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MILPITAS, Calif –BUSINESS WIRE– Sigma Designs, a leading provider of highly integrated  solutions, today announced that its highly integrated SMP8634 media processor was selected by Sharp Corporation to power its new line of AQUOS Blu-ray disc players and recorders.

Sharp’s new products include the BD-AV1 and AV10 Series for the Japanese market and the recently introduced slim-profile AQUOS BD player, model BD-HP20U, the company’s first offering in the US market.

Sharp’s new series of AQUOS Blu-ray disc recorders BD-AV1 and AV10 enable recording and playback of digital broadcasts of HDTV programs that capture the same high-resolution image quality of broadcast TV that VCR users are accustomed to experiencing.

AQUOS also offers full compatibility with 24 movie frames per second playback, matching the native filming format for most movies as well as HDMI output support of 1080/24p video and Dolby TrueHD, and an i.LINK (IEEE1394) input for connecting to a Sharp AQUOS High-Vision recorder. More here.

Taipei, Taiwan — December 06, ‘07 — ASUS today released the world´s first EN8800GT graphics card model with 1GB graphics memory with Qimonda – the new EN8800GT/HTDP/1G.

This powerful graphics card features the latest generation of NVIDIA GPUs; and with an unparalleled large onboard memory size, is designed to provide feature-rich DirectX 10 gaming and the best multimedia playback at ultra-high resolutions and maximum quality settings. Moreover, with the integrated new SmartDoctor feature, users will have the option to overclock the Shader Clock for more than 10% graphical performance boosts, while the unique Glaciator Fansink design keeps the GPU temperature 7ºC cooler than reference designed boards.

Unprecedented 1GB GDDR3 Onboard Memory from Qimonda for Best Graphical Output
“The ASUS EN8800GT/HTDP/1G is the first EN8800GT model in the world to leverage the Qimonda DRAM that comes equipped with 8pcs of 1GB GDDR3 graphics memory,” said C.P. Wu, General Manager of ASUS Graphics and Multimedia Business.

More at ASUSTeK.

New 65 Nanometer Solution Features the Latest HD AVC Technology to Support Multiple Video Formats and a 50% Reduction in Power Consumption

IRVINE, Calif — Dec 05, ‘07 — /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Broadcom today announced a new single-channel, multi-format high definition (HD) satellite receiver chip that enables manufacturers to develop low cost satellite set-top boxes (STBs).

The new satellite system-on-a-chip (SoC) is manufactured in 65 nanometer (nm) process technology and includes the highest level of functionality, fully integrating a single tuner/demodulator, as well as the latest AVC (advanced video coding) decoder that supports multiple video formats.

By reducing the number of components required to develop satellite set-top box products, Broadcom has reduced power consumption by more than 50% over competing solutions, lowering system bill of materials (BOM) cost while reducing the complexity and size of designing next generation satellite STBs.

The BCM7325 operates on a dual-threaded MIPS(R) CPU core running at 333MHz resulting in over 550DMIPS of performance. The BCM7325 is designed to support UMA and non-UMA memory architectures, utilizing a 400-MHz clock, 32-bit wide DDR2 memory I/F for enhanced performance and allows cost-effective memory implementations.

The BCM7325 supports several interfaces for TV output on-chip including HDMI, baseband composite, component or S-Video, and incorporates Broadcom’s advanced 2D graphics engine that enables true studio-quality text and graphics, efficiently using its memory and bandwidth. More at Broadcom.

Taipei, Taiwan — Nov 30, ‘07 — DigiTimes is reporting on AMD’s plan to drop the price of its Radeon HD 3850 and 3870 GPUs by around $20, citing sources at graphics card makers.

DigiTimes further writes,”In response to AMD’s plans, Nvidia also notified its partners that it will consider following up with price reductions of its own, causing several makers to delay mass orders to prevent themselves from absorbing the price damage, according to the sources.”

The original official Radeon HD 3850 and 3870 prices were US$179 and US$219. More at DigiTimes.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — November 19, 2007 –Rewriting the rules for enthusiast computing, AMD today unveiled its new platform codenamed “Spider”, with the first true quad-core processor supporting scalable graphics for The Ultimate Visual Experience. The AMD Spider platform combines the introduction of AMD Phenom quad-core processors, ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series graphics processors with Microsoft DirectX 10.1 support, AMD 7-Series chipsets with CrossFireX and AMD OverDrive software. The AMD Spider platform is a major milestone on the path to Accelerated Computing, AMD’s vision for platform-level acceleration through co-processing.

