VIA EPIA CL Mainboard Powers Niveus Media Blackbox Personal Server, the Ultimate Digital Storage Solution for the Networked Home

Available now for US$399, the silent, compact Blackbox Personal Server optimizes the enhanced connectivity, low profile and power efficiency of the VIA EPIA CL Mini-ITX mainboard

Las Vegas, 17 November 2003 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced the Blackbox Personal Server from Niveus Media, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based developer of digital media solutions. Based on the VIA EPIA CL Mini-ITX mainboard, the Niveus Blackbox is designed to backup, manage and store digital files and media from a single location in the home.

"As our home videos, music, and photos continue to accumulate, there is more and more need to manage our data from a central, networked location," said Tim Cutting, President and CEO of Niveus Media. "With the physical, thermal and connectivity benefits of the VIA EPIA CL mainboard, the Niveus Blackbox delivers enterprise server reliability at an attractive price and in a small, silent system."

Measuring just 10.75" x 11.5" x 2.5" high, the Niveus Blackbox is based on the VIA EPIA CL-Series Mini-ITX mainboard, which has been designed specifically for next generation networked devices and features a wealth of connectivity options such as dual LAN and USB2.0, while the fanless operation of the VIA Eden processor and low profile board layout enables the compact, space saving design. The Blackbox comes complete with a 80GB, 160GB or 300GB hard drive, catering to individual storage needs.

"We believe the emerging market for personal servers is set for rapid growth, as they afford tremendous storage convenience at home and easy but secure accessibility from anywhere, and the small, silent Blackbox is ideally positioned to take advantage of this trend," said Richard Brown, Associate Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "By leveraging the dual LAN capabilities and the x86 architecture of the VIA EPIA CL mainboard, the Blackbox can expand in features and services well beyond traditional networked devices."

The Niveus Media Blackbox can be accessed via a standard Internet browser window on any networked personal computer, enabling users to easily backup and manage their digital media from any networked computer. Individual remote access via secure login allows the entire family access to their media from anywhere on the network. The Linux-based software also integrates advanced file searching, database indexing and meta data lookup.

About the Niveus Media Blackbox Personal Server

The Niveus Media Blackbox Personal Server is designed for those looking to backup, manage and store digital files from a single location in the home. Measuring 10.75" x 11.5" x 2.5", the Blackbox is built around the VIA EPIA CL6000 mainboard with a 600MHz VIA Eden processor and 128MB DDR266 DRAM memory, and comes with several levels of storage options, including 80GB, 160GB or 300GB hard drive. Wired and wireless capabilities ensure users can seamlessly add the Blackbox to their existing home network.

The Niveus software, residing on the Linux Kernel 2.4.22, provides users with automatic backup and management of their digital files. The Niveus User Interface, via Internet browser, provides a "family friendly" environment for networked access and secure login. The Niveus Server Software's advanced file searching capabilities include database indexing and meta data lookup, allowing users to manage their files from anywhere on the network. Software feature and security updates will be available for download free of charge from the Niveus Media website.

Blackbox Personal Server Pricing and Availability

The Niveus Media Blackbox Personal Server is available now and has a low entry price of US$399. For further details, please contact Niveus Media at info@niveusmedia.com or visit the company website at: www.niveusmedia.com.

About the VIA EPIA CL-Series Mini-ITX Mainboard

The VIA EPIA CL-Series Mini-ITX mainboard targets networking systems in the home, office, and commercial LANs with dual LAN functionality and a wealth of connectivity options. Measuring 17cm by 17 cm, the VIA EPIA CL is a native x86 platform mainboard available in a variety of configurations based on the VIA Eden ESP processor for fanless operation, and the VIA C3 processor for enhanced media performance.

The VIA EPIA CL-Series mainboards feature the VIA CLE266 chipset with an embedded hardware MPEG-2 decoder and integrated VIA UniChrome 2D/3D graphics core for enhanced digital media performance. Performance is further boosted with support for the higher memory bandwidth DDR266 SDRAM and the high media drive data transfer speeds of ATA-133.

The VIA EPIA CL-Series mainboards support up to six USB 2.0 connections, as well as four COM ports and two 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet ports, and are compatible with recent Microsoft® and a variety of Linux operating systems. The VIA EPIA CL also offers support for a number of 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 and power supplies.

For further information on the VIA EPIA CL-Series Mini-ITX mainboard, please visit the VIA website at:
http://www.viaembedded.com/product/epia_cl_spec.jsp?motherboardId=181.

About Niveus Media, Inc.

Founded in 2002, Niveus Media, Inc. is a San Jose, California OEM manufacturer, specializing in media entertainment devices for the consumer electronics market. Niveus Media is dedicated to delivering innovative, integrated consumer electronics devices for the networked home. Additional information can be found at: http://www.niveusmedia.com/

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