NEC and Technovare Show Off Four New Single-Board Computers

Computers come in many forms nowadays, and there even seems to be a tendency to make things more and more integrated, something that the recent collaboration between NEC and Technovare proves.

There are certain devices that don't often get launched, such as those things called SBCs, single-board computers, normally used in digital signage.

It turns out that building some SBCs is exactly what Technovare and NEC have been jointly working on, using the OPS (open Pluggable Specification) as starting point.

There are four of them, all of which utilize an AMD dual-core Fusion T56N processor and have network access through existing CAT5 network infrastructures.

Two of the four, with storage capacities of 32 GB and 160 GB, respectively, run Windows 7 Professional, while the other two, with similar storage, have no OS.

They should be employed in digital signage applications used in healthcare, retail, airports, lobbies etc.

“The graphics capabilities of these new OPS-based SBCs enable NEC screens to flourish with inspiring images and give digital signage operators a strategic advantage,” said Rachel Karnani, product manager for Large-Screen Displays at NEC Display Solutions.

“In today’s competitive atmosphere, it is critical to be able to run different types of content and to give customers the flexibility to create diverse content best suited for their applications. The NEC/Technovare SBCs accomplish those goals.”

Backed by 3-year warranties, the newcomers can play 1,080p video content and should start shipping next month (July 2011), at starting prices of $949 or $800.

“The SBCs were built with careful attention to innovation, performance and flexibility, as well as to the new OPS industry standard,” said Barry Hsieh, director of Sales for Technovare Systems.

“NEC and Technovare are not just making strides in a very competitive digital signage arena with such offerings, but positioning themselves to capture new market share as well.”