Intel eyeing media hub market

[Brandon B]

We'll see if they have the market savvy to do this successfully. I'm doubtful.

BB

[JonMarsh]

Well, interesting that they're focusing on a "convergence" or media type PC. Unless they have some real enthusiasts as well as Joe 6 pack (the ultimate market) it'll be questionalbe that they'll target the right stuff.

NVIDIA and the other graphics card guys are working on similar things; I just got a beta test offer from them about an upcoming program.

Now, I'm an old time HTPC user, back before they had even coined the concept; I built an HTPC based on a grossly overclocked Celeron (that one that would go from 400 to 450 MHz) that with a Matrox video card and Extron sync processor would even drive odd ball projectors like the 400Q in HD mode, and do scaling.

Back then, though, you couldn't buy a progressive scan DVD player, much less one that would work with the 400Q. Now you can, and scaling ones, too (though most with their problems); I finally have a scaling player that doesn blacker than black, no white crush or black crush, DCDi de-interlacing (key to video sourced playback) and scales to 1080i for my NEC projector- I don't use the HTPC much except when I want to mess around with my MyHD card, or playback HD DIVX, or WM9. BTW, that DVD player cost a whomping $200.

I think Intel's possibly a day late and a dollar short- and I'm wondering what we might see from the real home entertainment giants (like Sony and Toshiba) when they can apply the cell processor to consumer electronics. Might make a PC based solution look a bit archaic, and might persuade me to eventually ditch the HTPC. But I'll have fond memories of it...