CES 2007: MSI rings in second wave of AMD Live! entertainment PCs

Las Vegas (NV) - AMD briefly discussed a new and upcoming AMD Live! platform its analyst briefing last month and MSI appears to be the first company to have announced the first product built on this second generation platform. Live! PCs, just like some Intel Viiv devices, will also be available in the form factor of a traditional set top box.

The MSI "Media Live" takes a new approach at the entertainment center PC (EPC) and integrates virtually any technology that is required to playback, record and stream digital media, such as audio, video and pictures. At the core of the EPC is an AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor, which is complemented by an Nvidia integrated graphics chipset. There's also a 12-in-1 media card reader, a HDMI interface as well as 7.1 channel audio support.

Unlike many other set-top-box shaped EPCs we have seen so far, the Media Live actually comes with a CD/DVD drive. At a show where high definition takes the center stage, we are a bit surprised that HD DVD or Blu-ray apparently isn't an option for this device at this time. EPCs aren't particularly cheap at an estimated price of at least $1000 and we doubt that a customer group that is willing to shell out that much money for a DVD player replacement will accept the lack of a high-definition video player in 2007 and beyond.

MSI did not say when the Media Live will go on sale.