Providing the market with a $99 answer to the Apple TV (also $99), the Vizio Co-Star brings a refreshing reincarnation of Google TV to the world of set-top boxes.

Notable tech specs:

• Google TV platform
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled
• Hot buttons for Amazon, Netflix, and M-Go
• 720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolution support
• MP3, AAC, and WMA audio playback
• Universal QWERTY remote with trackpad

The rear side of the Vizio Co-Star includes an impressive lineup:

• USB 2.0 port
• HDMI-In port
• HDMI-Out port
• Ethernet port
• DC-In Power port

On the bottom we see the reset switch and four suspicious-looking rubber feet.

• Spoiler alert: the feet aren't hiding anything.

A little prying around the edge with a plastic opening tool, and we've got the bottom panel free.

Comparatively speaking, the Apple TV required two metal spudgers to open, as opposed to a single plastic opening tool here. No need to split hairs; they're both easy to open up, and we love it.

We pull off what looks like an EMI shield only to find a thermal pad sitting on top of a sea of small resistors.

It's not often that we encounter cooling for the back side of a motherboard, but Vizio took extra precautions as this Co-Star has no fans.

The only thing standing between us and the motherboard are some screws and two connectors. Say hello to our little friend!

For those of you tuning in at home, a grand total of five screws and two cables must be removed once inside the device to free the motherboard. That's going to give the Co-Star a nice ratings boost.

And here comes the Co-Star's motherboard strolling down the red carpet:

• Marvell Armada 1500 1.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor
• Marvell 88DE2755 QDEO Video Processor
• Nanya NT5CB256M8GN-DI 2 Gb DDR3 SD RAM (2 Gb x 4 for 1 GB total RAM)
• Samsung K9GBG08U0A-SCBO 32 Gb (4 GB) NAND Flash

We're used to the innards of devices being dominated by a single component, but those space hogs are usually batteries or power supplies.

• Over a third of the real estate in the Co-Star is inhabited by the aluminum heat sink.

You may be asking yourself why the Co-Star has such a huge heat sink?

The answer lies in air movement. Without fans to circulate air, there is no forced convection. Therefore, the Co-Star must rely on conduction and natural convection to keep the processor cool.

We remove an additional board to reveal a whole lot of nothin' underneath.

The board houses the USB port and, well, nothing else.