VidaBox Presents Monolithic PicoPC

btarunr · Jul 17, 2008, 05:19 PM

While not attempting to be a HTPC, the VidaBox PicoPC is a light-weight (quite literally) device that adds PC functionality to your HDTV. It features Windows XP Embedded OS on a ROM, it has security software embedded too. It features no moving parts, the software is on a ROM (hardwired, a-la the software that drives routers), you it ships with a Compact-Flash slot and a 2GB CF card, you can expand storage based on the capacity of the CF card. Optionally, the device can come with a 32GB SSD.

The device features two USB ports, an Ethernet port, a D-Sub for video output and line-in/out for audio. The unit is also available with 802.11b/g options. It comes with a multifunctional wireless keyboard. The device is so tiny that you could hide it behind the HDTV. For now, it's priced at a sore US$ 929 at the moment. For details, please visit the product page.

Source: Electronic House

Darknova · Jul 17, 2008, 06:01 PM

I think that's brilliant.

Stick it behind your TV, stick a USB HDD enclosure and any size HDD you need and bingo. Great little PC.

btarunr · Jul 17, 2008, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darknova

I think that's brilliant.

Stick it behind your TV, stick a USB HDD enclosure and any size HDD you need and bingo. Great little PC.

Use a USB-USB port replicator, get more USB ports

Darknova · Jul 17, 2008, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by btarunr

Use a USB-USB port replicator, get more USB ports

It's got 2 USB ports and wireless with keyboard....why would you need more USB ports? lol

btarunr · Jul 17, 2008, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darknova

It's got 2 USB ports and wireless with keyboard....why would you need more USB ports? lol

For the multiple external HDDs and thumb-drives and iPod all running connected? Ofcourse, it means sharing USB bandwidth.

mdm-adph · Jul 17, 2008, 06:19 PM

Pretty neat, but that price is ridiculous, especially for something you could make on your own for a few hundred (if that).

Darknova · Jul 17, 2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by btarunr

For the multiple external HDDs and thumb-drives and iPod all running connected? Ofcourse, it means sharing USB bandwidth.

I could maybe understand if it was your only PC, but someone like me who would only use it for browsing the net on the TV or something like that, I see no point in lots of USB ports lol.

jydie · Jul 17, 2008, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdm-adph

Pretty neat, but that price is ridiculous, especially for something you could make on your own for a few hundred (if that).

Yeah, I agree 100%. That price is ridiculous.

Couldn't you just get one of the tiny Asus Eee laptops along with a wireless keyboard and plug that into your HDTV? That would only run $300-$400. Of course the Eee is a little bit larger then this thing... but not much.

[I.R.A]_FBi · Jul 17, 2008, 07:42 PM

waste of money

Easy Rhino · Jul 17, 2008, 08:48 PM

i guess the size of the unit is the main selling point. we could all easily for 300 bucks make a nice PC in a microatx case with dvi->hdmi and it would work just as well.

unsmart · Jul 18, 2008, 12:00 AM

It looks like a picoITX mobo in a external HDD enclosure and wouldn't linux be better.
Really though you can run a HDMI cable to your TV and put your PC anywhere for a lot cheaper and with more options. Right now I'm typing this on my HTPC[ 15" LCD on my desk] while my kids watch a cartoon[ off the HDD] on the HDTV in the entertainment center And I did this for around $800 including The TV. This is like rich mans webTV.

captainskyhawk · Jul 18, 2008, 03:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unsmart

It looks like a picoITX mobo in a external HDD enclosure and wouldn't linux be better.
Really though you can run a HDMI cable to your TV and put your PC anywhere for a lot cheaper and with more options. Right now I'm typing this on my HTPC[ 15" LCD on my desk] while my kids watch a cartoon[ off the HDD] on the HDTV in the entertainment center And I did this for around $800 including The TV. This is like rich mans webTV.

