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CES: Dolby 14.1 surround sound
File this away in the "do we really need this in our homes" category. Around here, we love surround sound just as much as the next guy. Current standards provide up to 8 separate channels for audio but Dolby Labs have used a little help from Intel's new VIIV and Pro Logic IIx to up-sample those channels to 14.1. Sure, while it is not encoded in those channels natively, testers did claim to hear a difference. Dolby does not have any intentions on producing this anytime soon. Simply because none of the optical formats support this kind of signal. Does anyone really see a need for this? Or a better question is, does anyone have the space for 13 speakers plus a subwoofer?
CES: How the hell am I supposed to make this stuff work together?
Connecting. It seems like companies had no problem doing that at CES. Everybody was in a partnership with everybody else and was in a hurry to tell people about it, I'm not even going to make the lame high school compariso...oops. But seriously, after all the talking is done, I still don't know what is going to work with what, or how. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like for the average consumer this year, because this stuff is gibberish to me. Let me run down a list just of the things I'm left with far more questions than answers about.Intel: Viiv: I still don't know what this is. I know that Intel has partnered with everyone and their mother. (Seriously, at this point I wouldn't be at all surprised if I visited home and found that I needed at the least a software upgrade before I could eat some DRM protected home cooking). The questions I need answered are, will I absolutely need to buy an Intel PC to take advantage of this content? How will I take advantage of it, can I build my own Viiv PC? And what does this mean anyway? Microsoft: Congratulations, the Xbox 360 is getting HD-DVD playback. How much, how will it connect to my 360 and my TV and when can we expect it, until you answer those questions I'm not excited in the least. Is Wintel really dead? Viiv relies on Windows Media Center, but Microsoft is partnering with AMD on their competing AMD Live standard, (btw, everything I said about not knowing what Viiv is, goes double for AMD Live). Now that Google is using DivX, is Microsoft going to add support for streaming to the Xbox 360 or am I going to have to wait for a mod chip? Continue on for questions for Google, Sony, HANA or provide your own answers/questions.
Is Apple about to announce new Viiv-powered plasma TV's?
Maybe, or maybe not. But thats the basis of an offbeat piece on Powerpage. Apple branded 42 and 50" widescreen plasmas, running MacOS, and with Bluetooth and Airport technology also built in. Only thing missing is an iPod video dock, then it would be the perfect Apple rumor, hinging on their new partering with Intel.So what do you think, a possibility, or someone pulling at the strings of the Apple and HDTV-addicted?[Via digg]
Initial release of Viiv Media Center PC's not to feature Digital Media Adaptor support
Digitimes is reporting that Intel's line of Viiv media center PC's, set to launch at CES this week, will not feature support for Digital Media Adaptors. According to Alex at eHomeupgrade, this also means no Media Center Extender or Xbox 360 streaming support. Ugh, I hope the other features Intel will unveil make up for this lack of functionality (apparently it will be added in June in a Viiv 1.5 release). We'll have all that news and more in our CES coverage later this week.Update: Alex updated to mention he's not sure exactly what Digitimes means by the statement, which I have to agree with, it's really vague, especially since we don't know exactly what Viiv is all about yet. Like Windows Media Extender would, in my mind, be a function of the Media Center OS, so why wouldn't the PC's be able to do it, unless there is more to it than that, I guess all will be revelaed in a few days.
Intel's new strategy confirmed
Intel will unveil its new strategy focused on the digital home at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the New York Times says this morning. Intel is changing its focus from computing hardware to selling a digital lifestyle to consumers. The article acknowledges that "the transformation of Intel will, in part, be defined by its new alliance with Apple Computer."Intel execs confirm that their company is building a Viiv multimedia platform for the digital living room using Core chips code-named Yonah. These chips may be the basis for an Apple set-top box that would give Apple dominance over the next wave of home video.The Intel Inside moniker will be replaced by an new slogan -- "Leap Ahead" -- according to the Times. This will be part of Intel's effort to tie together its different platforms and rebrand itself as a warmer, fuzzier consumer company.
