Norco claim a less than 15W power consumption when the device is playing back a Blu-Ray disc (utilising an external drive) which will impress those looking for silent, green computing. Clearly this is not a gaming rig, so don’t expect somersaults from the processor and integrated graphics solution – however, the Atom N270 isn’t a slouch and combined with Intel’s Graphic Media Accelerator a 2Gb slab of RAM, can cope with high definition video decoding and playback up to 1080p.
Using the BIS-6540HD
Boot up the device, and you’ll immediately see it’s rocking Windows XP Pro SP3, which is a shame, but can be fixed easily – the Atom N270 with 1Gb RAM can run Windows 7 capably should you be tempted to upgrade to Microsoft’s latest OS and benefit from the newer Windows Media Center.
Norco package the machine with a number of freeware apps, including FFDShow, Media Player Classic and the Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP). True to its digital signage roots, the PC is configured to kick in with high definition video playback of a bundled playlist of movie and video game trailers at start-up – again, you’ll need to re-configure the startup to prevent this, but it’s a simple job.
Thanks to the onboard software, video playback was effortless, with all of our standard and high definition test content playing without a hitch, including 1080P MKV, MPEG-2, VC-1, MPEG-1, MPEG-TS, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, MOV, DIVX and WMV. You should have no concerns about video playback with the Atom N270.
You can check out a video of the device playing back Blu-Ray content over at YouTube.
The device itself is silent – and I mean, silent – you won’t hear a peep out of it in operation. The chassis itself becomes warm to the touch, but not hot with the fins doing a very effective job of dissipating heat.
Summary
I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised and impressed by the Norco device – a great little chassis that’s perfect as a silent mini-HTPC or network media player, with a processor and integrated graphics package that eats up high definition content and spits out great looking video.
It’s not all perfect – I’d love to see better connectivity on the PC, in the form of a HDMI connection which would make connecting the PC to your TV a whole lot easier, but fingers crossed this happens as the platform evolves. I’d like to see Windows 7 on there too rather than Windows XP and the approximately 70 Windows updates I had to install on the PC. But that’s easily fixable on the software side, and there’s no real nightmare in using DVI/VGA and standard audio out.
Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to see this sold at your local Best Buy or PC World – the BIS-6540HD model is designed for sale to manufacturers to re-sell to the public, but fingers crossed someone picks up this design to sell out there, because if you’re looking for a mini-HTPC that’s small, silent and powerful, Norco’s BIS-6540HD is a winner.
More Info: Norco | Habey | Data Sheet | Manual
