Seagate ST3500312CS Pipeline HD, enabling fanless DVRs - Page 3

Fanless DVRs No Longer a Fantasy With Power Efficient Drives From Seagate New Model, New Design With significant improvements in drive engineering, the fanless DVR represents a breakthrough in consumer electronics. As such, it requires new thinking about the design of the DVR box and the configuration of the device components. Table 2 outlines design recommendations2 for OEMs considering building fanless DVRs. Design Recommendation 5900-RPM drive Description Primary System Benefit Transition from use of 7200-RPM to 5900-RPM drives Ensures lower operating temperature for increased reliability Omni-surface ventilation Air vents needed on all surfaces of DVR box Maximizes natural convection Compartmentalization (see Figure 1) Increase segregation of components within the box Prevents averaging of temperatures and channels convection vertically Removal of isolator mounts (see Figure 1) Allow direct contact between hard drive and chassis structure; isolate hard drive from other heatproducing components by a divider Increases thermal conduction, pulling heat away from the hard drive Table 2: Principal Design Recommendations for Building Fanless DVRs • Hard drive isolated from other heat-producing components by divider wall • Hard-mount design allows conduction cooling to the chassis structure, in addition to convection Figure 1: Hard Drive Design Recommendations Additional Design Considerations for OEMs In addition to the recommendations contained in Table 2, OEMs interested in pursuing the production of fanless DVRs will also want to consider the following: • Duty cycle-Because it relies on lower-speed, high-efficiency drive technology, the fanless DVR system design does not support the trend toward multi-room, high-definition service. Yet, it is still capable of meeting the needs of the large number of consumers who want a great single-room entertainment experience. • Total surface area-While the size of today's standard DVRs is satisfactory to accommodate the fanless system design, current technology does not permit reducing the total surface area of the DVR box. • Bill of Materials-OEMs should be aware that production of fanless DVRs will require changes to the bill of materials (BOM). But these changes will reflect the need for fewer components overall, which in turn means less material to source, purchase and inventory. Green Living Favors Market Growth Increasingly, consumers worldwide are demonstrating a firm commitment to adopting a more environmentally friendly, or "green" lifestyle. In the consumer electronics market, demand is on the rise for devices that use less power. Consumers want to actively promote energy conservation through their individual purchase decisions and reduce their annual household spending on electricity. Both of these trends favor the continuation of robust consumer demand for energy-efficient devices, including fanless DVRs. DVR and set-top-box makers can take advantage of this opportunity to diversify their product offerings and reach new consumers-while expanding capacity to capture increasing future demand. The Seagate Pipeline HD drive, which features operational power consumption as low as 4.7 watts and storage capacity up to 1 terabyte, is well suited to the fanless DVR application, a fact confirmed by extensive testing. 2 Research and testing conducted by the Seagate Customer Experience Engineering (CEE) group. 3