AMD’s Spider platform advances enthusiast computing by delivering the most sophisticated multi-GPU enthusiast platform ever with ATI CrossFireX technology. The combination of the energy-efficient 55nm ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of graphics processors and the increased system bandwidth of PCI Express® Generation 2.0 and HyperTransport 3.0 technology, provide optimal processing power for a scalable HD multi-GPU experience. AMD design and manufacturing innovation has enabled the AMD Spider platform to easily scale to three or four graphics processors and deliver a true gaming supercomputer.

HD Technology
With HyperTransport 3.0 technology, AMD Phenom processors have more system bandwidth than ever before with up to 14.4 GB/second of high bandwidth I/O. When combined with the additional bandwidth of AMD PCI Express 2.0 chipsets and graphics processors, the AMD Spider platform enjoys maximum bandwidth to support smooth 1080P video playback, enhanced multi-GPU and high-speed disk and network interfaces. With the only true quad-core processor and infrastructure flexibility with AM2+ socket, AMD processors are designed to be compatible with future 65nm and 45nm AMD Phenom processors to deliver key performance gains.

The addition of UVD ensures exceptional platform efficiency and image quality in HD-DVD and Blu-ray decoding for both H.264 and VC-1 specifications. Big screen gaming and entertainment is also made easy with enhanced HDMI connectivity with integrated HDCP and audio for HDMI video.

Scalable Platform Performance
The multi-core design of AMD Phenom quad-core processors, based on Direct Connect Architecture, features an integrated memory controller designed to support memory speeds up to DDR2 1066, 128-bit floating point units and AMD’s Balanced Smart Cache for rapid access to memory, with a shared L3 cache for leading-edge performance on multi-threaded software.

Availability and pricing
AMD Phenom processors 9600 (2.3GHz) and 9500 (2.2GHz) are now available for $283 and $251 respectively in 1,000-unit pricing. The ATI Radeon HD 3850 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory begins at US $179 MSRP and the ATI Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB GDDR4 memory from US $219 MSRP, available from AMD’s selected graphics products partners.

Toshiba UK is offering one of the very thin, but still not as thin as Samsung’s 10mm, Full 1080p HD LCD TV in the UK market, Toshiba 40XF355D. Its available for approx $2460 onwards from various UK retailers.

Quick Specs

40″ 16:9
1920×1080p
10000:1 Dynamic Contrast
500 cd/m² Brightness
178º Degrees Viewing Angle
10-bit Color Processing
3 HDMI with Deep Color
REGZA link
WXGA PC Input
934×578x130; 22.5Kgs (Without Stand)

More at Toshiba UK.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — November 15, 2007 –AMD today announced the introduction and immediate availability of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of graphics processing units (GPU).

As the world’s first series of graphics processors to deliver Microsoft’s DirectX 10.1 support, 55nm process technology and tri and quad multi-GPU support with ATI CrossFireX, the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series ushers in a new era of enthusiast gaming performance at mainstream price points.

The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series will be introduced in two variants at launch, from US $179 MSRP, the ATI Radeon HD 3850 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and from US $219 MSRP, the ATI Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB GDDR4 memory. The launch of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series redefines the enthusiast segment and puts high performance gaming in reach of more users than ever before. This innovative new series of graphics products also represent the first step in the launch of AMD’s upcoming enthusiast platform codenamed “Spider.”

The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series also introduces the world to ATI CrossFireX, AMD’s innovative next-generation multi-GPU technology designed to deliver unprecedented performance scaling with support for two, three and four graphics processors in CrossFire configurations. At launch, the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series will support dual-GPU CrossFire with tri and quad-GPU support scheduled for January 2008.

Graphics bandwidth is also greatly enhanced with the introduction of PCI Express 2.0. Delivering over 16 gigabytes per second of bi-directional bandwidth, PCIe 2.0 doubles the bus data rate over the previous generation. The combination of PCIe 2.0 and HyperTransport3 on next-generation AMD platforms provides a dramatic increase in the amount of system bandwidth for high definition, multi-GPU PC gaming.

With the launch of the ATI Radeon HD 3850 and ATI Radeon HD 3870, AMD has answered the call of HD video enthusiasts with top-to-bottom support for the Unified Video Decoder (UVD). The addition of UVD ensures exceptional platform efficiency and image quality in HD-DVD and Blu-rayTM decoding for both H.264 and VC-1 specifications. Enhanced HDMI functionality also continues on this series of products with integrated HDCP and audio for HDMI video. More at AMD.

