Intel Corporation has announced a new range of technologies incorporating audio, video and other capabilities designed not only to make the PC experience more entertaining and productive but also pave the way for emerging capabilities as High Definition (HD) video, 7.1 surround sound and robust file protection for office and home users.
Says Steve Nossel, country manager for Intel Corporation South and Sub-Saharan Africa: "Intel`s latest innovations will facilitate the design of a new kind of PC - the 'all-in-one` device with high-definition video, high-fidelity sound and wireless connectivity, taking the PC through a significant evolution that opens up a broader set of new consumer uses."
In addition to enabling consumers to better enjoy digital music, photos, videos and games on PCs and other devices in and around the home, the technologies that Intel is introducing for the PC platform will help drive new uses that boost office productivity.
The foundation for these new platforms are a trio of new Intel chipsets, the Intel 915 G/P and 925X Express Chipsets (formerly codenamed Grantsdale and Alderwood), and several new Intel Pentium 4 processors supporting Hyper-Threading Technology (HT) 5xx sequence which are built on Intel`s most advanced 90nm manufacturing process technology and run at speeds up to 3.60GHz.
In terms of audio capabilities, the audio quality on the PC is enhanced through Intel High Definition Audio, which supports 7.1 surround sound, allowing users to take advantage of the popularity of DVDs and the new technology such as high-definition video content. The new platforms support other compelling new audio capabilities, such as the ability to use a simple software setting to turn all the output jacks on a PC into headphone jacks so several users can listen simultaneously from the same PC in a quiet environment. This ability gives the consumer much more flexibility in configuring how audio plays or is recorded on a system.
The Intel High Definition Audio solution also allows the unique capability of sending multiple sound streams simultaneously through the PC`s output jacks, allowing one user to listen to an MP3 with headphones while another user is watching a video with multichannel surround sound from the same PC.
Graphics have also received a performance boost with the introduction of Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 (Intel GMA 900) integrated into the Intel 915G Express Chipset. Intel GMA 900 will provide new graphics features and benefits particularly suited to digital home and office applications such as dual-independent displays for video editing and multiple data set analysis. Additionally, support for wide-screen LCD televisions has been added, including support for cutting edge HD-TV formats such as 1080i. Special new features used in many of today`s cutting-edge games are also supported by Intel GMA 900.
Also featured is Intel Wireless Connect Technology, which enables consumers to set up and configure a wireless home network in four steps. On systems configured with an optional version of an Intel 915 G/P or 925X Express Chipset plus a separate Intel PRO/Wireless 2225BG Network Connection solution, this feature allows for easier sharing of digital videos, photos and music in and around the home or office. It also allows for multiple wireless-enabled PCs to share one Internet connection or printer.
The growing popularity of digital photography has seen PC users embracing technologies designed to protect their priceless photo, video and audio memories from accidental loss. On PCs equipped with multiple hard drives, optional Intel Matrix Storage Technology can boost storage performance and help protect irreplaceable work files and personal digital memories through advanced technologies normally found in data centres (using RAID 0 and 1 capability).
In a major boost to the computer`s video, graphics and overall data throughput performance, both of the new PC chipsets will be Intel`s first to feature a new higher-speed memory called DDR2, which provides headroom for the continued growth of PC platform uses. They will also feature PCI Express bus architecture - a new, higher bandwidth bus technology with up to 3.7x the throughput capability of the decade-old PCI standard. The result will be a new generation of consumer and office devices capable of handling the demands of advanced audio, video and graphics across a broad spectrum of applications.
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