MSI™ Unveils its new MEGA180, a Multimedia-type Barebone System, at CES 2004
 
City of Industry, CA – January 6, 2004 - – MSI (Taiwan: 2377.TW) , ) , the emerging innovator in digital entertainment, today unveils its new Mega 180 multimedia barebone PC system during the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2004 show held in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 8-11. The MSI MEGA 180 can be is a full-function multimedia PC that combines information and entertainment together to offer a Hi-Fi stereo, DVD/VCD, MP3, HD quality TV and high-performing computer functions into one device.
The MEGA stands for MSI Entertainment Gaming Appliance. Unlike other small-form-factor systems, the MEGA 180 is not only a "small form factor box" in appearance but with unique designs and features that target at those people who specifically look into building Home Theater PCs (HTPCs)
  The MEGA 180 is based on the nVIDIA ® (Nasdaq: NVDA) 's nForce2 chipset and supports an AMD ® (NYSE: AMD) Athlon® XP Processor, DDR400 memory and SoundStorm ™ Dolby® Digital Sound technology.

The top section of the MEGA PC is home to all of the features that can be accessed without booting the PC. Using this top power button activates the MEGA in "HiFi Mode" which allows you to play audio CDs, MP3s stored on CD and to activate the AM/FM radio. The jog dial is used by rotating it in either direction and can be pressed to access more functions. When you pop in a music or MP3 CD, the intelligent LCD backlit display goes to work and displays equalizer features (Classic, Jazz or POP), track and time information, as well as some enigmatic bars that dance to the music.

With the built-in Wireless Ethernet 802.11b, streaming music and using the MEGA 180 as a media server becomes a simple task. The MEGA 180 transforms surfing the web and playing online games in the living room, on a big screen from dreams into reality. The MEGA 180 also comes with a 6-in-1 card reader, which supports Sony® memory sticks, CF/SD and MMC memory cards. Upon a fresh Windows® install, each drive is assigned a unique drive letter as well.

And at the bottom of the front fascia comes with an incredible assortment of ports with including optical SPDIF in, microphone, headphone, two USB2.0 ports, a 6 pin and 4 pin IEEE1394 (Firewire) port. These ports allow you to connect your DV camcorder, plug in a mic and have a karaoke evening, listen to your music collection through headphones, plug in a USB game controller (or 2) and turn your MEGA PC into a console style gaming system and a whole lot more too. Pairing all these features with the included MSI MEDIA Center Deluxe III, the MEGA 180 becomes a totally integrated and high performance media / home theater solution for your living room. All these features and more can be controlled in the palm of your hand with the provided remote controller.

Optional accessories include the MEGA PC TV-tuner card, allowing users to pause, rewind and record live TV broadcasts. Others such as wireless mice, wireless foldable keyboards and MEGA 2.0ch speakers were also developed by MSI to go with this HTPC type of barebone system.

Combining all the specifications that make up today's consumer electronic devices, MEGA 180 is further geared for PC users that required a small multi-function gaming PC for home entertainment and the best digital media experience. The MEGA 180 is a stylishly designed HTPC barebone system that takes up a fraction of the space required by any tower PC system.

With the new colored LCM display panel and added features, the MEGA 180 will be sure to grab the attention from of all visitors during the CES 2004 show. For more information about our new Mega 180, please visit our website: http://www.msi.com.tw