Exactly -- why not use a linux distro like MythTV? It'd shave some money off the price, for one thing, and you don't have to deal with the "digital recording broadcast restrictions" like you do with Windows.

Mussels · Jul 18, 2008, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unsmart

Really though you can run a HDMI cable to your TV and put your PC anywhere for a lot cheaper and with more options.

i did that for a little while. 5 meter HDMI cable (cost me $50 with DVI-> HDMI adaptor) + digital (coax) audio means i needed two wires, and i could have my PC anywhere in the room. with a wireless mouse and keyboard, you're not limited to being next to the screen anymore. In the end i moved it back next to the TV, just cause walking all the way across the room to plug in a flash drive or DVD was a pain in the ass.

cdawall · Jul 18, 2008, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mussels

i did that for a little while. 5 meter HDMI cable (cost me $50 with DVI-> HDMI adaptor) + digital (coax) audio means i needed two wires, and i could have my PC anywhere in the room. with a wireless mouse and keyboard, you're not limited to being next to the screen anymore. In the end i moved it back next to the TV, just cause walking all the way across the room to plug in a flash drive or DVD was a pain in the ass.

why the hell would you spend $50 on a cabel mine was $6 hehe

Mussels · Jul 18, 2008, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdawall

why the hell would you spend $50 on a cabel mine was $6 hehe

it was an XFX kit that included HDMI cable, DVI-HDMI adaptor and SPDIF audio cable for NVidia cards (to get audio over HDMI)

a little expensive, but the audio was something i wanted.

cdawall · Jul 18, 2008, 04:54 AM

ahh ok thats cool

newconroer · Jul 18, 2008, 11:58 AM

I don't know why, ..I read the title 'monolithic' and thought this wass going to be small.

Definatley cool though.

Jul 17, 2008, 05:19 PM	#1
btarunr Editor & Senior Moderator Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 15,030 (7.23/day) Thanks: 790 Thanked 13,028 Times in 5,719 Posts System Specs	VidaBox Presents Monolithic PicoPC While not attempting to be a HTPC, the VidaBox PicoPC is a light-weight (quite literally) device that adds PC functionality to your HDTV. It features Windows XP Embedded OS on a ROM, it has security software embedded too. It features no moving parts, the software is on a ROM (hardwired, a-la the software that drives routers), you it ships with a Compact-Flash slot and a 2GB CF card, you can expand storage based on the capacity of the CF card. Optionally, the device can come with a 32GB SSD. The device features two USB ports, an Ethernet port, a D-Sub for video output and line-in/out for audio. The unit is also available with 802.11b/g options. It comes with a multifunctional wireless keyboard. The device is so tiny that you could hide it behind the HDTV. For now, it's priced at a sore US$ 929 at the moment. For details, please visit the product page. Source: Electronic House

System Name:	Blackbox
Processor:	AMD FX-8350
Motherboard:	ASUS M5A99FX Pro R2.0
Cooling:	Xigmatek Aegir SD128264 with IC Diamond 24 Thermal Compound
Memory:	16 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600
Video Card:	Palit GeForce GTX 680 JetStream 2GB outfitted with IC Diamond 24 TIM
Hard Disk:	Samsung 840 Series 250GB
Optical Drive:	HT-LG DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	ViewSonic VX2450wm-LED
Case:	Cooler Master CM690 Window
Sound Card:	Creative SB Recon3D
PSU:	Corsair HX850W
Software:	Windows 8 Pro 64-bit

