Embedded, says Matrox.

(Click here for a slightly larger view of Matrox's 4Sight XB)

According to Matrox, its 4Sight XB uses an EBX-format motherboard, housed in a case made of 1.2mm cold-rolled steel. "Adaptive fan control" minimizes noise, while optional flash storage qualifies the device for use in environments that are prone to shock or continuous vibration, the company says.

As Matrox points out, there are now many different ways of transmitting video to a computer, including analog, digital, gigabit Ethernet, USB, and more. The 4Sight XB comes with three IEEE 1394b ("FireWire 800") ports, but it is also able to accommodate video capture boards via three PCI, PCI-X, or PCI-Express expansion slots. Matrox says the computer's riser card arrangement allows it to accept as many as three PCIe x8 slots mechanically, and two x4 or x1 slots electrically.


Matrox's 4Sight XB
(Click to enlarge)
Depicted above, the 4Sight XB has 32 auxiliary I/Os, 16 TTL-compatible inputs and 16 open-collector outputs. In addition, there are eight USB ports (two internal, two external), two gigabit Ethernet ports, VGA and DVI-D video outputs, and dual serial ports, according to Matrox.

The 4Sight XB also has audio I/O, two serial ports, two SATA ports, and a power input that accepts voltages between 12 and 24VDC. System health monitors include temperature, voltage and fan speed, in combination with a watchdog timer, the company adds.

The 4Sight XB, a block diagram of which appears below, features Intel's GME965 northbridge, the ICH8 southbridge, and accepts up to 4GB of 667MHz or 533MHz DDR2 RAM via two SODIMM slots. Matrox says the device can be supplied with a 2.0GHz Celeron 550 processor, or a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T7500. The standard hard disk drive is cited as a 40GB, 5400rpm SATA device, but the company did not say how the 4Sight's optional flash storage is interfaced.


A block diagram of Matrox's 4Sight XB
(Click to enlarge)
Features and specifications listed by Matrox for the 4Sight XB include the following:

• Processor -- Intel Celeron 550 clocked at 2.0GHz, or Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 clocked at 2.2GHz
  
• Memory -- From 512MB to 4GB of 667Mhz or 533MHz DDR2 RAM, via two SODIMM slots
  
• Storage -- 40GB, 5400rpm SATA hard disk drive, or optional flash
  
• Networking -- 2 x gigabit Ethernet ports
  
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x VGA
    
  • 1 x DVI-D
    
  • 8 x USB (four internal, four external)
    
  • 3 x IEEE 1394b
    
  • 2 x serial (1 x RS232, 1 x RS232/RS485)
    
  • Audio line in and line out
    
  • 2 x SATA
• Expansion:
  • Up to 3 full-height, half-length PCI, PCI-X, or PCI-Express cards
    
  • PCIe riser card accepts 2 x 8 PCIe mechanical (x4 or x1 electrical) and 1 x 8 PCIe mechanical-only slots
• Power -- 12 to 24VDC input; Core 2 Duo models require approximately 100 Watts, and Celeron M models 72 Watts
  
• Operating temperature -- 50 to 122 deg. F (10 to 50 deg. C)
  
• Dimensions -- 8.2 x 7.25 x 4.7 inches (208 x 184 x 120mm)
  
• Weight -- n/s

Further information

According to Matrox, the 4Sight XB is available preloaded with Windows XP Embedded, but also supports Windows XP Professional, plus both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. Pricing was not disclosed, but the device is said to be available now.

More information may be found on the Matrox Imaging website, here.

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