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The Broadcom BCM70015 single-chip Crystal HD enhanced media accelerator solution enables the most advanced, low-cost, low-power, high-definition video playback available on a netbook, the company says.

The Crystal HD technology is designed for low-cost netbooks, but can also be used in notebooks and small form factor (SFF) and slim desktops. It will be compatible with Adobe Flash Player, Windows Media Player, and several other media players, including open-source players.

Many of the popular technologies are compatible with the BCM70015, including playback of streaming HD video, Blu-ray Disc, and file-based content. It also supports industry standard codecs such as H.265/AVC, MPEG-2, VC-1, WMV9, MPEG-4, DivX, Xvid, and AVS. The codecs allow users to watch video without frame drops, even under heavy CPU usage, Broadcom says.

Crystal HD is now available for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who want to use it for video playback on the new Intel Atom processor platform for netbooks. The processor is the next-generation platform for netbooks and the entry-level desktop segment. It integrates graphics and a memory controller onto the CPU, which enables lower power consumption, improved performance, and more compact designs for the next generation of netbooks.