System Name:	Red Dragon \\ Asus X5DAB
Processor:	AMD Phenom II X3 720BE @ 3.5Ghz \\ Athlon X2 QL-64 @ 2.1Ghz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD3P \\ K50AB motherboard - RS780 chipset
Cooling:	Xigmatek H.D.T S1283 Red Scorpion \\ Laptop cooling
Memory:	4x2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer Reds DDR2 1000Mhz \\ 3GB DDR2 667
Video Card:	XFX 5850 XXX \\ ATi mobility 4570 + ATi HD3200
Hard Disk:	2x 320GB Sammy F1 RAID 0, 2x 1TB Sammy F1, 750Gb Sammy F1 \\ 250GB
Optical Drive:	LG DVD-RW/RAM 20x \\ DVD-SM
CRT/LCD Model:	1x 24" Samsung Syncmaster 2433 1x Dell 20.1" E207WFP \\ 15.6" 1366x768
Case:	Thermaltake Elements S \\ K50 Chassis
Sound Card:	Asus Xonar D2X \\ VIA HD Audio
PSU:	PCP&C Silencer 750W \\
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \\ Windows 7 Ultimate x64

System Name:	Blackbox
Processor:	AMD FX-8350
Motherboard:	ASUS M5A99FX Pro R2.0
Cooling:	Xigmatek Aegir SD128264 with IC Diamond 24 Thermal Compound
Memory:	16 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600
Video Card:	Palit GeForce GTX 680 JetStream 2GB outfitted with IC Diamond 24 TIM
Hard Disk:	Samsung 840 Series 250GB
Optical Drive:	HT-LG DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	ViewSonic VX2450wm-LED
Case:	Cooler Master CM690 Window
Sound Card:	Creative SB Recon3D
PSU:	Corsair HX850W
Software:	Windows 8 Pro 64-bit

System Name:	Red Dragon \\ Asus X5DAB
Processor:	AMD Phenom II X3 720BE @ 3.5Ghz \\ Athlon X2 QL-64 @ 2.1Ghz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD3P \\ K50AB motherboard - RS780 chipset
Cooling:	Xigmatek H.D.T S1283 Red Scorpion \\ Laptop cooling
Memory:	4x2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer Reds DDR2 1000Mhz \\ 3GB DDR2 667
Video Card:	XFX 5850 XXX \\ ATi mobility 4570 + ATi HD3200
Hard Disk:	2x 320GB Sammy F1 RAID 0, 2x 1TB Sammy F1, 750Gb Sammy F1 \\ 250GB
Optical Drive:	LG DVD-RW/RAM 20x \\ DVD-SM
CRT/LCD Model:	1x 24" Samsung Syncmaster 2433 1x Dell 20.1" E207WFP \\ 15.6" 1366x768
Case:	Thermaltake Elements S \\ K50 Chassis
Sound Card:	Asus Xonar D2X \\ VIA HD Audio
PSU:	PCP&C Silencer 750W \\
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \\ Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Jul 17, 2008, 06:01 PM	#2
Darknova Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Manchester, United Kingdom Posts: 4,342 (1.80/day) Thanks: 113 Thanked 551 Times in 514 Posts System Specs	I think that's brilliant. Stick it behind your TV, stick a USB HDD enclosure and any size HDD you need and bingo. Great little PC.

Jul 17, 2008, 06:19 PM	#6
mdm-adph Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Your house. Posts: 2,426 (1.07/day) Thanks: 401 Thanked 344 Times in 247 Posts System Specs	Pretty neat, but that price is ridiculous, especially for something you could make on your own for a few hundred (if that). __________________ CPU-Z validation sig pics temporarily blocked

System Name:	The Black Vulcan!
Processor:	Phenom II X4 B50 (X2 550 unlocked)
Motherboard:	Asus M4A87TD-EVO (870)
Cooling:	Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
Memory:	8GB DDR3 (4GBx2) Mushkin Blackline @ 1600MHz
Video Card:	ATI HD 4870 X2 2GB
Hard Disk:	Seagate 250GBx2 RAID0
Optical Drive:	ASUS DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Spectre 19-in LCD
Case:	Rosewill R103A
Sound Card:	Onboard HD
PSU:	Thermaltake TR650
Software:	Windows 7
Benchmarks:	Finished Super PI on legendary mode in only 13 hours.

