Intel to Market PCs as Home Entertainment Hubs 164
wantobe writes "Yahoo! News is reporting that Intel is developing their own "new technology" to convert home computers into entertainment hubs. Does anyone even really want this?" From the article: "Analysts say the chip bundle and software will transform the PC into an all-purpose multimedia device designed to function as a CD and DVD player, digital video recorder, game console, as well as a machine for traditional data processing and Internet."
Use? (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes, people wants that (Score:3, Insightful)
And if Intel (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Use? (Score:2, Insightful)
eShmoo (Score:5, Insightful)
no, not really... (Score:1, Insightful)
i can see it now......the simpsons error 404.
or rebooting my tv/dvd/cd player every 10 minutes because the buggy DRM software that microsoft wrote.....
The PSX does most of (Score:5, Insightful)
I'll just take everything seperate thank you very much
We already have this (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Use? (Score:3, Insightful)
You pretty much nailed it. This is about packaging and marketing. Now what would be nice would be if they packaged some nice open source software, polished it up, and gave it back to the community. More likely they'll go with Redmond, though.
hd makes it possible. (Score:5, Insightful)
I could barely read webpages at 800x600.
With HD tv's coming more popular, i think the idea is going to catch on more.
Re:The PSX does most of (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:There is better alternative (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The PSX does most of (Score:3, Insightful)
That's why several interconnected devices of more or less similar types (some will have large screens, some will have small ones, some would have none at all, some systems will be portable), possibly based on different "use niches" that are already existing (from this point of view, a walkman and an Ipod are basically equal), would actually add something. IMHO, to just connect all kinds of stuff together without at least some degree of central storage and coordination is a quite hard engineering problem. It's also easier for non-geeky users to know that all their "stuff" is on one device, so they for example know what will break if they take something with them on a holiday or throw it out the window.
So, tell me, why do you prefer separate devices that you can't interface to each other, can't customize over just as many real possible simultaneous users, with higher flexibility? The number of devices would be lower, no need for a DVD and a VCR to each display/TV if you have many, as they all serve the same purpose and the data would probably be centrally stored anyway.
Re:Old Marketing (Score:5, Insightful)
Noise Factor (Score:3, Insightful)
But how much noise does that box make? When you go shopping for silent components, the price moves up rapidly. Or you have to compromise on performance like with Via C3.
Still, nothing new here. Where is the news?
Mini-mac, I say. Apple threatens to offer a viable solution to the above dilemma and intel blows some marketing dust in the public eyes to the tune of "me too!".
Hello? MacMini is the iPod for the livingroom... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:MythTV (Score:5, Insightful)
It all depends on how they implement it... (Score:2, Insightful)
But the point is, while one can put together a very nice HTPC setup using a Mini-ATX (think: Shuttle) using MythTV or Sage, one still has to battle with the enclosed space, which could lead to cooling problems. The VIA C3 is very popular because it's based on the small Mini-ITX formn factor and it's nice and cool. But it still isn't very powerful.
If Intel could make a specialized chip that was optimized for video and audio processing and was capable of high speeds while remaining cool, they might very well have a hit on their hands. Combine this with some sort of media center software similar to MythTV that took advantage of these features (I'm thinking similar to AMD's Cool'n'Quiet or Intel's SpeedStep) and Intel might have another hit on their hands. It'd be just the thing they need right now, since AMD seems to be stealing the limelight.
Of course, it could also turn out to be a big flop. have you seen Sony's miserable media endeavours, such as their media software on the Vaio? Talk about bloat!
In any case, only if Intel manages to provide some tangible benefit such as a cooler processor or media optimization would the tech community or manufacturers embrace it.
Re:Yes, people wants that (Score:2, Insightful)
I've heard of something like that... I think it's called an 'X-Box.'
It probably won't catch on, though. Surely not.
Re:We already have this (Score:3, Insightful)
This is more a packaging problem than a hardware problem at this stage. We just need a company like Apple to make a nice looking box, that's all.