Inventec Multimedia & Telecom, which goes by the trade name of Importek, produces multimedia products ranging from high-definition TV modules to micro camera units to VoIP phones. Though people may be more familiar with Inventec Electronics or Inventec Appliances, the makers of notable products such as Hewlett-Packard (HP) notebooks and Okwap phones, many may not have heard of the Importek subsidiary of the Inventec Group.However, the company plays a major role in the IT industry, with the company's main product lines including HDTV modules, VoIP phone products and micro camera units (MCUs). The company's HDTV modules are incorporated by LCD TV makers in Korea, China and Taiwan, but the company especially targets the Japan market, with some sources estimating that the company has about 5% of the module market in Japan.Although first-tier TV makers in Japan, including Sony and Toshiba, produce their own HDTV modules, many second tier makers outsources their production to dedicated makers. However, because Japan uses a different digital TV standard (ISDB-T) than most other global markets, and because it is difficult to develop products for the ISDB-T platform, most module makers shy away from the Japan market, with Importek probably being the top ISDB-T module maker from Taiwan in the market there.According to industry sources, Importek's HDTV modules can be found in LCD TVs from Taiwanese makers Jean, Ya Hsin Industrial and Teco.Importek ISDB-T HDTV ModulePhoto: Company

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) is showcasing its 945GCT-M motherboard which features data recovery technology built into the BIOS.The 945GCT-M adopts the Intel Core 2 Duo processor with FSB up to 1066MHz, Intel GMA 950 graphics and the 945GC chipset, noted ECS.The 945GCT-M has data recovery technology built in its BIOS, users do not need to rely on software or hard drive recovery functions. If a hard drive stops functioning, the motherboard can still boot into the BIOS to open up previously saved images to recover data, said ECS.ECS will adopt the technology into its new Intel 3 (Bearlake) series motherboards in the near future, added the sources.System adopts ECS 945GCT-M motherboardPhoto: Yen Ting Chen, Digitimes

Taiwan's world-class overclocking expert Coolaler came just short of recording a world record overclock during a live demonstration at Computex Taipei 2007. The show was held at the booth of enthusiast hardware news and reviews site TweakTown. During the demonstration, Coolaler used liquid nitrogen to cool a dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 CPU to below -100-degrees C while he overclocked the system to reach a CPU speed of 5.44GHz. The standard clock speed of this CPU is 3GHz and the current record overclock is 5.52GHz, which was set by Coolaler.Using a Gigabyte GA-P35T-DQ6 motherboard which is based on the new Intel Bearlake chipset and some new DDR3 memory from Corsair, Coolaler was able to push the memory to 1500MHz DDR while the system FSB reached 605MHz with a 9x multiplier. After achieving the ultra-high overclock Coolaler ran a series of benchmarks on the system which also included a pair of Gigabyte Radeon HD 2900 XT series graphics cards. In 3DMark01 the system achieved a score of over 86000, and it completed the SuperPI benchmark in 9.6 seconds. An overclocked system cooled with LN2Photo: TweakTown

Broadcom announced this week new media PC solutions for playback of high-definition (HD) video content across the widest range of PCs in the industry. By lowering CPU utilization, and integrating seamlessly into Microsoft Windows Vista and XP environments, Broadcom's media PC solutions enable mainstream PCs featuring integrated graphics to play back HD content from either a Blu-ray Disc (BD) or HD DVD, as well as from HD downloaded or broadcast content. The new Broadcom media PC solutions are available in three add-in card formats (including desktop PCI Express, PCI Express mini Card or ExpressCard 34), and as a chipset solution for PC motherboard applications. In-Stat predicts that the market for HD DVD and BD enabled PCs is expected to grow to 15 million by the end of 2008. Broadcom's media PC technology will be featured in the following booth locations at Computex Taipei 2007 from June 5-9, 2007. Broadcom booth (T101C, TICC:), Intel (T4VIP and T401, Hall 4 at TICC), AMD (TF1I and T105, Hall 4 at TICC), CyberLink (1024 and 1049 at Grand Hyatt) and Corel (1041 and 1042 at Grand Hyatt). Broadcom HD video boardPhoto: Company

