Matrox today announced what the company claims is the world's first "remote graphics unit:" The Extio F1400 connects to the keyboard, mouse, audio peripherals as well as up to four analog or digital monitors on the user's desk. The case housing the core and critical components of the computer is connected via fiber-optic cable and can be located up to 820 feet (250 meters) away from the desk.

Matrox says that the Extio is designed for environments such as audio studios, broadcast studios, dispatch centers, control rooms, and public spaces using digital signage. The company claims that its remote graphics solution not only removes a potentially noisy computer, but also enables system administrators to access and maintain the system at a separate and secure location.

The F1400 integrates a Matrox graphics chip with 128 MB of memory, a dual-LC connector for fiber-optic cable, four DVI-I monitor connectors, six USB 2.0 ports, integrated audio hardware, an optical connector for digital audio output, and analog audio connectors for a microphone input, line input, and line output. Matrox said it will be shipping the device in Q2 of this year and will offer PCI and PCI Express interface cards for the unit.

Pricing has not been announced.