Toshiba selects Broadcom media PC technology

IRVINE, CALIF: Broadcom Corporation announced that Toshiba has selected Broadcom's recently introduced media PC technology. Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. has implemented the technology to enable high quality HD DVD playback for three recently introduced mid-level notebook computers including the Satellite P205 and A205 and Qosmio F45.  

Broadcom's new media PC technology delivers playback of high definition video that yields very low system power consumption, low CPU utilization and integrates seamlessly into Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows XP environments.

The HD DVD optical disc format offers new features for the gaming, storage and consumer entertainment markets such as high definition video at 1080p resolution, picture-in-picture, high definition multi-channel audio, 3D style graphics and user interactivity for games, trivia, web-enabled content, etc.

Up until Broadcom's recently introduced media PC offerings, these new HD DVD capabilities required intensive CPU processing and additional components (such as discrete graphics processors with video hardware acceleration) that drove up the PC cost for this level of functionality. As a result, PCs or laptops capable of playing HD content have typically been very costly.

To address the growing consumer demand for high definition content playback on cost effective mainstream PCs, Broadcom recently announced a family of media PC products. Broadcom's media PC technology provides the highest quality video playback of multi-format (VC-1, H.264 and MPEG-2) HD content for the mainstream PC market. With total power consumption of under 3 watts, Broadcom's media PC solutions help extend battery life on notebook PCs, enabling more movie playback time.

"We are very pleased to have selected Broadcom's new media PC solution whose capabilities and functionality is a good fit for our mainstream notebook computers that deliver HD DVD playback," said Tsukasa Matoba, technology executive at Toshiba Corporation Personal Computer & Network Company.

"In comparison to other solutions in the market, our media PC technology excels when system cost, power consumption, CPU utilization and fan noise are key factors and Toshiba's adoption of this technology will help to popularize HD playback among mid-level mobile PC platforms," said Allen Light, director of Product Marketing for Broadcom's Media PC line of business.