Although women are all too often ignored by vendors in the IT industry, they still account for a sizable market segment, and perhaps realizing this, memory module makers including Apacer Technology (Booth: D126, D136, D225, D235, Hall 1) and Power Quotient International (PQI) (D330, D336, D429, D435, Hall 1) are offering more products at Computex Taipei 2007 that appeal to women.Apacer is marketing its USB flash drives not solely on density or software features, but also on design. Apacer's newly introduced Handy Steno AH125 is a key chain and card holder and, with its bright red color, the device appears to be targeting female users looking for a little liveliness in their IT products.Apacer is also in talks with leading brands that target female customers, such as luxury goods vendor Louis Vuitton (LV) and some cosmetics brands, in an attempt to find some market crossover for its IT products. Perhaps, LV can do for USB flash drives what the iPod did for digital music players.PQI is also showcasing several products that can be targeted to women. The memory module maker's 3mm-thick Card Drive series not only comes in densities up to 32GB, but OEMs can provide their own personal picture and patterns to target various market segments.The company is also showcasing its colorful Intelligent Drive i810 series, which features a surface plated with different colors, and is small enough to be used as an fashion accessory for a handset or key chain.According CK Chang, Apacer AVP from the company's digital application business unit, targeting women is not only about style. In the competitive digital music player segment, Apacer looks to appeal to women with its AU581 player, which comes in a metallic case and targets functionality and ease of use. However, the company still stresses the friendly price, Chang pointed out. And no matter who the product is designed for, it still needs to be backed by the technology, Chang added.Apacer Handy Steno AH125 USB drivePhoto: Esther Lam, Digitimes, June 2007PQI Card Drive U505Photo: Esther Lam, Digitimes, June 2007PQI Intelligent Drive i810Photo: Esther Lam, Digitimes, June 2007

This year at Computex Taipei 2007, software developer CyberLink (Grand Hyatt Taipei, suite 1024 and 1049) is highlighting its PowerCinema Mobile for handheld devices, a new version of the integrated media entertainment software PowerCinema. PowerCinema Mobile runs on the Windows Mobile operating system and consists of five major entertainment modules, including digital TV, FM radio, music, video, and photos.PowerCinema Mobile is designed for entertainment on the go. With the emergence of two mainstream sectors of digital media content – premium TV programs and user-generated content – PowerCinema Mobile provides a solution for enjoying both types of content on handheld devices.PowerCinema Mobile is based on CyberLink's key multimedia technologies. Designed to operate with touch screen panels on the latest handheld devices, the software features a highly graphical and interactive user interface. CyberLink PowerCinema Mobile features Application Feature Digital TV Supports multiple TV signals, including DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB and DAB Supports electronic program guides (EPGs) and full screen TV playback Enables personal video recording FM radio and music Receives FM radio programs Supports MP3 and WMA audio files Photos and Video Can display photos as 3D animated slideshows Plays slideshows and photos at full screen size Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, June 2007

Compro Technology (Hall 2, E095, E095E) is showcasing its VideoMate V600 standalone TV tuner box at Computex Taipei 2007. The VideoMate V600 is a high-resolution standalone TV box supporting resolutions up to 1680×1050, 1600×1200 and 1440×900 for watching analog TV shows on CRT/LCD/PDP monitors.Free from driver/software installation and compatibility problems with computers, it can be simply connected to a monitor or projector with a TV cable/antenna feed, and users can watch TV on their monitors easily.The VideoMate V600 can also be used with widescreen LCD monitors in the 15- to 22-inch range, as well as standard 4:3/5:4 CRT/LCD and 16:9/16:10 widescreen LCD/PDP TVs. The device also features a 2D+3D Y/C separation and noise reduction chip with 3D motion adaptive deinterlacing for a sharper display image.Video input support for the device includes S-video, composite video, stereo audio, and component (Y, Cb, Cr) video input and users can connect the TV box with a DVD player, VCR, DV, or the latest games consoles for watching DVD movies or playing games.Compro VideoMate V600 TV tunerPhoto: Company

Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry) is featuring a full line of PC products at Computex Taipei 2007, including motherboards supporting both the Intel and AMD platforms, multimedia motherboards with an HDMI port, Nvidia GeForce 8000 series graphics cards, and a newly designed case and cooling solution.With Intel officially launching its Bearlake platform during Computex, Foxconn is showcasing a number of motherboards featuring the Intel G31, G33, G35, P35, Q35 and X38 chipsets. The motherboards will be able to support Intel's new 45nm processor (Wolfdale for dual-core and Yorkfield for quad-core) with front side bus (FSB) speeds up to 1333MHz, while also supporting DDR2 or DDR2/DDR3 combo memory.Foxconn is also highlighting new Nvidia 8600 and 8500 graphics card solutions as well as launching its new cooling technology for PCs, which adopts both heat-pipes and a special heatsink.Foxconn launched its own-brand motherboard business in 2004 while its own-brand graphics card lineup was introduced in 2006. Foxconn motherboard specifications Item Details Model X38A G35M-S P35A-S G33M Support CPU Intel Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme, Pentium E2xxx, Celeron 4xx, Pentium D and 45nm processor FSB 1333/1066/800 MHz Memory Dual-channel DDR2 up to 8GB Dual-channel DDR2 up to 8GB Dual-channel DDR2 up to 8GB Dual-channel DDR2 and DDR3 combo memory Chipsets Intel X38 & ICH9R Intel G35 & ICH8R Intel P35 & ICH9R Intel G33 & ICH9 VGA 3 PCIe x16 Intel GMA X3100 2 PCIe x16 Intel GMA 3100 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, June 2007 Foxconn Intel P35A-S motherboardPhoto: Joseph Tsai, Digitimes, June 2007 Foxconn Intel X38A motherboardPhoto: Joseph Tsai, Digitimes, June 2007

As one of the pioneers of the small form factor (SFF) PC, Shuttle built success upon its distinctive XPC range of products and was at one time the market leader in its field. However, in recent years, the company's performance has taken a rapid downturn with sequential revenues drops of over 45% for two consecutive years to reach just NT$1.6 billion in 2006, the lowest recorded in over five years. What went wrong and how does the company plan to swing back to success in 2007?The first half of 2007 has been a quiet period for Shuttle with only a single product launch and very little in the way of PR, (Shuttle was notably not present at CeBIT 2007) but at Computex Taipei the company is coming back with a bang and is announcing ten new products.The first thing you notice when you look at the new product lineup is that they all fall into the XPC barebones category. In recent years Shuttle has deviated from its core business to focus on system products, notably the M-series home theater PC (HTPC), and the X-series ultra-small form factor PC. The key difference between these products and Shuttle's previous offerings was that they were based on mobile CPUs and chipsets, and as a consequence offered less upgradeability and performance than comparatively priced desktop CPU based products. When asked, a Shuttle spokesperson would not go as far as to say that the turn away from XPC barebones to focus on systems was the reason for the recent financial downturn, but did admit that those system products took up a lot of resources in R&D, sales, and after sales service, while not meeting targets in terms of sales.While Shuttle may have been quiet in recent months, looking at the specifications of the new XPCs shows that the company has not been sleeping. All of the new products are based on the latest chipsets from Intel and Nvidia and so offer comparable features as the full-sized desktop motherboards which are being launched by Asustek, Gigabyte, and Foxconn, among others, during Computex, such as support for upcoming Intel and AMD quad-core processors, PCI Express 2.0, and HDMI. The new products also feature solid capacitor designs, a trend that has become increasing popular in the industry as they offer higher reliability.At the show Shuttle is also introducing two new chassis designs, the G6 and P3, aimed at the fashion conscious and high-end and markets respectively. The G6 features a band inset with several dozen crystals for a distinctive look. The P3 is very similar to the older P2 design, but it also features an access plate on the bottom which allows mini Card based add-in cards to be installed in the system. The company will also introduce its new Oasis cooling system which will be used on high-end systems to provide extra cooling for the chipsets and MOSFETs, and a feature the company calls Speed Link which allows an XPC with the technology to be connected to another PC via a standard USB cable for simple file transfers.On the marketing side, Shuttle is also introducing three new sub-brands, Prima, Glamour, and D'VO which will be used to differentiate its high-end, mid-range and HTPC product lines, and a tweaked product naming scheme which the company believes will help customers identify products as the chipset used is now part of the name.The majority of the products Shuttle is launching are based on the Intel 3 series (Bearlake) chipset to support upcoming 1333MHz FSB CPUs including the Core 2 Quad. At the high-end is the SX38P3 Deluxe based on the X38 and ICH9R north and southbridge combination. The barebone features two PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 slots and supports AMD Crossfire, as well as up to four DDR2 memory modules. Shuttle is aiming this product at the enthusiast market and has put extra effort into supporting advanced features such as overclocking. In addition to the Oasis cooling system and solid capacitor design, Shuttle has also tried to improve the system BIOS, including sending two of its engineers to receive training with Intel.The deluxe in the product name indicates that the barebone will come with extra add-in features and accessories, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, and a fingerprint reader.On the audio side the product includes support for Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect. Shuttle recently partnered with the two audio companies and will hold a special press event during Computex at its VIP lounge to promote the newly added features.The SP35P3 Deluxe is similar to the SX38P3 but is based on the P35 northbridge and so only supports a single PCIe slot.The SG33G5M Deluxe is aimed at the home theater market and includes Shuttle's front-panel VFD display and remote control. The barebone is based on the G33 and ICH9DH chipset combination and supports the Intel Viiv platform. Intel GMA 3100 graphics are onboard with support for high-definition (HD) video, DirectX 10, and Windows Vista Premium. The model is the first SFF system to include an HDMI output, according to Shuttle.Two further models, the SG33G6 Deluxe and SG33G5 are based on the same motherboard as the SG33G5M and so offer similar features, with the front-panel chassis design being the main difference.For the value segment Shuttle is introducing the SG31G2 based on the G31 chipset and the SD30G2 based on the older generation 945GC chipset which so does not include support for newer CPUs. Both systems offer onboard graphics via the GMA 3100 and 950, respectively, with VGA output, while the SG31G2 also features a DVI port.For AMD platforms Shuttle is releasing two products, the SN68PTG6 Deluxe and SN68SG2, based on the Nvidia GeForce 7050 and nForce 630a chipset combination. But models support AMD Athlon and Sempron CPUs plus the upcoming Phenom series. The SN68PTG6 also includes an HDMI video output as well as better audio features including Dolby and DTS.Shuttle expects the new models to begin shipping starting in July with roll out to be completed in August.Shuttle's XPC G6 chassisPhoto: Company

