Many have been disappointed with the graphics capabilities of netbooks, especially the lack of a GPU. Users are missing out on HD videos on the internet, watching high-def movies and playing some of the newer games. And so NVIDIA and Broadcom offered their own solution to this problem. Netbooked has the results from the bout between the two chips: the ION and Crystal HD Decoder.

In the final tally, Crystal HD seems to be the big winner and with it you can enjoy great HD video though it doesn’t perform as well as the ION on gaming. It only sips a bit of battery juice when on use so you can enjoy a long movie marathon on a single charge. This must be why Intel picked them to accompany their new motherboards and machines.

source Netbooked

NVIDIA Ion pitted against Broadcom Crystal HD is a post from: Eee PC

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There have been kind of a glut in supply when it comes to Broadcom’s mini PCIe Crystal HD video accelerator. Who new people would be going off and hacking their netbooks left and right to get high-def into their tiny computers?

It’s even driven prices up fourfold to $100. Logic Supply went out and remedied the situation by offering a nice compromise. They are now selling the BCM970012 for $49. So if you want an affordable 1080p fix for your netbook with an extra slot, go grab one now.

source Logic Supply

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A buyer of the Samsung N220 in UK got quite a pleasant surprise when he found out that the model he bought had a Broadcom Crystal HD decoder for playing HD video and games. It’s not mentioned in any stats and specs for the device anywhere and it seems other countries don’t have this available like in the UK.

Manufacturers packing a removable GPU unit are far and few in between so this is certainly a win. The model he has also has a built in subwoofer. You can try your luck as well and get one at Comet in the UK.

source NetBook Reviews

Samsung N220 comes with a surprise Broadcom Crystal HD card is a post from: Eee PC

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As opposed to Lenovo’s point of view, Broadcom has pretty lofty plans for the tablet market. After all, video is what makes tablets run and they make the chips to run them.

They envision that tablets should be able to handle pretty much anything – calls, browsing, home remote control, videos and everything else.

I like the way this company thinks, since tablets and touchscreens are much more easier to use since they work just like regular appliances with buttons. Let’s face it, mouse cursors aren’t exactly easy to use and need a bit of training to use. If you want more, there’s some video below.

Broadcom’s tablet plans are high and mighty is a post from: Eee PC

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Adding a Broadcom HD video accelerator to a netbook is nothing new and with some netbooks, it’s as easy as just plugging it into a free mini PCI-e slot. For other netbooks however, it’s slightly harder and requires some soldering. Unfortunately the Eee PC 901 falls into the second category.

Traditionally, the mod is done to 10 inch netbooks and Brad Linder reports it’s the first time he’s seen the hack done on a 9 inch netbook. Firstly, after taking the back off to access the motherboard, you’ll need to solder on a second mini PCI-e slot, the same was as you would if adding 3G to the netbook. It then requires some more modding before the Broadcom Crystal HD Accelerator will actually work on the netbook. You can see how EeeUser member horakus got it working here.

via

Asus Eee PC 901 modded to add Broadcom HD video accelerator is a post from: Eee PC

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It seems the folks at Intel and NVIDIA don’t get along well even if their machine do. Intel’s marketing director for netbooks Anil Nanduri touts that Broadcom’s new chip would be much more suited for netbooks, being cheaper and maybe even less power intensive. Most netbook buyers are looking for something that will last longer on the road as opposed to something with better graphics, a feature you won’t appreciate much with the small screen of these devices.

Intel’s design for the new Atom processors seems to exclude support for NVIDIA graphics but time will tell if this won’t be the case late on. But it’s clear that they want you to use your netbook as a secondary computer with another more powerful one handling your other more intensive tasks like watching HD video or gaming. A lot of folks have proven otherwise, though, and have pushed a bit on making Atom netbooks perform well in video playback and even games.

source Laptop Mag via liliputing, netbooked

Intel Disses NVIDIA Ion, Says It’s Overkill is a post from: Eee PC

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Right on top of the Pine Trail update, Broadcom also announces an updated version of the Crystal HD video decoder to enable 1080P HD playback low-powered computers like CULVs and netbooks. From the buzz around town, not much is known about the new chip and what makes it different from the old one but it seems it can come in two forms: a soldered on the motherboard or as a mini PCIe card which can be included in netbooks with an open slot for this.

It has support Adobe Flash player 10.1, Windows Media Player 12 and other video players. It allows Blu-Ray playback and support for a number of codecs including H.264/AVC, WMV9, MPEG-4, DivX, Xvid, MPEG-2, VC-1 , and AVS.

source PR Newswire via liliputing

Broadcom Crystal HD Now For Netbooks is a post from: Eee PC

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One hacker has already added a Broadcom HD video accelerator to the Intel Atom powered Samsung NC10 which worked well. Another hacker has tried the same hack on a VIA C7-M powered netbook and come out with good results. Chris over at HP Mini Note PC has modded his HP Mini 2133 with a Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Media Accelerator card. With it installed he’s been able to play 720 and 1080p videos on his netbook including Blu-Ray video. The Blu-Ray videos needed to be paused for a few seconds first though so the video could buffer.

Unfortunately Chris hasn’t provided a guide on how you can mod your own Mini 2133 but, you can see how successful his project was in the videos after the jump.
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Read the rest of Broadcom HD Video Accelerator added to HP Mini 2133 (14 words)

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Even more exciting is the fact that with this HD solution netbooks will be able to do this even with 100% CPU usage, minus frame drops or stuttering.

As for the netbooks that will be carrying this HD solution, the HP Mini 110 XP Edition is the most likely candidate.

This Broadcom video shows how the HP Mini 110 carries HD video playback as against the Lenovo S10.

Via EeeUser Forum, Portable Monkey

Broadcom Demos its Crystal HD Solution for Netbooks is a post from: Eee PC

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