Thin, Skylake-based signage player starts at $720
Apr 25, 2018 — by Eric Brown 577 viewsAdvantech’s slim-height “DS-081” is a fanless digital signage player with 6th Gen U-series chips, dual 4K-ready HDMI ports, dual GbE ports, SATA and mSATA, and mini-PCIe expansion.
We found out about the Intel 6th Gen “Skylake” based DS-081, which Advantech calls “the world’s slimmest digital signage player” based on a Skylake CPU, from an announcement that Beabloo had certified the device for its Beabloo digital signage software platform. Beabloo had previously certified a similar DS-080 model, which runs on Intel’s 5th Gen Broadwell chips. Like the DS-080, the $720 and up DS-081 has a slim, 19mm vertical profile and runs Windows 7/8.1/10 and WES7, as well as Linux “by project.”

DS-081
(click image to enlarge)
The fanless, 190 x 180 x 19mm DS-081 offers a choice of three dual-core Skylake U-series chips: the Intel Core i-6100U, Core i5-6200U, or Core i5-6300U, all with Intel HD Graphics 520. You get twice as much RAM as the earlier model, with 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of DDR4 2133.
The system offers dual HDMI ports for up to 4096 x 2304 @ 24Hz resolution, as well as an SPDIF audio input and output jack. Dual GbE ports are available, and on the Core i5-6300U system, one of them supports Intel AMT.


DS-081 with serial port open (left) and capped
(click images to enlarge)
The DS-081 is equipped with 4x USB 3.0 ports and an RS232 DB9 port. Although this serial port is listed as standard for all models, one of the rear panel photos shows the port is capped.
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Other features include a 2.5-inch SATA III interface with optional HDDs or SSDs, a full-size mSATA interface, and a mini-PCIe slot with support for mSATA or wireless. WiFi and 3.75G HSPA modules with antenna are optional.

DS-081 detail view
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The DS-081 is further equipped with a watchdog, LEDs, a power button, and a 19V DC-in jack with ACPI 3.0 power management. The 0 to 40°C tolerant signage player ships with a wall-mount kit, with optional VESA or DIN-rail mounting.
The DS-081 offers free Advantech WebAccess/IMM software for web-based content management. WISE-PaaS/RMM and Embedded Software APIs appear to be optional.
Further information
The DS-081 is available starting at $720 with a Core i3-6100U. A price configuration form lets you price different processors, storage, and other options. More information may be found at Advantech’s DS-081 product page.
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