Zotac has previously released a variety of home theater-oriented PCs, including the Atom- and Ion 2-equipped Zbox HD-ID11 we covered in March. With the HD-ID33BR-U and HD-ID34BR-U, however, the company has added an integral Blu-ray drive, and adopted slimline styling that makes the systems resemble stereo components.

Zotac's HD-ID3xBR-U
(Click to enlarge)

The HD-ID33BR-U and HD-ID34BR-U move to the recently released dual-core Atom D525, along with Intel's NM10 I/O controller. (Intel touted this Atom variant as being aimed at networked storage appliances, but we figured it would quickly show up in low-cost desktops.)

Like the earlier Zbox HD-ID11, the HD-ID33BR-U and HD-ID34BR-U add Nvidia's Ion 2 GPU (graphics processing unit). Thanks to this component, the devices offer 1080p HD video playback, with accelerated decoding of AVC, VC-1 and Blu-ray formats, plus dual-stream hardware acceleration for the Blu-ray picture-in-picture feature, says Zotac.

According to Zotac, the only difference between the HD-ID33BR-U and HD-ID34BR-U is that the latter comes with 2GB of RAM onboard and a 250GB hard disk drive. The '33, on the other hand, features two unpopulated SODIMM slots that accept up to 4GB of RAM, plus room for an internal hard disk drive. Neither model comes with an installed operating system, suggesting that they're best suited to hobbyists or professional system integrators.

The devices' front panel, visible in the image earlier in this story, includes one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port, plus what appears to be a memory card reader (Zotac neglected to specify this on its product page). Also up front are 3.5mm jacks for a microphone input and headphone output.

The rear panel on the Zotac's HD-ID3xBR-U
(Click to enlarge)

The rear panel, pictured above, has another USB 3.0 port, a combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port that allows connecting external hard disk drives, and an optical S/PDIF connector, according to Zotac. The HD-ID33BR-U and HD-ID34BR-U also have HDMI and DVI-I video outputs, the latter capable of driving VGA monitors via a supplied adapter, the company adds.

The HD-ID33BR-U and HD-ID34BR-U also include gigabit Ethernet ports and internal 802.11b/g/n wireless networking, according to Zotac. The systems also have a Mini PCI Express expansion slot, says the company.

Features and specifications listed by Zotac for the Zbox HD-ID33BR-U and HD-ID34BR-U include:

• Processor -- Intel Atom D525 clocked at 1.8GHz
• Chipset -- NM10 and Nvidia Ion 2
• Memory -- two SODIMM slots accept up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM; HD-ID34BR-U comes with 2GB
• Storage:
  • internal bay for 2.5-inch SATA HDD (plus eSATA port); HD-ID34BR-U comes with 250GB hard disk drive
  • Blu-ray drive
• Expansion:
  • media card reader (formats n/s, but MMC/SD/SDHC/XD/Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro presumed
  • Mini PCI Express slot
• Networking:
  • LAN -- gigabit Ethernet
  • WLAN -- 802.11b/g/n
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x USB 2.0
  • 1 x combo USB 2.0/eSATA
  • 2 x USB 3.0
  • S/PDIF optical output (type n/s, but optical presumed)
  • DVI-I (supports VGA with adapter)
  • HDMI
  • Audio -- mic in and headphone/line out
• Power consumption -- n/s
• Dimensions -- 11.02 x 7.36 x 1.5 inches (280 x 187 x 40mm)

Further information

Zotac did not cite pricing for the HD-ID33BR-U or HD-ID34BR-U, but the devices appear to be available now. More information may be found on the Zotac website, here.

A detailed, generally favorable review of the systems may be found on the AnandTech website, here. According to writer Alan Leuke, the HD-ID33BR-U will sell for approximately $400, while the HD-ID34BR-U costs $500.

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