Broadcom launches new dedicated HD decoding hardware for media PCs
Getting Blu-ray or HD DVD playback on that new laptop PC might have just gotten a little easier & cheaper, as Broadcom just announced its new media PC solutions. There's no question that h.264 and VC-1 decoding can require a lot of processor power, but Broadcom will also be competing with integrated GPU solutions like ATI's Avivo technology and NVIDIA's PureVideo. These new chips will be available to OEM's as add-in cards or motherboard chipsets, bringing the same technology already used in standalone Blu-ray and HD DVD players straight to PCs. With the same tech at heart, we can expect to see HD-enabled laptop prices slide to match recent standalones, coming in as low as the $1,000 mark.
