In its technology forum in Taipei, VIA treated visitors with a sneak preview of the upcoming Hi-Fi PC. The device will be a complete multimedia hub, designed as a living room centerpiece, with DVD, CD and VCD playback and will be fully accessible by remote control
The VIA EPIA M-Series Mini-ITX Mainboard is a revolutionary, ultra-compact x86 platform optimized for today's killer digital applications. At just 17cm x 17cm, Mini-ITX is the world's smallest native x86 mainboard platform, and is fully compatible with Microsoft and Linux Operating Systems. Available with an embedded VIA Eden? ESP processor core for fanless systems with ultra low-power requirements, or an embedded VIA C3 E-Series processor for more demanding digital multimedia applications, the EPIA M-Series is the perfect platform for a whole range of small form factor, low-power digital media devices and home entertainment centers.
The EPIA M-Series' VIA Apollo CLE266 chipset features an embedded MPEG-2 decoder for silky smooth DVD playback, and integrated 2D/3D graphics for a rich multimedia experience. With the sizable memory bandwidth of DDR266 SDRAM and the high data transfer speeds of ATA/133, the EPIA M-Series ensures the high performance levels required of today's most popular digital media applications. The user's digital media experience is further enhanced by support for 5.1 surround sound, courtesy of the onboard VIA VT1616 6 Channel AC'97 codec.
The latest in high-bandwidth connectivity is supported with both IEEE 1394 and USB 2.0 connections provided, as well as S-Video and RCA TV-Out (NTSC & PAL) and 10/100 Ethernet for seamless broadband connectivity. The EPIA M-Series also offers support for the latest LVDS embedded LCD panels, has one PCI slot for expandability options, and is compatible with a full range of Mini-ITX chassis as well as FlexATX and MicroATX chassis.