Matrox Graphics is shipping a “remote graphics unit” (RGU) that connects keyboards, mice, and monitor(s) to PCs up to 850 feet away. The Matrox Extio F1400 RGU supports up to four displays, and was selected by ABB Automation Technologies for its control room package, the video card vendor says.

Matrox Extio F1400
The F1400 is among three “Extio” models currently offered by Matrox. The company says separating user interface components from PCs offers work environment noise reduction for A/V post-production, sound recording studios, and TV/radio broadcasting environments, and better physical security for process control and dispatch systems.

The Extio F1400 is a passively cooled box that connects to a remote PC by up to 850 (250 meters) of fiber optic cable. The PC must be equipped with a fiber optic interface; Matrox separately offers them as 32-bit PCI or PCI Express 1x add-in cards.

Matrox lists the following specifications for the F1400:

• Unspecified Matrox-designed graphics chip
• 128 MB of graphics memory
• Dual-LC connector for fiber-optic cable
• 4 x DVI-I monitor connectors
• 4 x DVI-to-HD15 adapters, to support analog monitors
• 1600 x 1200 maximum resolution per display
• 6 x USB 2.0 ports (4 in front, 2 in back)
• Integrated audio hardware
• Optical connector for digital audio output
• Analog audio connectors for a microphone input, line input, and line output

Matrox reports that the Extio F1400 has been selected by ABB Automation Technologies for use in its “800xA Extended Operator Workplace,” an impressive-looking control room display system comprised of multiple projectors, monitors, and other user interface components.

ABB 800xa Extended Operator Workplace
(Click to enlarge)
Per Lundmark, marketing manager at ABB, stated, “The stability, distance, [use of] very little cabling, multi-display support, and image quality were key determining factors.”

Samuel Recine, product manager, stated, “Matrox remote graphics unit technology is ideal for computer-aided dispatch, security monitoring, and process control.”

Matrox offers Windows driver software for the Extio's graphics and audio chipsets. The company had not responded to our inquiry regarding Linux support by publication time.

Availability

The Extio F1400 is expected to ship in Q2, 2006. Matrox said it plans to supply Windows drivers initially, and to “gradually add Linux drivers that support similar functionality to that which is currently available with the Matrox QID Series of add-in boards.” In the shorter term, the company said it will “provide third-party Linux drivers with more specialized variations of Extio technology.”

Pricing was not disclosed.

For A/V customers, Matrox will also offer a two-headed F1220 and four-headed F1420 model that add FireWire support.

---

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.