News Release
VIA EPIA M-Series and TinyByte Navigate the Mobile
Recreation Vehicle Market
The TinyByte Board Computer based on the VIA EPIA
M9000 Mini-ITX mainboard brings digital media entertainment,
communication, and navigation functionality to yachts,
cars and recreational vehicles
Troisdorf, Germany, 19 March 2003 - VIA Technologies,
Inc., a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip
technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced
that SPI-Marine GmbH has made available the TinyByte
Board Computer based on the ultra compact VIA EPIA M9000
Mini-ITX mainboard, for mobile communication, navigation
and entertainment in yachts, cars and recreational vehicles.
"We had a long wish-list from the users of Board
Computers as to which features they wanted to integrate
in their onboard systems: GPS navigation, e-mail communication,
playback of digital media as well as connectivity with
external devices like digital cameras," said Ralf
Goellnitz, General Manager of SPI-Marine GmbH. "The
VIA EPIA Mini-ITX platform provided excellent performance
in all of these areas with the necessary low power consumption
available from these types of vehicles.
The TinyByte Board computer can work as a sea or land
navigation center, thanks to the optional GPS receiver.
It can also be set up to receive weather forecasts and
storm warning information, transmitted through the NAVTEX
system, and an external USB module provides information
regarding current weather conditions and gives pre-warnings
about storms if unexpected air-pressure changes occur.
Moreover, connecting the unit to a GSM mobile phone
enables access to Internet and e-mail. The TinyByte
also shines with a wide assortment of entertainment
options: DVD, CD and MP3 playback, as well as connection
to digital cameras to transfer digital images and videos
while on board.
Thanks to its small size, the TinyByte Board Computer
has been optimized to fit into the panel of most sailing
or motorized yachts and can also be integrated into
trailers. The low power consumption of the system (25W
on average) enables the TinyByte to use the standard
yacht or car batteries and makes operation of the system
virtually silent.
"The 'lifestyle' segment of the IT market, which
includes car, boat and trailer PCs, is growing rapidly,
yet sets demanding thermal and physical requirements
for onboard operation," said Michal Lisiecki, Regional
Marketing Manager at VIA Europe. "The TinyByte
Board Computer takes full advantage of the small size
and excellent low power properties of VIA EPIA M mainboard,
and we are delighted that SPI-Marine have demonstrated
the commercial application of the board in such a unique
way with this versatile system."
TinyByte Specification and Availability
TinyByte Board Computer is based on VIA EPIA M9000
mainboard, with integrated 933MHz VIA C3 EBGA processor.
Integrated FireWire (IEEE 1394) and USB 2.0 enable the
seamless integration of external devices, including
hard drives, scanners and cameras. Based on VIA Apollo
CLE266 chipset, VIA EPIA M9000 mainboard features an
embedded MPEG-2 decoder for silky smooth DVD playback.
The user's digital media experience is further enhanced
by support for 5.1 surround sound. Board Computer is
Microsoft® Windows® certified and is fully compatible
with Linux.
TinyByte comes with the choice of power supply - standard
12V or external 110/220V, optionally also 9-16V power
supply is available. The system has been tested for
shocks and vibrations.
TinyByte is available now at the price of EUR 1679
from SPI-Marine GmbH (www.spimarineshop.de).
Also available is the whole set of accessories for use
with TinyByte Board Computer.
The TinyByte Board Computer is one of several VIA EPIA
Mainboard Series Partner Products that can be found
at: http://www.via.com.tw/en/VInternet/ppp2.jsp.
About the VIA EPIA M-Series Mini-ITX Mainboard
The VIA EPIA M-Series Mini-ITX Mainboard is a revolutionary
17cm x 17cm platform optimized for today's killer digital
video and audio applications, and is fully compatible
with Microsoft® and Linux-based operating systems.
Available with an embedded VIA Eden™ ESP processor
core for fanless, ultra-quiet systems, 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.
Featuring the new VIA Apollo CLE266 chipset with embedded
MPEG-2 decoder and a new integrated 2D/3D graphics core,
the VIA EPIA M-Series platform provides smooth DVD playback
and a rich overall entertainment experience. With the
sizable memory bandwidth of DDR266 SDRAM and the high
data transfer speeds of ATA/133, the VIA EPIA M-Series
ensures the high performance levels required of today's
most popular digital media and productivity 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 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 VIA 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 enclosures.
Further information on the VIA EPIA M-Series Mini-ITX
mainboard may be found at:
www.viavpsd.com/product/epia_m_spec.jsp?motherboardId=81
About SPI-Marine GmbH
SPI-Marine GmbH develops and markets powerful hard-and
software solutions for industry and private users, from
entrance solutions up to high-end-systems. SPI was founded
1980 and is headquartered in Ahrensburg near Hamburg,
with branches in Herne and Stuttgart (West-and Southern
Germany). SPI-Marine is a line of business, which focuses
in the development and marketing of innovative devices,
specialized for the use in sailing yachts, motorboats
and trailers. The products of the SPI Marine are sold
European-wide over a network of competent dealers and
over the Web Shop www.spimarineshop.de.
PC2U PR Contact
International: Arthur Barasch
Phone: +49-511 8489971
Fax: +49-511 8489972
Email: barasch@icp2u.de
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