As display prices continue to drop, users have looked for ways to connect more than one display to their computers, and for users with graphics cards that do not support two monitors, Taiwan-based Sunix is offering a unique solution.Sunix's solution is its VGA2625 USB-to-DVI graphics adapter. By going through a USB 2.0 port, users can instantly clone or extend a desktop onto another display via a DVI or D-Sub interface to an LCD, CRT, projector and/or PDP (plasma display panel) display.Equipped with DDR400 200MHz 16MB memory, the VGA2625 can output a resolution as high as 1,600×1200 in 32-bit and it supports 16:9 wide-screen LCD format.Sunix has 20 years of experience in the IT industry and has developed an expertise in the field of network adaptors and data communications. In addition to its Golden I/O cards, Sunix's product lineup also includes the HDMS41C (a four-port HDMI version 1.3 switch) and graphics adaptors.The Sunix Group is comprised of 13 companies with around 400 employees worldwide with the Group's headquarters and research and development is based in Taipei, Taiwan.According to Arthur Lin, founder and CEO of the Sunix Group, about 65-70% of the business of the Sunix Group is related to data communications and controllers. Some of their products include PCI cards with applications in control and communications, ATM systems, and POS (point of sale) systems.Sunix has the ability to develop innovative products based on its own IC designs. Sunix's IC R&D group has about 50 people who work on products such as it's Golden I/O card products. "We don't use turn-key IC solutions from others but instead aim for self-sufficiency," according to Lin. "Roughly 73% of our products employ IC solutions developed by ourselves and we're working to increase that proportion of self-reliance." For example, with its own IC designs, Sunix was able to develop an integrated PCI Express 1.1 bridge with 16 port UART.Since Sunix has its own extensive R&D capability, the company does original design manufacturing (ODM) for a number of large multi-national corporations. "For communication and data products, we do work with IBM's kiosk products, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Belkin, Foxconn and Fujitsu Siemens, stated Lin. "Wincor uses our work in its ATM lineup. In China, we provide data communication solutions for Lenovo. We also do work for Acer in Italy and England," added Lin.Aside from developing its own IC designs, Sunix is tightly vertically integrated and handles molding, SMT production and assembly, all in-house. The company has two factories in Kunshan, China and six SMT lines and is constructing another plant with a total square area of 380,000 square meters. The company aims to have a production capacity of a million units a month.Sunix is displaying products at booths C318, C320 and C322 in Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center.Sunix VGA2625 USB-to-DVI graphics adapterPhoto: CompanyArthur Lin, Sunix founder and CEO, poses with the company's integrated PCI Express 1.1 bridge with 16 port UARTPhoto: Eric Mah, Digitimes, May 2007