MSI Computer Selects Silicon Image's SteelVine(TM) SiI4723 Storage Processor for New Enthusiast Motherboard Line
SteelVine(TM) SiI4723 Storage Processor Delivers Plug-and-Play Backup on Desktop Motherboard
Jan 30, 2007 7:15:00 AM
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Silicon Image, Inc. (Nasdaq: SIMG), a leader in semiconductors for the secure storage, distribution and presentation of high-definition content, today announced that MSI Computer Inc., one of the world's top five PC motherboard manufacturers, has selected the SteelVine(TM) SiI4723 Storage Processor to deliver an easy- to-use RAID-powered backup feature in its enthusiast desktop motherboard, the P6N Diamond. SteelVine storage processors on MSI's premium system boards enable PC manufacturers and assemblers to provide their customers with the ability to seamlessly protect and store valuable digital content such as music, photos, videos and important personal documents.
The MSI integration of the SiI4723 in its flagship motherboard demonstrates the growing traction of Silicon Image's unique SteelVine architecture among PC and consumer hardware makers. The new MSI P6N Diamond motherboard places the SteelVine storage processor directly on the main system board, allowing desktop PC makers to deliver powerful storage capabilities without having to install and configure separate subsystems.
MSI's P6N Diamond desktop motherboards deliver multimedia entertainment, networking and now advanced data protection, without the need for special drivers or the complex setup commonly required by traditional desktop PC designs. The P6N Diamond supports unique Digital Home features including MSI- SpareGear (backup over RAID), scaleable link interface (SLI), extreme graphics, and X-Fi ultimate audio experience. A fully integrated graphical user interface (GUI) within MSI's Dual Core Center Software provides advanced security and self-healing functions.
Designed to dramatically simplify the addition of storage capacity to a wide variety of systems, the SteelVine architecture from Silicon Image included in the MSI motherboard delivers reliable, high-capacity, high- performance storage with industry-leading price and performance. SteelVine storage processors are developed for plug-and-play connectivity, and incorporate sophisticated on-chip management capabilities that provides for faster storage processing without burdening the CPU. Their innovative design eliminates many time-consuming and error-prone storage maintenance tasks such as volume management and the need to install RAID drivers before installing the operating system.
"Silicon Image's SiI4723 provides a very high quality hardware RAID solution that complements the other leading edge features of MSI's P6N Diamond desktop motherboards," said Vincent Lai, director of MSI marketing. "Our customers are assured that their personal digital content is safe, and MSI benefits from fewer support calls due to the simplicity and elegance of Silicon Image's SteelVine storage architecture."
"Adding the SiI4723 to a desktop motherboard shows MSI's innovative thinking and leadership in the PC motherboard space," said Dale Zimmerman, vice president of marketing at Silicon Image. "With Silicon Image's SteelVine storage processor on board, MSI customers will benefit from improved performance and safer drive configurations that can protect digital assets for a lifetime. We are thrilled to partner with MSI on this project and look forward to more successful collaborations."
The MSI P6N Diamond motherboard is designed for single or dual-drive systems. By incorporating the SteelVine SiI4723 Storage Processor, the motherboard's MSI-SpareGear feature can be configured by PC builders to fit the users' needs by simply changing a secure jumper. MSI-Backup supports the following RAID modes:
-- SAFE (RAID 1) provides maximum data security by writing data to both drives. This mode performs an automatic backup to the second, or mirror, drive. Set to SAFE, the MSI system can continue to operate even in the face of total drive failure, keeping critical data and personal content accessible and protected. With rebuild of 100 gigabytes per hour, auto-rebuild and auto-fail- over, the SiI4723 SteelVine storage processor quickly re-establishes a mirrored drive set when a failed drive has been replaced.
-- FAST (RAID 0) stripes data to two drives for maximum performance providing faster boot times and quicker application loading.
-- BIG (drive spanning) allows two drives of varying capacity to be concatenated into a single logical volume that appears simply as C: to the system.
SteelVine SiI4723 Storage Processors enable original equipment manufactures (OEMs) and system integrators to offer three gigabit per second storage expansion solutions for price-sensitive mass-market applications. The SiI4723 can be configured for internal or external SATA (eSATA) applications where plug-and-play, reliable, high-performance data storage and backup are vital. In addition to motherboards, the versatility of the SiI4723 makes it suitable for use in standalone storage appliances, personal video recorders (PVRs/DVRs), media center PCs, or network attached storage (NAS) expansion. Multiple features and unparalleled 120 megabyte per second streaming performance make it ideal for "prosumer" drive expansion, small office/home office (SOHO), small and medium business (SMB), video editing and industrial data protection.
About Silicon Image, Inc.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Silicon Image, Inc. is a leader in driving the architecture and semiconductor implementations for the secure storage, distribution and presentation of high-definition content in the consumer electronics and personal computing markets. Silicon Image creates and drives industry standards for digital content delivery such as DVI, HDMI(TM) and Serial ATA (SATA), leveraging partnerships with global leaders in the consumer electronics and personal computing markets to meet the growing digital content needs of consumers worldwide. With a proven track record of improving cross-product interoperability, Silicon Image has shipped more than 100 million HDMI/HDCP and DVI/HDCP semiconductor solutions and offers one of the most robust and comprehensively tested technology platforms in the consumer electronics industry through the Simplay HD(TM) Testing Program of Simplay Labs. Simplay Labs, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Silicon Image, is a leading provider of testing technologies, tools and services for high- definition consumer electronics devices such as HDTVs, set-top boxes, audio/video receivers and DVD players, helping manufacturers to achieve compatibility and deliver the highest-quality HDTV experience to consumers. Silicon Image is the leading provider of semiconductor intellectual property solutions for high-definition multimedia and data storage applications. For more information, please visit http://www.siliconimage.com .
NOTE: HDMI(TM), the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of, and are used under license from, HDMI Licensing, LLC.
Forward-looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of federal securities regulations. These forward-looking statements include statements related to the features, functionality and benefits of Silicon Image's SteelVine SiI4723 storage processor and the anticipated benefits of integration of Silicon Image products with those from other companies. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those described from time to time in Silicon Image's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements. In particular, the features, functionality and benefits of the SteelVine SiI4723 storage processor, and the anticipated benefits of integration of Silicon Image products with those from other companies, may differ materially from what is currently anticipated. In addition, see the Risk Factors section of the most recent Form 10-K or Form 10-Q filed by Silicon Image with the SEC. Silicon Image assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release.
SOURCE Silicon Image, Inc.