Processor:	Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (socket 939)
Motherboard:	ASUS A8R-MVP Express200
Cooling:	Standard AMD CPU Heatsink/Fan
Memory:	1GB Geil PC3200
Video Card:	Sapphire Radeon X1900GT
Hard Disk:	2 Maxtor 7200 HDD (80GB)
Optical Drive:	Optorite 16x DVDRW and Lite-On DVD-ROM
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 19" LCD
Case:	Yellow Chieftech Dragon
Sound Card:	integrated
PSU:	Thermaltake TT-420AD
Software:	Windows XP Home

Jul 17, 2008, 07:42 PM	#9
[I.R.A]_FBi Eligible for custom title Join Date: May 2007 Location: c:\programs\kitteh.exe Posts: 6,152 (2.77/day) Thanks: 724 Thanked 556 Times in 461 Posts System Specs	waste of money __________________ Rig 1+1 Athlon XP 2200+, MSI KM2M Combo, ATI 9200SE 128 MB DDR, 2 X 512 MB DDR333, 250GB + 80 HDD? “try intel cpu, amd is only good for going to nude sites” -firehawkxd “go for the 5850 now and play games while the nvidiots wait for the ceo to show an actual working product” -W1zzard “An MSI logo? This offends my retina. I await your apology.” -MRCL www.autolounge.com.jm

Processor:	C2Q6600 @ 1.6 GHz
Motherboard:	Anus PQ5
Cooling:	ACFPro
Memory:	GEiL2 x 1 GB PC2 6400
Video Card:	MSi 4830 (RIP)
Hard Disk:	Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320 GB Perpendicular Recording
Optical Drive:	Lite On 16X SATA Burner
CRT/LCD Model:	Dell 17'
Case:	El Cheepo
Sound Card:	7.1 Onboard
PSU:	Corsair TX750
Software:	MCE2K5

Jul 17, 2008, 08:48 PM	#10
Easy Rhino Linux Advocate Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 10,284 (4.27/day) Thanks: 1,219 Thanked 2,789 Times in 1,801 Posts System Specs	i guess the size of the unit is the main selling point. we could all easily for 300 bucks make a nice PC in a microatx case with dvi->hdmi and it would work just as well.

System Name:	The Rhinoceros
Processor:	Intel i7 980x @ 3.5 ghz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte EX-58 Extreme
Cooling:	Swiftech Polaris 120
Memory:	6 x 4 GB Corsair Vengence @ 1333mhz
Video Card:	EVGA GTX 570 @ 800/2000
Hard Disk:	3x 320GB SATA Software RAID 5 + 4x 1TB SAS Hardware RAID 5 LSI 512mb
Optical Drive:	LG DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 2494 HM 24" 1920x1080
Case:	Lancool PC-K60
Sound Card:	Onboard
PSU:	Seasonic X Series 750 Watt Gold
Software:	CentOS 6.4 + libvirtd(CentOS 6.4,CentOS 6.4,OEL 6,OEL 6,Windows 7)

Jul 18, 2008, 12:00 AM	#11
unsmart Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 397 (0.15/day) Thanks: 16 Thanked 38 Times in 37 Posts	It looks like a picoITX mobo in a external HDD enclosure and wouldn't linux be better. Really though you can run a HDMI cable to your TV and put your PC anywhere for a lot cheaper and with more options. Right now I'm typing this on my HTPC[ 15" LCD on my desk] while my kids watch a cartoon[ off the HDD] on the HDTV in the entertainment center And I did this for around $800 including The TV. This is like rich mans webTV. __________________ my optic flip top mod: http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=26851

System Name:	Olympiad
Processor:	Intel Pentium C630 2.7GHz
Motherboard:	Dell
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	4GB DDR31600
Video Card:	Sapphire HD 7750 low-profile
Hard Disk:	500GB Samsung
Optical Drive:	DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer 19in
Case:	Small and black, just enough for the ladies
Sound Card:	Onboard
PSU:	Dell low-power
Software:	Win 7

