The Microsoft Windows 8.1 TV Stick

[bradly1101]

Looks promising:

http://www.maximumpc.com/intels_149_compute_stick_turns_your_tv_windows_81_device_2015

 

[DesiPower]

Very interesting, will have to wait for the benchmarks and performance review.

 

[TheUnk]

If only it had an Ethernet port. Could make for great in-home steam streaming

 

[riahc3]

If only it had an Ethernet port. Could make for great in-home steam streaming

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-USB-2-0..._USB_Cables_Hubs_Adapters&hash=item3ced2787e1

2 bucks more...

 

[JAG87]

Do want

 

[alcoholbob]

Would be interested with one that has a Core M with a IGP in the future. I assume the Atom one can't play even play 1080p video on youtube.

 

[tential]

Would be interested with one that has a Core M with a IGP in the future. I assume the Atom one can't play even play 1080p video on youtube.

Any reasoning behind your assumption? Or just wild speculation.

 

[DesiPower]

Lol, I was thinking the same. YouTube is tricky though, some videos are choppy and crappy quality, giving the illusion that it's the underpowered computer. Atom is overall powerful enough to play most full HD video.

 

[quikah]

Would be interested with one that has a Core M with a IGP in the future. I assume the Atom one can't play even play 1080p video on youtube.

I can play youtube 1080p60fps video without issue on my HP Omni 10 that has an atom 3770. This stick should be fine.

 

[alcoholbob]

Any reasoning behind your assumption? Or just wild speculation.

How would a Intel Atom play 1080p video with its weak IGP? The desktop Atom boxes require an add-on Nvidia gGPU like the ION to get 1080p playback. Unless the new 14nm Atom has this capability. Hell even with Nvidia ION paired with an Atom isn't enough to drive higher bitrate 1080p from personal experience because the Atom is too damn slow to process uncompressed MCPCM audio. Just try playing back MCPCM FLAC audio in Foobar and Atoms will hit 99% CPU utilization.

 

[mmntech]

These are the new Bay Trail Atom chips. The GPU is comparable to the 2013 Google Nexus 7 and iPad 4. It's no powerhouse but should be able to handle 1080p streams.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7314/intel-baytrail-preview-intel-atom-z3770-tested/3

I'd probably strip Windows 8.1 off the $149 version and replace it with a ligher weight OS like Chromium OS or Android-x86.

 

[tential]

How would a Intel Atom play 1080p video with its weak IGP? The desktop Atom boxes require an add-on Nvidia gGPU like the ION to get 1080p playback. Unless the new 14nm Atom has this capability. Hell even with Nvidia ION paired with an Atom isn't enough to drive higher bitrate 1080p from personal experience because the Atom is too damn slow to process uncompressed MCPCM audio. Just try playing back MCPCM FLAC audio in Foobar and Atoms will hit 99% CPU utilization.

I'm going to guess you didn't read this post did you?

I can play youtube 1080p60fps video without issue on my HP Omni 10 that has an atom 3770. This stick should be fine.

Or read this review on the FRONT PAGE OF ANANDTECH AS THE FIRST FREAKING ARTICLE:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8815/zotac-zbox-ci320-nano-review-a-fanless-bay-trailm-minipc/5

Or this one(Able to do 1080p with emphasis on P):
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8641/gigabyte-brix-gbbxbt1900-review-a-bay-trail-ucff-pc/5


So I guess this falls under "Wild speculation".
Baytrail has been highly covered and this information is easy to find. There is no reason to assume, you can google and look it up.
If you need more information on the subject here you go!:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Bay+Trail+1080p

 

[BarkingGhostar]

This one is reported as being $149 for the Windows 8.1 version and $89 for the Linux version. Some have pointed out the same hardware with W8.1 can already be found (and available for purchase) in a different form factory for as little as $99. This info from the discussion thread attached to the Ars article.

 

[Face2Face]

I'm waiting for this one - Pipo X7 (Can't link it here) - (Should be a decent STEAM streamer box.)

 

[altairauditore]

Someone throw in Nvidia TX1 & make a nice HTPC device. Size it small or long+slim, so you could even mount it on VESA mounts on the back of your TV. It should be able to handle 1080p60 without much of an issue. Add Steam streaming + Linux or XBMC/Kodi, which allows you to browse and stuff and watch youtube /play movies with better codec support and navigational ease than Android.