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Broadcom announces media PC solution for HD playback

Written by James Delahunty @ 04 Jun 2007 7:11 User comments (4)

Broadcom announces media PC solution for HD playback Broadcom Corporation has announced new media PC solutions that enable playback of high-definition (HD) video content across the widest range of PCs in the industry. By lowering CPU utilization, and integrating seamlessly into Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows XP environments, Broadcom's media PC solutions enable mainstream PCs featuring integrated graphics to play back high definition content from either a Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD, as well as from HD downloaded or broadcast content.
The new Broadcom media PC solutions are available in three add-in card formats (including desktop PCI Express, PCI Express mini-card or ExpressCard 34), and as a chipset solution for PC motherboard applications. HD DVD and Blu-ray offer new and exciting features such as high definition video at 1080p Resolution, picture-in-a-picture, high definition multi-channel audio, 3D style graphics and user interactivity (for games, trivia, web-enabled content, etc.).

These new and exciting capabilities require intensive CPU processing and additional components such as discrete graphics processors with video hardware acceleration that drive up the cost for this level of personal computers. Additionally, intensive CPU processing to reconstruct data is required for HD download and broadcast content. "In comparison to other solutions in the market, our media PC technology excels when system cost, power consumption, CPU utilization and fan noise are key factors," said Greg Young, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's High-Speed Controller line of business.

Young continued: "By leveraging our robust and proven HD video cores, as well as our outstanding collaborations with leading technology providers such as Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Corel and CyberLink, Broadcom is poised to establish significant market leadership in the media PC space by providing the highest quality, lowest power HD video playback solutions for mainstream PCs."

Broadcom's media PC technology will be featured in the following booth locations at Computex 2007 in Taipei, Taiwan, from June 5-9, 2007.

Source:
Press Release

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4 user comments

14.6.2007 23:42

I would love to get my hands on this companies products they are pretty good :)

25.6.2007 03:10
hughjars
Inactive

Stand by for even lower high def pricing (both formats).

Removing the need for a stripped down 'PC in the box' with a chip based solution is going to bring prices tumbling.

This finally blows the BD Assoc's initial plans (to keep prices high & get back to big profit margins on the new gen DVD) totally out of the water.
They must be so thrilled after spending the fortune they have spent on it.

Now, if only they could ditch all that anti-consumer DRM cr@p it might even get to be worth looking at someday in future.

35.6.2007 04:50

I don't like Broadcom, they have a real problem with releasing their schematics, Linux has been having trouble them for years because of this.

423.7.2007 21:28

As long as the prices keep coming down, I'm okay with this progress.

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