Liantec announced a new Linux-ready dual-display daughtercard for its mini-ITX systems. Adhering to the Taiwanese company's Tiny-Bus format, and based on Intel's DVDO interface, the TBM-16SDVOD offers dual-channel DVI video for digital signage, kiosks, point-of-sale (POS), game consoles, set-top boxes (STBs), and other… embedded multimedia applications.

(Click for larger view of TBM15SDVOD daughtercard)

Liantec's Tiny-Bus format enables the addition of 16x and 1x PCI-Express, AGP, and PCI expansion function cards. The 2.9 x 3.6-inch daughtercard spec is based on four high-density connectors. Currently, Liantec offers the Tiny-Bus interface on various mini-ITX boards, along with various Tiny-Bus daughtercards targeting graphics, storage, and networking applications.

Typical Tiny-Bus equipped mini-ITX board

The TBM-16SDVOD video module interfaces with the host board's PCI Express bus via SDVO (serial digital video out), a proprietary Intel technology introduced with G9xx chipsets. SDVO is apparently capable of interfacing between PCI Express buses and various kinds of video modules, including VGA, LVDS, S-/H-DTV, and so on. Currently available Liantec boards equipped with SDVO interfaces include the EmBoard ITX-6900, ITX-6945, and ITX-6965.

Specs for the three compatible EmBoards include:

• Liantec ITX-6900:
  • Chipset — Intel 915GME
  • CPU — Pentium M / Celeron M
• ITX-6945:
  • Chipset — Intel 945GME
  • CPU — Core2 Duo / Core Duo / Core-based Celeron M
• ITX-6965:
  • Chipset - Intel GME965
  • CPU — Core2 Duo

Availability

Linantec did not offer pricing or availability information on the TBM-16SDVOD, but says the boards come with Linux or Windows CE preinstalled. Liantec also manufactures two other SDVO-based Tiny-Bus video extension modules: the TBM-16SDVOA DVI / HDTV and the TBM-16SDVOB Tiny-Bus DVI and Y/Pb/Pr HDTV. More information may be found here.

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