Good 10 inch netbooks able to play HD and Full HD content

Netbooks, when they first appeared around 4 years ago, were intended to be secondary computers, to use on the go.

You needed a small computer, that could take you through some very basic tasks, like browsing or writing some documents, and these needs did not justify the effort to carry around a 15 or 17 inch laptop.

Thus, configurations on most netbooks were and still are pretty modest. These 10 to 12 inch computers have ULV processors, from Intel and AMD, and most of them run light versions of Windows, namely Windows 7 Starter. Also, there are enough users around that prefer Linux and decide to install that after purchasing their netbook.

Still, computers are seen mainly as entertainment devices, and people want to use even netbooks for movies and games. So it’s only natural that users want to play HD content on a machine that a few years ago came with almost no graphic capabilities and a 4 GB HDD.

Next, we’ll tell you which netbooks can deal with HD playback and which can’t, so in the case you’re thinking about purchasing a netbook, you’ll have a clear idea about what you’re getting for your money.

Netbooks with single core Atom processors- N450, N455, N470, N475, N270, N280

Netbooks having this type of processor will not be able to play HD content, 480p being the best standard they’ll be able to handle. These 1.5-1.66 GHZ processors are first and second generation Atom chips and have old integrated graphics. These netbooks even find it hard to launch animations for some software (loading animations, some transitions) and 720p and 1080p is completely out of the question.

There are a couple of codecs and software packs that promise HD playback on lower spec-ed machines, but basically these apps will lower the quality of the clip, maybe keeping its original aspect ratio. Also, it doesn’t matter how much RAM do you have installed or which version of the OS you got on the netbook- HD content is simply not going to happen. Anyway, these netbooks usually have low res screens, so you wouldn’t be able to enjoy great video even if the processor could handle it.

The Asus Eee PC 1001PX won't be able to play HD content, as it has a single core Atom chip

Netbooks with dual core Atom processors- N550 and N570

Dual core processors have significant superior performance. N550 and N570 chips can deal with multitasking way better than single core versions and have better integrated graphics. Netbooks packing these chips will be able to handle 720p videos, but not flawlessly. If you’re watching a TV show where people just talk for 30 minutes, playback will be smooth, but if you’ll watch some dynamic sequences, you’ll notice some frame dropping. This will happen for both local or streamed content, but it’s still a major improvement in comparison with single core versions.

As for the future, it looks pretty bright, with Oak Trail processors promising flawless HD playback.

Also, 1080P content is still a NO in most cases for N550/N570 powered mini laptops

The Toshiba NB305, thanks to the dual core N550 Atom chip, can deliver decent 720p playback

Netbooks with AMD Fusion chips (C-50, C-30)

When AMD launched their new series of chips aimed at netbooks, they really had something to brag about. Every chip comes with integrated ATI HD graphics. As the name says, these solutions can deal with HD playback, especially 720p, both streamed and local. The C-30 is a single core processor and thus is limited to 720p playback, while the dual core version of the C-50 will also be able to play 1080p content and output it to a big screen TV via the HDMI port.

Still, keep in mind that some issues with mkv files and 1080p streamed content might occur. Also, some premium netbooks come with E350 processors, which can play 1080p videos without a problem and can even deal with some light gaming.

The Acer Aspire AO522 comes with a C-50 chip that can deal even with 1080p playback

New generation Intel Atom Cedar Trail powered netbooks

Intel’s latest platform features processors like the N2600, N2800 or D2700, but also a bunch of others.

Unlike the previous Atom generations, they are all able to handle Full HD content now, thus all the netbooks launched in 2012 or later will be able to deal well with 1080p content, plus output it via the included HDMI ports.

Conclusions

HD playback is a feature that’s popping up on netbooks quite often on newer netbooks, because many of them use AMD Fusion hardware or newer Atom chips. But if you’re on a budget, you’ll probably only afford a single core Atom netbook, which can’t deal with HD playback.

In the end, if you’re willing to spend more on a netbook, you’ll be able to watch HD content on it. But not much more, as AMD powered netbooks come for prices as low as 300 bucks. You can take a look at our list of best 10 inch mini laptops for a list of the most popualr picks available these days in that class.

Tags: AMD Fusion, dual core ATOM, dual core processor, Intel Atom

Last updated: March 31, 2012 | Published: July 26th, 2011 | See the comments or add yours!