Skip to Content

New to the Mac? Check out TUAW's Mac 101
AOL Tech

Posts with tag gpu

Silverlight 3 out of beta, joins forces with your GPU for HD streaming

by Ross Miller Jul 9th 2009 @ 9:42PM

A day earlier than expected, Microsoft has launched its third edition of Silverlight and its SDK. As Ars Technica notes, some of the bigger improvements on the user side are GPU hardware acceleration and new codec support including H.264, AAC, and MPEG-4. If you're looking to give it a spin, there's a Smooth Streaming demo available that, as the name suggests, does a pretty good job of streaming HD video with little stutter, even when skipping around. If you've got Firefox 2, Internet Explorer 6, Safari 3 or anything fresher, hit up the read link to get the update.

[Via Ars Technica]

Read - Download Page
Read - Smooth Streaming demo

MSI rolls out R4600 HDMI GPU series for HTPC builders

by Darren Murph Mar 21st 2009 @ 9:23AM


We won't say the homegrown HTPC is making a comeback or anything, but shortly after Lian-Li laid out a new pair of cases, in flies MSI with a new duo of media PC-centric video cards. The R4600 series is comprised of the R4650 and R4670 (ATI), both of which are available in 512MB of 1GB flavors. Aside from boasting an all-too-useful HDMI port, these cards also support 7.1-channel audio output for use with internal Blu-ray drives, and the design is such that they won't infringe on any other nearby PCIe cards. Per usual, MSI left us hanging with respect to pricing and availability, but we're going out on a limb and expecting these to be totally reasonable.

S3 crams DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI onto $70 Chrome 540 GTX

by Darren Murph Feb 16th 2009 @ 3:31AM


While the future seems bright for DisplayPort, it's still tough to find a GPU out there with a DisplayPort socket -- and the search becomes increasingly difficult when hunting one down that's affordable. Enter S3, who is expanding its Chrome 500 series with the Chrome 540 GTX. Hailed as the "world's most connected high-def card," this PCI Express card boasts 256MB of GDDR3 memory, compatibility with DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0, support for Blu-ray playback and a trifecta of interfaces: DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. The best part? It comes bundled with WinDVD 8 for BD playback and can be procured today for the low, low price of $69.95.

Ask Engadget HD: What's the best graphics card for my HTPC?

by Darren Murph Sep 10th 2008 @ 12:00PM


So, you've decided to build yourself an HTPC, huh? Splendid! Now, what GPU are you going to toss in there? That's the gist of Marcus' question:

"I'm looking to assemble a living room PC to play back Blu-ray Discs, internet video, streamed HD clips, etc. I'm stuck when it comes to selecting a graphics card powerful enough to handle all of that. I haven't decided whether or not to get a full-sized tower or just a mini-tower, so I'd appreciate suggestions for both setups. Cheaper is better, but I'll pay to make sure all playback is buttery smooth."

So, dearest readers, what's the GPU to get these days for handling multimedia content? Is ATI's new All-in-Wonder HD worth a look? Drop your advice in comments below.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

AMD's ATI All-in-Wonder HD gets reviewed

by Darren Murph Aug 19th 2008 @ 8:41AM


Loyal All-in-Wonder users from years past have probably been watching the progression of AMD's revised version of the card with extreme interest. After such an absence, however, we understand the need to be cautious before snapping this up for your upcoming HTPC. HotHardware recently received one of these units for testing, and while it was only deemed "entry level" in the gaming department, the multimedia performance was smiled upon. To quote, "the [card] did an excellent job presenting digital video content in a quality manner without creating excessive power consumption in order to do so." As expected, the unit wasn't recommend for everyone (read: non-TV buffs), but those who'd utilize the built-in ClearQAM support probably can't go wrong for $199. Hit the read link for a whole gaggle of test results.

Diamond Multimedia announces two ATI All-in-Wonder HD cards

by Darren Murph Jul 17th 2008 @ 9:25AM


We told you that ATI's reinvigorated All-in-Wonder would be hitting the streets in late July, and sure enough, Diamond Multimedia is first out of the gate with versions of its own. The All-In-Wonder and the All-In-Wonder Premium iterations are both slated to hit reputable e-tailers "soon," with the latter unit including a bundled remote and an input / output board with an array of easy access connections. As expected, each card will boast 512MB of DDR2 memory, a clock speed of 725MHz and a single hybrid tuner for capturing local NTSC / ATSC broadcasts and ClearQAM signals. Unfortunately, the most pressing piece (ahem, price) was omitted.

NVIDIA to bundle H.264 software with 7600 series?

by Kevin C. Tofel Feb 23rd 2006 @ 10:35AM

NVIDIANo official word from the company that we can find, but NVIDIA is allegedly going to bundle H.264 decoding software with their GeForce 7600 series that surfaced last month.  Currently, the cards support MPEG-2 decoding, but the decoding software isn't supplied with the card. Instead of shelling out an additional few bucks, if you can get H.264 or MPEG-4 Part 10 or AVC (did we hit 'em all?) decoding software for free, we're all for it. HDTV clearly isn't limited tothe television area, so it would be a wise move for NVIDIA, and ATI for that matter, to keep pushing the envelope for their GPUs and cards.




    Weblogs, Inc. Network

    AOL News

    Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

    Joystiq
    Download Squad
    The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
    BloggingStocks
    Joystiq Xbox
    Autoblog
    Big Download
    Fanhouse NFL Blog