It is no secret that the latest generation of notebook PCs has raised the bar in terms of power, capacity and outright performance. These attributes have given them the power to combine the benefits of portable computing and high-end audio-visual entertainment.
Andre Rossouw, a technology specialist and Toshiba brand manager at Rectron, looks at the technologies likely to appear in the near future in hybrid entertainment devices - technologies that will raise the bar even further in this arena.
Personal computers have broken new ground by entering the specialised space of high-end audio-visual entertainment, once the exclusive domain of complex technology and large visual formats.
While several product announcements last year (2004) blurred the line between computers and consumer electronic devices, this line is set to be erased completely in 2005.
Traditional consumer electronic devices are becoming things of the past as they "morph" into fully-functional entertainment centres packed tightly into the familiar laptop form factor.
By combining the benefits of portable computing with those commonly associated with television and audio/DVD functionality, a new category of notebook PC has been born - the `portainment` device.
It has also spawned a new class of consumer - one that enjoys diverse digital AV and TV content on the move, and at leisure.
What has brought about this new development? Advances in digitisation, including the worldwide transition to digital broadcasting - imminent in SA - have been a catalyst, promoting the convergence of computing and AV technologies.
Marketing
The marketing departments of leading PC vendors - such as Toshiba, which is leading this race - have aimed the new offerings squarely at the "viewer on the move".
This is at odds with the traditional stance of the marketers of AV desktop equipment as well as PCs with TV tuners, who have positioned these offerings within the home - and, more significantly, for use in a fixed location.
Forward-looking vendors have realised that consumers are increasingly demanding portability to keep pace with their "on-the-go" lifestyles.
The challenge has been to integrate powerful hardware and software solutions - including video and audio technologies - to realise high-grade image reproduction and the highest levels of sound quality in a portable device.
The secret
Not all vendors have been able to meet this requirement. The secret seems to be the levels at which the image processing and enhancing technologies for diverse image sources - such as TV and DVD - are integrated.
A broad spectrum of technologies, ranging from de-blocking, de-ringing, digital sharpness, digital overdrive, interlace to progressive conversion, black and white level enhancement, colour correction, edge enhancement, digital noise and image blur reduction, and enhanced analogue to digital conversion, are involved in the process.
One of the keys to the success of this class of product is the advance that has been made in liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. Today`s LCDs are capable of surpassing tradition TV tube displays from a number of perspectives.
For example, the integration of multiple backlights and sophisticated filter coatings has significantly reduced the diffusion of internal light and reflection of ambient light to reproduce clear, high contrast images.
But the real breakthrough has come with what Toshiba calls "LCD over drive". This is how it works:
The pixels in liquid-crystal displays have historically been reasonably slow in reacting to change. In rapidly changing images (those that depict rapid motion, or quick changes in colour), each pixel must quickly change its displayed colour.
The conventional LCD`s somewhat delayed responsiveness can result in ghosting and blurriness when viewing these rapidly changing images.
With "LCD over drive" the apparent response speeds in areas of the video image affected by this are increased, thus reducing the perceived blurring.
Consequently, action movies, games, sports footage and other rapidly moving images can be seen, on a portable LCD screen, in clear focus for an exciting action experience.
Sound advances
In addition to these and other visual aspects, major strides have been taken in the advancement of sound technologies, so that seemingly impossibly "concert hall" sounds are now emanating from really small, compact - yet highly advanced - speaker systems.
One of the pioneers in this arena in SRS Labs, one of the world`s most prolific developers and providers of audio technology solutions for the consumer electronics, home theatre, computer, cellular and gaming markets.
The integration of its "TruSurround XT" and "WOW XT" technologies supports rich stereo sound that breaks new barriers for quality in portable devices.
User-friendly
The latest portable PC/entertainment devices have also benefited from advances in software. New-generation navigation systems, for example, provide simple control of a host of AV functions, including viewing TV and video, playing back a CD or DVD - and even editing motion pictures.
The next big event on the horizon will be the launch of real-time TV for portable PCs. This will come about with industry deregulation and the launch of Microsoft`s local release of Windows Media Centre this year.
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