Broadcom has given a video demonstration of this technology in action. Naren Sankar from Broadcom’s Consumer Electronics Group, placed two 10-inch netbooks side-by-side. One HP Mini 110 XP (with Crystal HD) and a Lenovo S10 to the right of it. He played a 1080p h.264 video file on both and noted the differences.

The Lenovo struggled to play the content, with skipped frame rates and dropped audio. CPU utilisation was also around the 90 percent mark. They were using Windows Media Player for this demonstration and I wonder whether using VLC would have made any difference to CPU usage.

This contrasted with the HP that was able to playback the video smoothly and no problems with audio. Naren claimed that CPU utilisation using the Crystal HD chip maxed out at 25 percent but we could see it hovering between 30 to 40 percent during the demo. I’m not sure what media player they were using, but it was not Windows Media Player. It’s probably ArcSoft’s TotalMedia Theatre software that is bundled with the Broadcom Crystal HD option with the HP Mini 110. Check out the video below.

Via Portable Monkey.

You may want to pair this with the Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator, which will cost an extra $30. This card should allow smooth playback of HD video content. However, you will have to use this with the bundled ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre software to take advantage of the video acceleration. TotalMedia Theatre will give you access to MKV, MOV, MP4, AVI, WMV and TS/M2TS files.

A couple of more colour options have also appeared over the standard black. This includes Pink Chic and White Swirl, which costs an extra $20. Unfortunately, these options are only available on the Mini 110 XP Edition for now, rather than the Linux-based Mini 110 Mi Edition. You can see that once you start adding these options over the Mini 110 XP base price of $329.99, the cost quickly starts to shoot up!

Via Engadget.

The Mini 110 series comes with a 10.1-inch (1024 x 576) matte display. It is powered either by a 1.6GHz N270 or 1.66GHz N280 Atom (+$25) CPU. Other features include a 92 percent keyboard, webcam, microphone, VGA port and 5-in-1 card reader. The series will weigh around 1.1kg (2.33lbs) and measure just over 1-inch in thickness.

You will also be able to buy an optional 6-cell battery that will set you back $40. An optional 1366 x 768 HD display will be available in July for around $30. The Mini 110 XP will have an optional Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator to allow for 1080p high-definition content. This option is also expected to cost $30 when it is released next month. According to HP’s site, the Mini 110 will begin arriving at customers on or around June 24th.

Via Portable Monkey.

The features are very similar to the HP Mini 110 and, importantly, the 110c will also come with the optional video accelerator found in the Mini 110. The swirl-lid design that adorns the US Mini 110 and 1101 is not present here. Instead it has a high-gloss ‘infinity’ imprint finish.

The 110c will have a 10.1-inch BrightView display and a 92 percent sized keyboard. It will come powered by a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU and Intel 950 graphics. Other features include a 160GB hard-disk drive, three USB ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, webcam, mic and optional 3G. The Compaq 110c will weigh 1.17kg with the 3-cell battery and is 33mm (1.3-inches) thick. This will come with Windows XP, so you won’t get the Linux option like you do with the Mini 110 Mi.

It will come in a number of configurations, powered either by a 1.6GHz N270 or 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU. Other features include a 92 percent keyboard, webcam, microphone, VGA port and 5-in-1 card reader. The series will weigh around 1.1kg (2.33lbs) and measure just over 1-inch in thickness.

One of the most interesting bits of news from this release is that the Mini 110 XP will have an optional Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator to allow for 1080p high-definition content. This option is expected to cost $30. It’s a shame to see that this SKU will only support a maximum of 1GB RAM. Storage is catered for by either a 32GB SSD or 160GB HDD. It will also have optional 3G.

The Mini 110 Mi Edition will run on Ubuntu Linux and will support up to 2GB of RAM and 250GB HDD. The business targeted Mini M1101 will be available with Windows XP Home/Pro and Vista. This version will also have optional 3G as well as a 6-cell battery option. The 6-cell battery should last six hours and will be available on the HP site from 10th June for a fee of $40.

The Mini 110 will come in a number of stylish colours such as Pink Chic, Black Swirl or White Swirl HP Imprint finishes. The more sober Mini 1101 will come with the Black Swirl design only. The Black HP Mini 110 will cost from $329.99 for the XP Edition and $279.99 for the Mi with availability expected from June 10th. Pink and White colours will be available from July 8th. The Mini 1101 will cost $329.99 when it launches on June 1st. We don’t have any information regarding an UK release date or pricing for now.

HP Mini 110 differences over the Mini 1000:

• The Mini 110 comes with three USB ports vs. two in the Mini 1000.
• The Mini 110 comes with a full-sized VGA port (the Mini 110 had an adaptor cable).
• The standard HDD is faster and higher capacity at 160GB (5,400 RPM) compared to 80GB (4,200 RPM).
• The matte display is not flush on the Mini 110, there is a more traditional bezel surrounding the display. The Mini 1000 came with a flush glossy display.

A few publications have already managed to spend time with the Mini 110 and posted some hands-on video impressions. This includes Laptop Mag as well as Cnet. Check out the Cnet video below, as well as a couple of Mini 110 promotional clips.