Intel Chips Boost Video

Watching video on the Web is sometimes great, sometimes not so great. A new chip set from Intel promises to improve the Web video experience. Intel is working on a new family of processors that it says will greatly accelerate high-definition video.

That means less waiting for videos to play, and a clearer, smoother video display. There will be 16 different models in the new chip family, code-named Penryn. The new chips will find a home in both server and desktop systems (see the next blog). The re-engineered Penryn chips are about half the size of its earlier siblings, at 45 nanometers (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter). To enhance video compression, Intel has also added a new set of 46 instructions to the chips.

Does your Web-based video experience consist mostly of watching knuckleheads on YouTube, or do you do a lot of video conferencing? Video applications have finally made it to the mainstream, but is it mostly fun or for business applications? Post your answer on YouTube, but make sure to tell me as well at [email protected].

Posted by Lafe Low on November 14, 2007


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