VIA Launches VB8002 Mini-ITX Media Server Mobo

Not sure if you've noticed, but VIA is definitely getting deep into the media server game. Shortly after launching its NSD7200 2-bay Windows Home Server device, the company has today introduced a new motherboard aimed specifically at these very servers. The VB8002 Mini-ITX board brings the performance efficiency of the VIA Nano processor to consumer-focused server products, and to date, it's been Intel's Atom stuck within most of these devices.

Not surprisingly, it looks like VIA is eager to steal away some of that market share, and this is a perfect area to do it. Media servers don't require huge amounts of horsepower, yet it's crucial for them to sip down power as opposed to sucking it down. Indeed, Daniel Wu, Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, had this to say: "The VIA Nano processor is ideally suited to server applications that require superb performance in tandem with great power efficiency. We are convinced that the VIA VB8002 board will be applauded by system integrators as the most well balanced, feature-rich media server platform available."

Equipped with the 1.6GHz VIA Nano processor and unified VIA CX700M2 media system processor, the 17cm x 17cm Mini-ITX form factor VIA VB8002 is suited for system integrators looking to build out new systems. Media connoisseurs will surely love the onboard digital HDTV encoder for high-definition video resolutions, VIA Vinyl 7.1 channel HD audio and a range of consumer I/O options including composite and component RCA ports, DVI and S-Video ports, S/PDIF audio, and onboard connectors for LVDS and TV out. As of now, no pricing and availability information is present.

Specifications

VIA VB8002 Mini-ITX Board Specifications
Model Name	VB8002-16
Processor	1.6GHz VIA Nano™
Chipset	VIA CX700M2 Unified Digital Media IGP chipset
System Memory	1 x DDR2 533/667MHz* SDRAM DIMM socket Up to 1GB memory size** *DDR2 667MHz memory module can be supported with the effective speed to 533MHz. **Due to hardware limitation, DDR2 SDRAM chips organized as 128Mb x 8 bank cannot be supported by EPIA or VB series with CN700 and CX700M2 chipsets.
VGA	Integrated VIA UniChrome™ Pro II 3D/2D AGP graphics with MPEG-2/4 and WMV9 decoding acceleration
Expansion Slots	1 x PCI slot
Onboard IDE	1 UltraDMA 133/100/66/33 connector
Onboard LAN	1 x VIA VT6122 Gigabit Ethernet controller
Onboard Audio	VIA VT1708A High Definition Audio Codec
Onboard TV Out	VIA VT1625M HDTV Encoder
Onboard I/O Connectors	2 x USB pin connector for 4 additional USB 2.0 ports 1 x Front panel audio header for HP-out and Mic-in 1 x Audio Line-in header 1 x LPC header 1 x LVDS connector, for 18/24-bit single LVDS panel 1 x TV out header for SCART (RGB) and D-terminal (optional) 1 x Video pin connector for CCIR656/601 video input and SMBus 1 x PS2 mouse/keyboard header 2 x SATA connectors 2 x Fan pin connectors for CPU and system fans 1 x ATX power connector
Back Panel I/O	1 x DVI connector 1 x RJ-45 with USB stack 2.0 connector 1 x miniDIN for S-Video output 1 x Triple RCA jack for composite video and stereo audio outputs 1 x Triple RCA jack for component video output 1 x S/PDIF coaxial connector 1 x S/PDIF optical connector
BIOS	Award BIOS LPC 4/8Mbit flash memory
Operating System	Windows 2000/XP, Linux, Win CE, XPe
System Monitoring & Management	Wake-on LAN, Keyboard Power-on, Timer Power-on System power management, AC power failure recovery
Operating Temperature	0 ~ 50 °C
Operating Humidity	0% ~ 95% (relative humidity; non-condensing)
Form Factor	Mini-ITX 17 cm x 17 cm