FN-GM Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) Hi, I am after a Mini PC / Micro PC for digital signage. I need it to have a HDMI port with sound. I also need a Nic so I can PXE boot. I have looked at the following and none have a HDMI port. Dell Optiplex 3020 Micro Dell Optiplex 9020 Micro HP EliteDesk 800 Desktop Mini HP ProDesk 400 G1 Desktop Mini PC HP ProDesk 600 G1 Desktop Mini PC Lenovo ThinkCentre M93/M93p Tiny Desktop Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny Desktop Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tiny Desktop I usually try to go for the top brands but it looks like I have no choice. Can anyone recommend anything please? Thanks Edited April 14, 2015 by FN-GM EDIT to add some other requirements.
3s-gtech Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Displayport to HDMI adaptors are cheap - we bought some older Elite 8000 units with adaptors for this job. We also bought a little mini PC - Foxconn own brand - with HDMI built in. Or a NUC or similar will have HDMI.
jmak Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 What about one of these: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/news/147403-intel-compute-stick-2.html As posted by @Arthur
beany1 Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 We recently got 3 ASUS Vivo Mini UN42-M015Y which are around £200 on Ebuyer. They have worked really great through HDMI with 3 philips full hd signage TVs. Been running 6am till 6pm for the past 3 months without issue.
FN-GM Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 Displayport to HDMI adaptors are cheap - we bought some older Elite 8000 units with adaptors for this job. We also bought a little mini PC - Foxconn own brand - with HDMI built in. Or a NUC or similar will have HDMI. No sound with Displayport though. The intel stick wont do. I also need a NIC so I can PXE boot. That is how we will image it. The Asus one looks like the kind of thing I am after. Can you get a bracket to attach it to the back of the TV? Thanks
Ephelyon Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I've just got one of these and they're epic for the price: Gigabyte BRIX GB-BXPi3-4010 Projector Barebone PC - Ebuyer Whack in 8GB RAM and a 120GB SSD and you come out at around £250 before VAT
sted Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I've just got one of these and they're epic for the price: Gigabyte BRIX GB-BXPi3-4010 Projector Barebone PC - Ebuyer Whack in 8GB RAM and a 120GB SSD and you come out at around £250 before VAT or an intel nuc same basic idea using mine now
Ephelyon Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Do the Intel NUCs have the built-in projector though?
Norphy Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 No sound with Displayport though. I don't think that's true. I have a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter for my iMac and I get sound out of it. 1
FN-GM Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 I don't think that's true. I have a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter for my iMac and I get sound out of it. Really? I never knew!
Arthur Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Really? I never knew! Yes. It's part of the DisplayPort spec. You can send audio over DisplayPort in Linux too, so it's not just Macs.
Arthur Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 How about Windows? As long as the following prerequisites are met. There are three components needed to enable DisplayPort audio: A graphics output device (PC or laptop) that supports DisplayPort audio and/or dual-mode with audio. A Sink device (display) that supports audio playback. For example, a DisplayPort monitor with speakers or a television with HDMI input if using dual-mode. A dual-mode cable adaptor if using a Sink device with HDMI input. The graphics output device i.e. graphics chip drives the DisplayPort output. That means that the graphics device has to send the audio signals along with the video signals. The first step in enabling audio is to determine that the graphics hardware and driver support this function. Source: www.displayport.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DP-Audio-User-Guide-v1.pdf
dry Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 We've just used the following for our Digital Signage project: Mele PCG03 Windows 8.1 mini-HTPC - futeko.com - UK Based Android Box, Mini HTPC, XBMC, Miracast, Airplay, Airmice. Like you I needed HDMI and a NIC, but also a small footprint, WiFi and Windows. We installed them literally today so will let you know how we get on with them. So far so good though! 1
FN-GM Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 As long as the following prerequisites are met. Source: www.displayport.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DP-Audio-User-Guide-v1.pdf I am thinking of this setup at the moment Dell Optiplex Micro (3020 or 9020) Display Port to HDMI adapter I just need to figure out of I can mount this on the back of a TV type display and then mount that to the wall. I have sent my Dell account manager an email to see if the Display port carries audio. Thanks
sted Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Do the Intel NUCs have the built-in projector though? no diddnt see that bit
Arthur Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I need it to have a HDMI port with sound. I also need a NIC so I can PXE boot. HP Pavilion Mini perhaps? Like the Asus VivoMini it also has full-size HDMI and DisplayPort ports and gigabit ethernet.