System Name:	Real Men use Real Cores!
Processor:	Phenom II x6 1090T: 3600Mhz undervolted (NB+HT at 2.6)
Motherboard:	Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5
Cooling:	Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme (Lapped + ducted)
Memory:	8GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 - 1600Mhz 7-7-7-20 1.65V
Video Card:	AMD Radeon 5870 1GB Crossfire
Hard Disk:	Intel 520 SSD (120GB), 500GB OS + 18TB of storage (mostly external)
Optical Drive:	Samsung Blu Ray drive (SH-B083A)
CRT/LCD Model:	23.6" Samsung 1080P / Samsung 40" HDTV - 1360x768P
Case:	Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced (non window)
Sound Card:	Auzentech X-Mystique (Logitech Z5500D + sennheiser HD555 + RE2's)
PSU:	Corsair HX 1000W
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64 - kaspersky internet security 2013
Benchmarks:	Laptop: AMD A6 APU 1.4GHz @2.2GHz quad core + APU crossfire.Iphone 5, Samsung galaxy tab 2 7"

System Name:	Deployment build
Processor:	Phenom II B97@4080mhz 1.6v (24/7 4800mhz max clock) (FX9590?)
Motherboard:	Asus Crosshair V Formula
Cooling:	Coolermaster V10 modded to 96w TEC Scientic Rulian fans
Memory:	4x4GB Wintec ONE@1800 9-10-9 1.62v (24/7)
Video Card:	2x Sapphire HD 7950 3GB Dual X (3L short PCB) @1150/1500 1.25v
Hard Disk:	2x32GB STT SSD's raid 0, 1.5TB Seagate 7200.11
CRT/LCD Model:	STi 22"
Case:	Thermaltake Commandar MS-I Epic Edition
Sound Card:	E07K USB DAC->Fischer FA-002W High edition
PSU:	Antec TPQ-850 (Antec TPQ-1200 enroute)
Software:	windows 7 ultimate x64

Jul 18, 2008, 04:54 AM	#16
cdawall where the hell are my stars Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: some AF base Posts: 16,175 (6.41/day) Thanks: 460 Thanked 2,807 Times in 2,254 Posts System Specs	ahh ok thats cool __________________

Jul 18, 2008, 11:58 AM	#17
newconroer Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,271 (1.04/day) Thanks: 101 Thanked 232 Times in 195 Posts System Specs	I don't know why, ..I read the title 'monolithic' and thought this wass going to be small. Definatley cool though. __________________ Awsome game I wish i could get it but parent are fags and they dont't let me get M games. Maybe if: You didn't call your parents fags You didn't call yourself "hacker" on the internet You learned to spell "awesome" and "assassin" they might think you are mature enough to get the game. -Davidelmo

System Name:	Medusa
Processor:	i7 2600k @4.8ghz
Motherboard:	Asus P8P67 Deluxe
Cooling:	Noctua NH-L12
Memory:	8gb Corsair XMS DDR3 @1600mhz
Video Card:	GTX 680 SLI
Hard Disk:	Crucial C300 256 SSD
Optical Drive:	Samsung BD
CRT/LCD Model:	LG W3000h
Case:	Antec Skeleton
Sound Card:	Asus Xonar
PSU:	Silverstone Zeus ZM1200M
Software:	7 64 (managed) - Vista 64 (stripped)
Benchmarks:	FFXIV Benchmark High Definition score 8,803

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
VidaBox Premium Wireless Keyboard	t_ski	Reviews	0	Aug 24, 2007 03:25 AM
New Silent VidaBox STEALTH™ Media Center with up to 1,500GB of storage	Darksaber	News	9	Nov 26, 2006 10:23 PM
VidaBox Introduces World’s First Dual HD-DVD & Blu-Ray Media Center	Darksaber	News	4	Oct 19, 2006 02:44 PM