At the time of writing there are two specific hardware recommendations that, in our opinion, meet the requirements for most installations:
Asus EeeBox – the Asus EeeBox is a price competitive package that includes the Intel Atom processor which, at present price levels, makes it a hard to beat option for playing back media on digital signage networks. When combined with a price competitive screen the Asus EeeBox is a more compact and cheaper option than an equivalent ATX box plus screen option. It has the following additional features:
It is small and compact making installation easier
It runs cool and is power efficient
There is a version of the EeeBox that supports HD Video playback
If you require an All-In-One solution for easy installation then the Samsung SyncMaster 400DXn is an ideal choice. It is a 40’ Flat panel display with an internal PC. When compared to the EeeBox and screen combination above, it is more expensive, but because the PC and screen come packaged together, on-site installation is made simpler. The specifications for the embedded PC for this particular screen are adequate for the running of a media network.