Here's an interesting blurb about PC98...
The most stringent multimedia standards are reserved for Entertainment PC '98, a subset of the PC '98 specs for systems able to function as multimedia workstations. At press time, requirements for the Entertainment PC '98 designation include at least two USB connectors (one of which must be easily accessible; that is, not on the rear panel) and at least two 1394 connectors (one being easily accessible for connections to digital camcorders and the other for audio/video devices).
The specs also require a television output connector (either NTSC or PAL), and the elimination of ISA expansion slots accessible by the user. The latter is intended to ensure a more stable configuration, lower support costs, and improved performance.
An Entertainment PC '98 system will also have to include a DVD-ROM drive, a graphics adapter that supports AGP (or a software equivalent), an analog video-input, an NTSC or PAL analog TV tuner, support for digital television (DTV), and support for the Copy Scramble System (CSS) copy-protection scheme used on DVD movie discs.
The audio system will have to offer hardware support for 3-D audio effects, independent sample rates for both input and output, music synthesis, and echo cancellation. Home PC users will appreciate the requirement that the audio system must exhibit no audible noise in its sleep state. Because FireWire has the bandwidth to handle positional 3-D audio in multiple channels, an Entertainment PC '98 could offer a superior audio experience for games and videos.
Several additional technologies are recommended, though not required. These include a remote-control pointing device (using either infrared or radio technology), a digital video input that connects through a 1394 port, a high-bandwidth data-transfer hard-drive controller (the guidelines suggest an EIDE drive running off a 1394 bus), a 27-inch or larger SVGA monitor, and a digital broadcast-satellite subsystem in addition to the required analog TV tuner. The guidelines also recommend that all input devices--including keyboards, pointing devices, and game pads--be wireless.
This stuff will be integrated in most entry level systems
by christmas 1999. Like I said many times before, every
PC on the planet will be replaced over and over until the
pace of technological change slows... It's a healthy business
to be in.
MEATHEAD |
