MSI EX623 Blu-ray 'entertainment' notebook has odd HDMI omission

MSI have announced a new 16-inch notebook, the EX623, with a true 16:9 widescreen display; plus, in honor of that fact, it has a standard Blu-ray drive. Based on Intel's Centrino 2 platform there's a Core 2 Duo CPU, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS video card. Storage is courtesy of up to a 320GB hard-drive.

Connectivity for the EX623 includes WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth, together with an eSATA port for adding high-speed external storage. As well as stereo speakers, MSI have managed to squeeze a subwoofer into the notebook, plus a 2-megapixel webcam in the screen bezel.

Unfortunately the 1366 x 768 screen resolution means the EX623 isn't capable of displaying full 1080p high-definition; it also bizarrely lacks an HDMI output, meaning if you want to output Blu-ray content onto another display then you're stuck with VGA. MSI bill the EX623 as an entertainment notebook, but they seem to have fallen asleep at the spec-list.

No word on pricing or availability.

[via PC Launches]