MMX is the real deal
Article Abstract:
Intel's new MMX technology, which enhances the CPU instruction set to improve multimedia performance and also uses a larger internal cache to speed overall system performance, will ship in Pentium processors in early 1997 and in the Pentium Pro by summer 1997. Nearly all new PCs should feature MMX within a year, strengthening the Intel/Windows platform for both consumers and developers. MMX instructions work on the principle that communications and rich multimedia applications use a single instruction repetitively to process large amounts of data. A standard Pentium moves one byte at a time into the CPU for processing; MMX Pentiums move eight bytes as a packed value, processing them simultaneously in parallel. Applications must be rewritten to take advantage of MMX, and not all programs will be immediately updated. Consumers rather than business will drive MMX adoption as games and educational titles become ever more processor-intensive. Developers of consumer products will want to get MMX machines quickly.
Publication Name: Newmedia
Subject: Computers and office automation industries
ISSN: 1060-7188
Year: 1997
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Software MPEG decoders rev up
Article Abstract:
MPEG 1 technology is primarily designed for hardware decompression, but the standard will enjoy its greatest popularity when software MPEG decoders become readily available. MPEG 1 employs sophisticated interframe compression algorithms and hardware implementations are superior to software codecs. Three companies marketed MPEG 1 software codecs in 1995 and most of the top graphics-card vendors are now bundling software MPEG 1 decoders with their products. Some computer vendors, including Apple and IBM, are bundling MPEG 1 software with their products. MPEG software requires a minimum of 100MHz in processing power and a 133MHz system is recommended. Three software MPEG decoders are compared, including CompCore Multimedia's SoftPEG, Mediamatics Inc's MPEG Arcade Player and Xing Technologies Inc's Xing MPEG Player. MPEG Arcade Player is the fastest performer on a 133MHz Pentium-based system, but SoftPEG provides the best overall quickness and interactivity.
Publication Name: Newmedia
Subject: Computers and office automation industries
ISSN: 1060-7188
Year: 1996
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Software video codecs: the search for quality
Article Abstract:
New technologies are making the selection of a software video compressor/decompressor (codec) more difficult. MPEG 1 decoding is currently the hottest issue in the industry and vendors promise to make the a ubiquitous capability in the near future. However, MPEG 1 will require a 133MHz machine with good graphics and a video accelerator. Software codecs provide features not offered by MPEG, such as video sprites, quality animation and low-data-rate video. Users may want to employ several codecs, using MPEG 1, but storing the same data in a software codec that will utilize slower processors. Six software codecs are evaluated and compared, including Radius' Cinepak 1.9, Intel's Indeo 3.2 and Indeo Video Interactive, Motion Pixels Inc's Motion Pixels, RAD Software's Smacker and Horizons Technology's TrueMotion-S.
Publication Name: Newmedia
Subject: Computers and office automation industries
ISSN: 1060-7188
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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