ashley
Member
Introduction
It's been nearly two years since Google unveiled its flop of a streaming media player, the Logitech Revue. After a lengthy hiatus from the spotlight, Google TV is back to take the stage. Its lead actor? The ironically-named Vizio Coaster Co-Star.
Step 1 Vizio Co-Star Teardown
[*]Providing the market with a $99 answer to the Apple TV (also $99), the Vizio Co-Star brings a refreshing reincarnation of Google TV to the world of set-top boxes.
[*]Notable tech specs:
[*]Google TV platform
[*]Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled
[*]Hot buttons for Amazon, Netflix, and M-Go
[*]720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolution support
[*]MP3, AAC, and WMA audio playback
[*]Universal QWERTY remote with trackpad
Step 2
[*]The rear side of the Vizio Co-Star includes an impressive lineup:
[*]USB 2.0 port
[*]HDMI-In port
[*]HDMI-Out port
[*]Ethernet port
[*]DC-In Power port
[*]On the bottom we see the reset switch and four suspicious-looking rubber feet.
[*]Spoiler alert: the feet aren't hiding anything.
Step 3
[*]A little prying around the edge with a plastic opening tool, and we've got the bottom panel free.
[*]Comparatively speaking, the Apple TV required two metal spudgers to open, as opposed to a single plastic opening tool here. No need to split hairs; they're both easy to open up, and we love it.
Step 4
[*]We pull off what looks like an EMI shield only to find a thermal pad sitting on top of a sea of small resistors.
[*]It's not often that we encounter cooling for the back side of a motherboard, but Vizio took extra precautions as this Co-Star has no fans.
Step 5
The only thing standing between us and the motherboard are some screws and two connectors. Say hello to our little friend!
For those of you tuning in at home, a grand total of five screws and two cables must be removed once inside the device to free the motherboard. That's going to give the Co-Star a nice ratings boost.
Step 6
[*]And here comes the Co-Star's motherboard strolling down the red carpet:
[*]Marvell Armada 1500 1.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor
[*]Marvell 88DE2755 QDEO Video Processor
[*]Nanya NT5CB256M8GN-DI 2 Gb DDR3 SD RAM (2 Gb x 4 for 1 GB total RAM)
[*]Samsung K9GBG08U0A-SCBO 32 Gb (4 GB) NAND Flash
Step 7
[*]We're used to the innards of devices being dominated by a single component, but those space hogs are usually batteries or power supplies.
[*]Over a third of the real estate in the Co-Star is inhabited by the aluminum heat sink.
[*]You may be asking yourself why the Co-Star has such a huge heat sink?
[*]The answer lies in air movement. Without fans to circulate air, there is no forced convection. Therefore, the Co-Star must rely on conduction and natural convection to keep the processor cool
It's been nearly two years since Google unveiled its flop of a streaming media player, the Logitech Revue. After a lengthy hiatus from the spotlight, Google TV is back to take the stage. Its lead actor? The ironically-named Vizio Coaster Co-Star.
Step 1 Vizio Co-Star Teardown
[*]Providing the market with a $99 answer to the Apple TV (also $99), the Vizio Co-Star brings a refreshing reincarnation of Google TV to the world of set-top boxes.
[*]Notable tech specs:
[*]Google TV platform
[*]Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled
[*]Hot buttons for Amazon, Netflix, and M-Go
[*]720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolution support
[*]MP3, AAC, and WMA audio playback
[*]Universal QWERTY remote with trackpad
Step 2
[*]The rear side of the Vizio Co-Star includes an impressive lineup:
[*]USB 2.0 port
[*]HDMI-In port
[*]HDMI-Out port
[*]Ethernet port
[*]DC-In Power port
[*]On the bottom we see the reset switch and four suspicious-looking rubber feet.
[*]Spoiler alert: the feet aren't hiding anything.
Step 3
[*]A little prying around the edge with a plastic opening tool, and we've got the bottom panel free.
[*]Comparatively speaking, the Apple TV required two metal spudgers to open, as opposed to a single plastic opening tool here. No need to split hairs; they're both easy to open up, and we love it.
Step 4
[*]We pull off what looks like an EMI shield only to find a thermal pad sitting on top of a sea of small resistors.
[*]It's not often that we encounter cooling for the back side of a motherboard, but Vizio took extra precautions as this Co-Star has no fans.
Step 5
For those of you tuning in at home, a grand total of five screws and two cables must be removed once inside the device to free the motherboard. That's going to give the Co-Star a nice ratings boost.
Step 6
[*]And here comes the Co-Star's motherboard strolling down the red carpet:
[*]Marvell Armada 1500 1.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor
[*]Marvell 88DE2755 QDEO Video Processor
[*]Nanya NT5CB256M8GN-DI 2 Gb DDR3 SD RAM (2 Gb x 4 for 1 GB total RAM)
[*]Samsung K9GBG08U0A-SCBO 32 Gb (4 GB) NAND Flash
Step 7
[*]Over a third of the real estate in the Co-Star is inhabited by the aluminum heat sink.
[*]You may be asking yourself why the Co-Star has such a huge heat sink?
[*]The answer lies in air movement. Without fans to circulate air, there is no forced convection. Therefore, the Co-Star must rely on conduction and natural convection to keep the processor cool