

        company says.

        (Click here for a larger view of Habey's BIS-6550HD)

        Intel's 1.6GHz Atom N270, 82945GSE northbridge, and ICH7M southbridge are typically found in netbooks, along with a multitude of other devices that now includes Habey's new BIS-6550HD. While this chipset undoubtedly has many merits, observers generally agree that video playback is not among them: The N270's native video decoding potential is limited, and the 82945GSE wasn't designed with HD acceleration in mind.

        For that reason, Nvidia announced its Ion platform last December, designed to pair the N270 with a single northbridge/southbridge companion chip that includes a GeForce 9400 graphics processor. Claiming that the Ion will give netbooks and other low-power devices "full-spec 1080p HD video," Nvidia showed off its own reference platform (right) but did not say when products based on it would ship.

        Meanwhile, Habey obviously agrees that the N270 needs help with video playback, but has taken a different tack. According to the company, its new BIS-6550HD retains the 82945GSE and ICH7M, but adds an HD decoder chip of the sort previously sold by companies such as Broadcom, Horizon Semiconductor, and installed into Blu-Ray players and STBs (set-top boxes).


        The main board used by Habey's BIS-6550HD includes an HD decoder chip
        (Click to enlarge)

        Citing a confidentiality agreement, Habey declines to specify the decoder chip installed on the device's main board (pictured above), but says that thanks to its presence, the BIS-6550HD can do real-time decoding of H.264/AVC and VC-1 video, both at data rates up to 40Mbps, and MPEG-2 at up to 125Mbps. Decoding 1080p H.264 video uses less than 15 percent of the N270's processing power, the company says.

        Habey also claims that the BIS-6550HD compares favorably with Nvidia's Ion reference platform in power consumption, using just 12.3 Watts when idling compared to the Ion's 21.4 Watts. When both platforms are decoding 1080p video using the demanding H.264 codec, the Ion uses 30.4 Watts, while the BIS-6550HD uses just 18.6 Watts, the company says.


        Power consumption of Habey's BIS-6550HD compared to Nvidia's Ion reference platform
        Source: Habey
        (Click to enlarge)

        Even with its "secret" HD decoder chip, the BIS-6550HD's power consumption is higher than that generally associated with fanless operation. But the device gets by without a fan, according to Habey, thanks to its metal enclosure, which is said to incorporate heatpipe technology.

        The front of the box incorporates a power switch, a 9-pin serial port, four USB 2.0 ports, an RJ45 connector for gigabit Ethernet, plus dual PS/2 ports for a keyboard and mouse. The rear, meanwhile, sports an antenna for an optional wireless LAN module or HD TV tuner, audio I/O, a power input, plus both CompactFlash and SD expansion slots. Also on the back of the box are four video outputs -- HDMI, VGA, S-Video, and composite video.

        Finally, the BIS-6550HD also includes two SATA II ports. Habey doesn't state whether there's room for a hard disk drive inside the device's standard case, which measures 8.07 x 6.03 x 1.90 inches, but says that other enclosures are orderable, and can include a customer's custom branding.

        Features and specifications listed by Habey for the BIS-6550HD include the following:
        • Processor -- 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
        • Memory -- Single SODIMM socket accepts up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM
        • Display -- HD video up to and including 1080p H.264
        • Storage -- Offers SATA II ports plus both SD and CompactFlash slots
        • Networking -- Gigabit Ethernet
        • Other I/O:
          • 4 x USB 2.0
          • 1 x VGA
          • 1 x S-Video
          • 1 x composite video
          • 1 x HDMI 1.3
          • 1 x RS232
          • 2 x PS/2
          • Audio I/O (mic in and line in/out)
          • 2 x SATA II
        • Expansion:
          • SD slot
          • CompactFlash slot
        • Operating temperature -- 0 to 60 deg. C (32 to 140 deg. C)
        • Power input -- 12VDC
        • Dimensions -- 8.07 x 6.03 x 1.9 inches (205 x 153.2 x 48.2mm)
        Further information

        Habey did not release details of pricing or availability for the BIS-6550HD, but said the system comes with both Windows and Linux driver support. For further information, see the company's website, here.

        For an article on the introduction of Nvidia's Ion, see our sister site eWEEK.com, here. For some interesting third-party benchmarks of the Ion reference platform, see the Tech Report website, here.


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