Arthur Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I am thinking of this setup at the moment Does the display have built-in speakers?
FN-GM Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 Does the display have built-in speakers? It does yes.
Ephelyon Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 no diddnt see that bit That's why I like the Gigabyte model. You can hook it up to an external display and/or project an extended desktop somewhere else. I'm thinking of suggesting them for use in Science on the floor with a clampstand to project a Planetarium-style program onto the ceiling for GCSE Astronomy.
VeryPC_Colin_M Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Hi, I am after a Mini PC / Micro PC for digital signage. I need it to have a HDMI port with sound. I also need a Nic so I can PXE boot. I have looked at the following and none have a HDMI port. Dell Optiplex 3020 Micro Dell Optiplex 9020 Micro HP EliteDesk 800 Desktop Mini HP ProDesk 400 G1 Desktop Mini PC HP ProDesk 600 G1 Desktop Mini PC Lenovo ThinkCentre M93/M93p Tiny Desktop Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tiny Desktop Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tiny Desktop I usually try to go for the top brands but it looks like I have no choice. Can anyone recommend anything please? Thanks Hi there, If you want the toppest brand of them all, the VeryPC Nano is popular amongst customers who wanted ultra compact form factor PCs for digital signage. Check it out here and see if it fits the bill? https://www.very-pc.co.uk/products/nano-pc/nano The latest model (spec not show on website) is the J1900 BayTrail D Quad Core chip so no slouch neither; just spec in ram and hard drive and off you go. 3 year warranty as standard too. If it piques your interest give me a shout. Best, Col
chazzy2501 Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Just as an Idea, you could get a £80 Full windows tablet with HDMI, it can be powered by the screen from USB and has battery backup with wifi built in. (quiet and tiny with minimal power consumption) Also it already has a full windows licence.
TechMonkey Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Hi there, If you want the toppest brand of them all, the VeryPC Nano is popular amongst customers who wanted ultra compact form factor PCs for digital signage. Check it out here and see if it fits the bill? https://www.very-pc.co.uk/products/nano-pc/nano The latest model (spec not show on website) is the J1900 BayTrail D Quad Core chip so no slouch neither; just spec in ram and hard drive and off you go. 3 year warranty as standard too. If it piques your interest give me a shout. Best, Col Can confirm, we just got 3 of these, printed up with our logo, to mount above some large screens for digital display. I can post photos once installed, currently having issues imaging them, but that is more my sccm fu being weka than the Nano's fault. 1
mikkydoos Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) Intel NUCs are nice. Plenty of choice on spec. Edited April 15, 2015 by mikkydoos
VeryPC_Colin_M Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Intel NUCs are nice. Plenty of choice on spec. Very PC mini's are rebranded Foxconn NT or AT model nettop PC's The VeryPC Nano uses the Foxconn barebone kit yes. I wouldn't exactly say 'rebranded' as we rebuild them, pop in the ram and hard drive according to the clients requirement, and then offer support and warranty for the duration. It's the support side that keeps customers coming back to us for more Mike. I like the new BayTrail Nano as it is on a par with 4th gen NUC boards in real life tests and is quieter, cooler and draws less power. I think that because the Nano offers VGA and HDMI it's more useful than a NUC, but we do like a bit of NUCy here at VeryPC too, and the Nano Silent is based on the NUC boards.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now