HDX 1000 Review #3 - Specification and Peek Inside the Box

Introduction:

This is the 3rd part of our HDX 1000 review. Two things are covered in the article:


1) A list of the HDX 1000 product specifications from HD Digital Technology.
2) Peek inside the magic black box.

HDX 1000 Product Specifications:

CASE

* Solid Aluminum Alloy Case
* SDHC, MS and MMC Card Reader
* Compatible with 3.5" and 2.5" SATA HDD
* Hardware Power ON/OFF Switch
* Supports Vertical or horizontal placement

CPU

* Sigma Designs SMP8635 Rev. C

Memory

* DDR DRAM : 64-bit 512Mb
* External NOR Flash : 16-bit 256Mbit
Audio/Video outputs (gold-plated connectors)

* HDMI v1.3a (up to 1080p)
* Component Video (up to 1080p)
* Composite Video
* Stereo Analog Audio
* S/PDIF Coaxial Digital Audio
* Optical Digital Audio
Hardware Connectivity

* 2x USB 2.0 host
* 1x USB 2.0 Slave
* Serial ATA (SATA)
* Ethernet 10/100

What’s inside the HDX 1000 Box:

Who can resist the desire to peek inside the black box? I cannot. But the good news is I’m going to open my HDX 1000 so that you don’t need to open yours.

The cover is actually designed to be on the bottom of the HDX 1000. After turning HDX-1000 up-side-down, you can see the four screws which hold the cover.



There are two PCBs in the box. The small one is to handle the card reader function in the HDX front panel and the infrared communication between HDX 1000 and the remote controller. The big one is the main PCB which processes all the other functions. The PCB component side is facing down so that you cannot see the chips. One thing to note is that a SATA cable is attached to the main PCB. You don’t need to buy another cable if you want to install a SATA HDD inside the HDX 1000.



This picture is what it looks like after removing the main PCB. You can see the white heat-transferring glue left on the case. That is the relative position where the main controller chip, Sigma 8635, locates on the PCB. HD Digital Technology claims their aluminum case and the heat dissipating architecture is so efficient that they can eliminate the fan inside the box. Without the fan turning wild in the box, HDX 1000 can operate very quiet in your living room.



This is the component side of the main PCB. The big chip with white heat-transferring glue on it is the Sigma 8635. It is the powerful engine of the HDX 1000.



A jumper wire? I must have got a sample unit.



OK, this is how the inside looks like for HDX 1000. My next step is to put everything back. As you might already know, putting things back is usually more challenge than taking things apart.



Woola… My HDX 1000 is put back together and is still alive. People in HD Digital Technology: I guess I am qualified for your tech-1 support job in US. Want to hire me?

Next time, we are going to go through all the storage options.

Read the Part #4 of the HDX 1000 Review - Storage Options

Go to the HDX 1000 Product Page at AmperorDirect.com