BIOS: Technology Means Business

nVidia has unveiled PureVideo HD technology, which promises outstanding HD DVD and Blu-ray movie playback on PCs.

PureVideo HD combines hardware acceleration from an nVidia graphics processing unit, high definition movie player integration and HDCP feature support to make it easy for manufacturers and consumers to build powerhouse PCs that can play HD DVD or Blu-ray movies. As a result, consumers will be able to enjoy a stunning high-definition movie experience on their PCs.

“Consumer interest in blue-laser DVD technology on the PC is growing - we project that more than 35 million high-definition optical disk drives will be integrated into PCs in the next five years,” said Wolfgang Schlichting, Research Director at IDC.

“The industry is on the threshold of a new era in entertainment, but typical consumers do not know what is required to play an HD movie on a PC. Therefore, an integrated solution such as PureVideo HD, which will give the user a high-quality experience when playing their HD movies on a PC, will be an important feature of a next-generation PC,” he added.

The next digital entertainment revolution is about to begin, with highly anticipated HD DVD and Blu-ray movies shipping this summer. These movies feature lifelike imagery with up to six times more visual detail than standard DVDs, but they can’t be played with regular DVD drives. HD movies are encoded in new formats that require special HD optical drives, hardware acceleration, HDCP compatible displays, and new HD movie player software.

nVidia has the solution. PureVideo HD technology combines high-definition movie decode acceleration (using certain nVidia GeForce 7-series GPUs), HDCP circuitry and HD movie player integration to deliver cinematic-quality Blu-ray and HD DVD movie playback on a PC.

nVidia PureVideo HD technology provides hardware acceleration for decoding high-definition movies in the required formats (H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2) with minimal CPU utilisation and low power consumption. It also offers advanced post-processing features for razor-sharp HD movie playback at resolutions up to 1080p, the highest HD resolution available, and is supported by the leading HD movie player software companies that take advantage of PureVideo HD’s hardware acceleration and HDCP features.

A graphics card featuring PureVideo HD technology combined with an AACS HD disk drive, an HDCP-compliant display and a PureVideo-powered HD movie player from companies like CyberLink, InterVideo and Nero make it possible for consumers to enjoy superb HD movie playback on their PC.

“CyberLink shares a commitment with nVidia to delivering an uncompromising HD viewing experience on the PC,” said Johnny Tseng, VP of Research and Development, CyberLink. “High definition movies require dedicated graphics processing to deliver smooth playback. Together with CyberLink’s advanced video technologies, consumers can be assured that they’ll have a great viewing experience with nVidia PureVideo HD technology and CyberLink PowerDVD.”

Leading system builders including Sony, Toshiba and Acer have adopted nVidia GeForce GPUs with PureVideo HD technology to power their first PCs capable of playing Blu-ray and HD DVD movies. HD movie software from Nero, CyberLink and InterVideo fully supports PureVideo HD technology. Graphics card manufacturers including MSI and ASUS will release video cards this summer supporting all of the features of nVidia PureVideo HD. In addition, nVidia is working closely with major optical disk drive manufacturers including Sony/NEC, Panasonic, Pioneer, Toshiba/Samsung, and Philips to test disk drive performance and maximise compatibility.

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