Cool VIA DIY Kit Puts HD in Your Hands
This DIY kit from VIA is packed with HD goodness.
VIA Technologies has launched its latest DIY PC kit that puts HD video in the palm of your hand. The VIA ARTiGO A1100 is a tiny PC that crams a 64-bit processor, HDMI and VGA connectivity, and five USB ports into a rather small, hand-sized PC chassis. The kit retails for a meager $243 USD, however VIA said that the first 10 customers will get an "early bird" discount price for $199 USD.
So how small is this thing? 5.7-inches x 3.9-inches x 2-inches. The VIA ARTiGO A1100 kit includes the 1.2 GHz VIA Nano processor, the VIA VX855 media system processor, a Gigabit Ethernet port, an additional USB device port, three audio jacks, and options for wireless IEEE 802.11 b/g connectivity and an SD card reader module.
"The VIA ARTiGO A1100 is aimed at enthusiast customers who dare to explore beyond the confines of regular PC building," the company said. "The VIA ARTiGO A1100 offers easy installation of system memory, hard drive, wireless module and SD card reader. Supported operating systems include Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and a variety of Linux distributions."
VIA added that the A1100 supports H.264, WMV, VC-1 and MPEG 2/4 at high bitrates and display resolutions (up to 1080p) with "very low CPU utilization." The company's VIA Vinyl HD audio codec also provides 6 channel DTS capable audio. All in all, this little mini-rig should be a blast to put together and a tasty little mini-theater for the bedroom or den.
Check out the VIA ARTiGO A1100 in the clip below!
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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Honis They certainly spent a lot of time making sure it didn't look like something you would want on the TV stand... Can't wait to see the case mods of this in something nicer, like a wooden cigar box.Reply
Can't wait for it in a Tom's review of net-top round up. -
dasper Tempting in its own right, I will give them that, but 243 is more than I would spend for it. An Acer Revo (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103228) and even Lenovo has some nice nettops for about the same price.Reply -
adaman2576 yes but how does it all fit in there.Reply
btw. the guy is giving a hilarious look in the video thumbnail
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I talked to my Sister about this and I said it should run, cry Sis, and do everything everyone would ever want.Reply
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steddy ReplyI talked to my Sister about this and I said it should run, cry Sis, and do everything everyone would ever want.
Is that a massive pun or just very bad grammar? -
mlopinto2k1 Actually, with cloud gaming.. this would be perfect. Yes, it would run Crysis and any other game they had. ;)Reply -
sailfish This is a great idea for anyone wanting to stream HD without using a laptop but the cost of the operating system and Wifi interface makes it a bit too expensive. It's a fairly inexpensive option for a home-based server, though, for those who may have that need.Reply