RSSIntel Lifts Veil of Secrecy from VIIV
By Ed Oswald | Published August 24, 2005, 4:19 PM
If Intel has its way, consumers will soon be asking if their home entertainment PC has "VIIV" (rhymes with "five") inside.
In his keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, Intel Digital Home Group general manager Don MacDonald unveiled the new technology, which combines Intel's in-house software, processor and chipset to enable a system to perform entertainment tasks with ease.
VIIV is certainly an unusual name. Some had speculated when the filings for VIIV trademarks were first uncovered in January that the name meant 64-bit processors, or that it may stand for a dual-core Pentium 5 processor.
However, neither assumption seems to be correct. The processors will be mixed 32- and 64-bit, and no announcement has been made on a Pentium 5 brand. Also, Intel said the brand name is meant to communicate "the excitement, vibrancy and vividness" of technology designed for home entertainment by the company.
Features of VIIV-enabled computers will be quick on-and-off similar to current entertainment devices, 5.1 surround sound with optional 7.1 surround sound support, and automatic transcoding of media files to ensure compatibility.
VIIV technology will be integrated into set-top boxes designed to match stereos and DVD players, as well as standard desktop PCs running Windows XP Media Center Edition.
"As we focus on making digital entertainment easier to access and view on different devices throughout the home, a vast number of companies have an enormous opportunity to provide a wider variety of innovative devices, content and software than ever before," MacDonald told attendees. "Intel Viiv technology exemplifies this objective."
VIIV will launch in the first quarter of 2006.
Automatic transcoding of media files???
To what? From what? If I have a high-quality DivX video, is it going to transcode it to a lower quality wmv?
Seriously, this is crap. I'll stick with my 360/PS3 and my PC. I honestly cannot see a market for this.
I thought they had better things to concwentrate on...like lower power, lower heat CPUs and Apple boards.
*shrug*
they can spread themselves as thin as they like, I guess. No loss here.
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|I think AMD makes a great desktop chip, in my opinion its is the best bang for your buck, but when it comes to mobility the centrino chips and future ones, really are the best for power/performance. So in the end we need both companies for the best of both worlds, and imagine if there was no competition who would they compete with?? IBM??
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|What a non-event ! Is this Intel trying to claim it invented the "covergence computer" ?
Looks like only Windows XP Media Center Edition running on an Intel processor. Whoopie.
The Computer Rodent
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|So...
Is this an Operating System? Intel is developing a new architecture/OS for set-top entertainment devices?
Um...okay.
Excuse me if my enthusiasm is lacking. I don't think I'll be able to afford another set-top box after my XboX 360 purchase, but thanks anyway.
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I really don't see PC systems selling without Windows unless this thing runs in concert with windows? More information would be helpful, Ed.
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|Really, it's both. Intel is going to make set-top boxes, but also use the technology in PCs. The set-top boxes likely won't run Windows, but the PCs will.
"All PCs based on Intel Viiv technology will ship with a remote control, the Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition operating system and media software that lets consumers interact with their PC in the same way they operate a TV."
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|I did not see that line. Either they updated the article, or I mis-skimmed.
Dunno if this will fly though. How many people actually have their systems hooked up to their televisions, or have a large enough monitor to want to use it as a TV?
I suppose I'd have to look at sales-figures for MCE for that. Just doesn't seem like a super fast-growing market.
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|So in other words... they really didn't want to tell us anything?
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|Cue: AMD Fanboys
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|The more competition there is, the better products we as consumers get and the lower the prices are. It's great to see Intel and AMD going head to head. And if that means we have to listen to fanboys, I'm not complaining :)
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|I would definitely agree with that.
Well said.
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|Fanboys are an utter necessity, without them, who'd keep tabs on the monopolies?
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