My Shuttle SG33G5M - Can it play Blu-Ray?
Can it play Blu-Ray?
April 5, 2008
Why not? A fast processor like Intel Core2 Duo E6750 should be enough or at least a solid basis.
Well let's first take a look at the DVD capabilities.
DVD playback
With the onboard Graphics GMA3100 it should be OK.
It is OK but not great with Microsoft Media player and Media Center...
I had to search for a DVD-player that supported the GMA3100, specifically Intel Clear Video. WinDVD and PowerDVD should be able to do the trick. And yes, the DVD playback is much better then with Microsoft Media Player or Media Center!
WinDVD 8 is the best DVD-player. It's a great experience on a 1920x1080 LCD display! The upscaling is fine, SPDIF for digital output to a digital receiver works fine and the multi-channel analog audio playback is also great.
And now about Blu-Ray
Of course I did some research on the Internet. With contradictory results.
First of all you need a Blu-Ray player. My choice: Pioneer BDR-202.
Second: software like PowerDVD which comes with the Pioneer BDR-202.
OK, that's it basically. Yes?
No. Sorry. This computer is not designed for full-HD (1920x1080p) display.
Allthough the product information looks promising this Shuttle is NOT capable of playing 1920x1080p full HD content!
The graphics support for GMA3100 seems to be the common problem... Even a clean install of Windows Vista premium with all the correct drivers did not work.
The only solution: install a graphic card for playing Blu-Ray dvd's
Here you can find compatible components for the Shuttle SG33G5M
Next you have to select graphic cards that are HDCP compliant! I decided to go for one that requires as little resources (power) as possible and is silent=without a cooling fan. Remember: I am not interested in games. Blu-Ray display is the primary goal here.
My choice: Asus EN8500GT/HTP/256 Silent
- hardware decoding of blu-ray content (H.264)
- passive cooling for a low noise system
- power consumption is LOW: about 40 watts.
- low budget.
- software for adjusting speeds (processor, memory, shader2) and to monitor the temperature.
After correctly installing all the drivers it was time for the ultimate test.
YES! It works! Full HD display of Blu Ray!
Both Nero 8 (with blu-ray plugin) and PowerDVD 7.3 show the same result. Blu-Ray movies look fabulous!
There are some differences between PowerDVD 7.3 and Nero 8.
- CPU stress is lower with PowerDVD: 35% compared to 40% with Nero
- Nero has more options to improve display quality. I used the maximum quality settings which may explain why Nero puts more stress on the CPU
What about AUDIO?
For Audio you can either use SPDIF or analog output. Analog output is good, SPDIF output is better (cleaner, noise-free audiosignal).
Both Nero 8 and PowerDVD 7.3 are easy to set up. I set the software to use the 'Windows settings'. The Windows audio-configuration has lots of options...
Can the Shuttle handle the extra stress?
Shuttle system and cpu temperatures
To ensure an adequate airflow inside the computer I raised the rpm of the cpu-fan. Default setting is 'smart fan' which starts the cpu-fan at about 850 rpm. This is not adequate for the system and temperature can rise considerable. Of course the 'smart-fan' will compensate eventually but it makes the noise levels changing all the time. Also I think the temperatures rise a lot before the fan picks up speed. Therefore the 'ultra-low' setting (BIOS) is better and starts the cpu-fan at about 1100-1200 rpm.
With XPCtools you can fine-tune the cooling system.
System idle
system idle for 30 minutes (after operating 1 hour)
(room temperature: 22 Celsius)
System + Blu-Ray playback
With Blu-Ray playback and an average of 40 % CPU-activity:
- Shuttle system temperature about 42 C
- cpu-temperature: about 60 C
system + BLU-RAY playing for 45 minutes
Graphic card Asus EN8500GT/HTP/256 Silent
First I tuned the graphic cardusing SmartDoctor and opted for the lowest settings:
- Processor: 407Mhz,
- memory: 700 Mhz,
- shader: 813 Mhz
Temperatures
The graphic card processor gets pretty hot (I think) but this seems quite normal:
- GPU idle: 59 C
- GPU + blu-ray playback: 68-72 C
According to Asus and what I read about the 8500GT GPU these values are OK. And SmartDoctor confirms.
idle
Windows Scores
Windows Score with Asus settings: Engine 409 mhz - Shader 818 mhz - Memory 700 mhz :
Windows Score with Asus settings: Engine 509 mhz - Shader 1518 mhz - Memory 900 mhz :
Conclusion
With a low-budget NVidia 8500GT graphics card the Shuttle SG33G5M turns into a beautifull low-noise multi-media system producing high quality playback of Blu-Ray full HD 1920x1080p movies with surround audio.
The Shuttle is capable of adequate cooling at a low noise level thanks to the cpu-fan running at about 1200 rpm. The system can maintain low-noise operation for hours at a stretch without significant stress to components.
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