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Posts with tag spursengine

DVD Download DL logo sparks wonder over Toshiba's super-resolution DVD player

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 1st 2008 at 5:33PM


We keep hoping that Toshiba will come to its senses and just let this whole thing die, but no. Apparently insistent on keeping the last-generation format alive for as long as it possibly can, it seems the outfit is getting ever-closer to a super-resolution DVD player that would reportedly upscale DVD content like nothing we've ever seen. The latest tidbit in this woefully depressing saga is a newly approved DVD Download DL logo, which was given the final thumbs-up by the DVD Forum Steering Committee last month. In reality, no one outside of Tosh's headquarters has any idea if this development is indeed intrinsically related, but at this point, we wouldn't be shocked one bit to find that it was. Then again, the June 11th meeting also saw specifications for CH-DVD approved, so here's to hoping Toshiba isn't jumping on that bandwagon fiery wreck.

[Via TG Daily]

Read - DVD Forum approval
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Toshiba intros Qosmio G55, X305 and F55 gaming laptops

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 17th 2008 at 9:37AM


Not like it's any surprise, but Toshiba has just certified that the potent Qosmio G55 we peeked earlier this week is indeed more than a figment of someone's imagination. The 18.4-inch (that's the screen size) laptop is the world's first to pack the Cell-based SpursEngine, which Tosh is re-christening the Quad Core HD processor. Moving on, we've got the 17.1-inch X305, which includes a GeForce 9800 GTX, DDR3 memory, up to 400GB of HDD space and a red-flamed Rouge design. Lastly, the F55 comes in with a more common 15.4-inch display, GeForce 9700 GTS card and integrated GPS receiver / Garmin mapping software. The whole lot packs HDMI ports with REGZA LINK technology, Feathertouch multimedia buttons, an eSATA port and Harman Kardon speakers with a built-in "subwoofer." Check 'em out later this summer for a pretty penny.

Toshiba Qosmio G55 features SpursEngine, visual gesture controls

by Ryan Block, posted Jun 14th 2008 at 3:15AM


Looks like Toshiba's not too far out from a new Qosmio called the G55, which LAPTOP says is on sale next month for $1,550. Listed among the specs are an 18.4-inch (1680 x 945) display, Centrino 2 CPU, GeForce 9600M GT, 4GB of RAM, dual drives, and the "Quad Core HD processor" (probably the commercial name for the Cell-based SpursEngine), which powers many of the media functions, including its camera-based visual gesture control system. LAPTOP calls the gesture system groundbreaking, but we're clearly two sides to the same coin: the demo they gave looks cumbersome, inaccurate, and incredibly frustrating. And besides the fact that it requires "steady hands" and "can't be used by people with wrist problems," even if the gesture controls were well done, holding your arm in the air for minutes at a time is nowhere near a practical for regular use. Is it sad that we still kind of want it, though?

Toshiba's SpursEngine chip dominates in transcoding demonstration

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 9th 2008 at 9:19AM


Toshiba has let us know just how incredible its SpursEngine SE1000 chip really is, but all that talk has never amounted to much -- until now. Packed away in a dusty corner of Computex 2008 was Corel's demonstration booth, which just so happened to have a few rigs set up with a Cell-optimized version of its DVD MovieFactory application. One station utilized the SE1000, while the other relied solely on a 3GHz Intel Core 2 Quad CPU to transcode 1080p H.264 video to 480p. According to onlookers, the SpursEngine-based machine completed the task nearly twice as fast as the hamstrung opponent, proving that maybe Toshiba does have something worth waiting for on that PCI-Express card. Too bad there's still no mention of a price.

Toshiba aims to deliver laptops with Cell-based graphics this year

by Donald Melanson, posted May 9th 2008 at 3:39PM

Toshiba has been touting its Cell-based SpursEngine graphics chip for some time now, but it looks like its finally starting to get a bit more specific about when we can expect to see it in actual products. According to Register Hardware, Toshiba will begin offering the chip in some of its multimedia-oriented notebooks sometime this year, with TVs and DVD players set to get it by the fall of 2009. The chip itself, for those not up to speed, uses its Cell-based technology (specifically, four of the Cell's Synergistic Processing Element cores) to handle some heavy-duty graphics processing, including upscaling standard definition content to high-def levels, something Toshiba has apparently taken to calling "super-resolution." Now word on what sort of premium (if any) we can expect to pay for such wonders, but Toshiba is apparently betting pretty heavily on the technology as part of its post HD DVD strategy.

Toshiba releases SpursEngine graphics co-processor for testing

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 8th 2008 at 7:02AM


Toshiba just pushed its SpursEngine co-processor chip out the door for sampling. Derived from the Cell processor at the heart of Sony's PS3, the SpursEngine SE1000 contains 4 processor cores (not 8 like the Cell) and a hardware codec for encoding and decoding MPEG-2/H.264 video. It's designed to manhandle real-time graphics processing and video manipulation when used in a potent three-way with your computer's CPU and GPU. The processor is expected to cost as little as $50 by the time it appears in the first consumer electronics devices -- likely graphics cards -- early next year. A very good thing if the production experience is anything like the demonstrations we've seen.

[Via Impress]

Hands flailing wildly with Toshiba's SpursEngine laptop

by Richard Lawler, posted Jan 11th 2008 at 10:50AM

Toshiba's Cell processor-based SpursEngine B.E. was on full display at CES, with a variety of tech demos to show off its power. From HD video transcoding, facial recognition, or the always popular gesture-control Toshiba's baby went through a series of workouts, trying to be the third teammate, with your CPU & GPU, to speed heavy-duty processing. Featuring only four cores -- half the number found in the PS3 -- it handled all tasks thrown its way, check out the gallery to find out how the power of the Cell could help your PC in the future.

Gallery: Toshiba's SpursEngine B.E.

Toshiba demonstrates hand motion controls at CEATEC

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 2nd 2007 at 5:56PM


Just as expected, Toshiba is busy wowing onlookers at CEATEC with new applications that run on the firm's SpursEngine chip, including one that enables couch potatoes to "control a DVD player with hand motions." The chip is reportedly able to "process motion detected by a camera and turn it into commands," and the camera can "recognize hand motions from 10 feet away." Tosh's Qosmio laptops are being used to demonstrate the new goods, and it was even said that the lappie's camera could produce a 3D rendering of your head in order to help you choose hairstyles / makeup combinations before heading out on the town. Regrettably, there's still no official word as to when this newfangled technology will go mainstream.

Toshiba's Cell-derived SpursEngine chip to process video

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 20th 2007 at 6:34PM


Toshiba's newfangled SpursEngine chip could soon be used to "work alongside a microprocessor to process video streams, recognize and process images, and tackle other multimedia chores," and while we're not exactly sure what kind of hit this will take on battery life, the prototype version is said to consume 10 to 20-watts of juice. Nevertheless, Tosh's new device "uses cores derived from the Cell microprocessor" and is being "aimed at multimedia applications" in particular. At CEATEC, the firm hopes to showcase its power by demonstrating the 1.5GHz unit in a number of laptops, and while Toshiba itself has "already started developing products using the processors," it will also be selling the chips to other interested outfits for use in their products.
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