Weybridge, 12 November, 2007 - Sony Europe’s IT Peripherals division today announced a new range of high performance AV cables designed to complete the high quality sound and viewing experience of Sony’s home theatre products.

Available for a number of Sony AV products, including BRAVIA flat screen TVs, VAIO PC and laptops, PLAY STATION 3 consoles or Blu-Ray Disc video players - Sony’s AV cable range has been specifically designed using the highest quality components to produce clearer, cleaner sounds and pictures. Following the same design principles as Sony’s home theatre products the range includes Digital HDMI, Component Video, SCART, Optical Digital Audio, Coaxial Digital and Stereo Audio cables.

The cables complement the midrange HDMI cables already introduced by Sony in April 2007 and provide a setup for more discerning users. Ready for HD viewing Sony’s Digital HDMI cables support full 1080P HD signals and the x.v. Colour standard for better looking HDTV. The cables also support Sony’s BRAVIA Theatre Sync one touch control, are PS3 compatible. Sony’s AV cable range is available immediately and comes in 1, 3 and 5 metre lengths.

Sony’s AV cable components have been carefully selected to mirror the audio and image quality of Sony home theatre products. The connectors are 24k gold plated, giving excellent signal transmission and protecting from corrosion within the home environment. More at Sony.

IRVINE, Calif. –BUSINESS WIRE–Nov 07, ‘07 — Samsung continues expansion of its award-winning line of SyncMaster displays with the 245T, a high-performance 24-inch LCD monitor. The commercial monitor, designed for a range of professional applications including desktop publishing, CAD and graphic design, is now shipping and available for $799.99, comes with a three year warrenty. Furthermore, the model is HDTV-Ready, and capable of supporting High Definition resolutions including 1080p.

The 245T monitor has a 24-inch, 16:10 wide-screen format, with a 178/178-degree viewing angle. The 245T monitor’s PVA panel technology, ultra-wide viewing angles and widescreen format can support a range of multi-window applications in precise clarity, helping to improve work efficiency and reducing the need for multiple monitors.

Key Specs

- Screen Size : 24″
- Resolution : 1920 x 1200
- Brightness : 300 cd/m²
- Contrast Ratio : DC1500:1 (1000:1)
- Response Time: 6ms (GTG)
- Viewing Angle: 178/178
- Special features: Video input (CVBS, S-Video, Component), HDMI, full HD Supported (1080P), MagicBright, MagicTune, MagicRotation (Auto Pivot), PIP/PBP, DVI(HDCP), 6 color control, MPA HAS(100mm), Pivot, Swivel, Tilt

More at Samsung.

Enjoy a Full HD 1080p Visual Feast. 

Taipei, Taiwan; Oct 26th, 2007 – In order to cater to user requirements for a motherboard that supports full high definition multimedia, ASUS, world leader in production and design of motherboards, has announced the release of the new Intel G35 chipset series of motherboards, the ASUS P5E-V HDMI and ASUS P5E-VM HDMI. With HDMI connector onboard, this series of motherboards will provide users with the ability to showcase high definition multimedia. 

Integrating the Best Display Outputs into One:  

The ASUS P5E-V HDMI and P5E-VM HDMI motherboards are outfitted with advanced multi-display output modes and onboard HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface). By delivering multi-channel audio and uncompressed digital videos with HDCP copy protection found on HD DVD and Blu-ray Discs via a single cable, HDMI simplifies cabling and allows users to transform their PCs into outstanding home entertainment solutions with full HD 1080p visuals. This will allow users to enjoy popular HD video content on large-screen TVs/monitors, as only HDMI can display the highest video quality perfectly without distortions. Additionally, the bundled HDMI to DVI conversion adaptor allows users to support DVI outputs. 

Quad PC Desktop Space for Effective Multi-tasking: 

The Quad-Display output allows users to utilize 4 monitors for increased multi-tasking work efficiency by not wasting time alt-tabbing between programs. With just an add-on graphics card, they will be able to easily work on up to 4 different applications in full screen mode and instantly quad their PC desktop space. For example, users can browse their picture library thumbnails on one monitor, use the second to view them in full screen, edit them on a third, and browse the Internet / read emails on the fourth. 

More at ASUS