Extio Editorial Coverage
Control room: Users, designers benefit from remote graphics hardware validation
December 13, 2007
Remote graphic units (RGUs) enable a control room computer to be located in a secure, temperature-controlled environment while the necessary user peripherals–keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers–are where they can be most useful in the plant. Matrox Graphics Inc., a manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, announces that its Extio RGUs have been certified for use with control systems and software from ABB, Emerson Process Management, Foxboro, GE Fanuc, Honeywell, and Wonderware. Matrox hardware is also enabling multi-screen operator stations, which provide greater visual real estate for more information-rich displays.
The Extio unit allows the control systems companies' HMI components to be connected to a host computer up to 820 ft. (250 meters) away via multi-mode fiber-optic cable. Control room operators benefit from increased space at the operator stations, a reduction in heat, and the removal of potentially noisy computers from the control room. IT managers are able to maintain security by moving the critical parts of a computer like the disks, memory, and processors into a separate room.
"Each operator also has the ability to connect up to four monitors to the Extio unit, which is equipped with a Matrox-designed graphics chip that offers unparalleled performance and image quality over a great distance," said Liv Stewart, sales representative for Critical Decision Systems at Matrox Graphics. The multi-display capabilities help increase productivity and reduce errors by allowing more information to be viewed at once, she said.
Matrox Extio - Remote Multi-Display System
By Riyad Emeran - TrustedReviews.com
July 10, 2007
"If ambient noise is a major enemy to your business, the Extio provides the solution. If you want all your PCs in a secure room instead of on your employees' desks, the Extio provides the solution. If you have a floor full of users that need high-end PCs, but don't have the space, the Extio provides the solution."
"With all of the graphic rendering being done by the Extio box, it really does feel as if your keyboard and mouse are connected directly to the PC - in fact if you didn't tell an end user any different, that's exactly what they'd think.
Even if you're not obsessed with data security, the fact that the Extio is a completely silent solution will make it potentially attractive in environments where noise is an issue. Recording studios for example could use high powered PCs without having to put up with the constant drone of cooling fans - an Extio installation would give you all the power of a high-end workstation, while the noisy hardware whirs away in a soundproof room in another part of the building.
Another thing that the Extio has going for it is the fact that Matrox is good at multi-monitor configurations, very good in fact. You can configure the Extio to create four discrete desktops on your four displays, or you can stretch your desktop across them all. I hooked up our Eizo 1,600 x 1,200 displays, creating a total desktop area of 6,400 x 1,200, which is pretty impressive to say the least. But even with the desktop stretched across all the displays, you can apply some pretty neat options via the Matrox tools. For example, if you want to maximise a window, rather than it expanding to the whole, massive desktop area, it will expand to fill a single screen - it's even smart enough to fill the screen that's displaying the most pixels at the time."
"The Matrox Extio is a very targeted product that addresses very specific users. If however you or your company falls into that target area, you'll probably see the Extio as a revelation - a solution to a problem that you thought was insurmountable."
