Here is a preview of the MediaMax Architecture.
It looks like the first step to making a PC a truely consumer product.
previews.bootnet.com
Cirrus Logic MediaMax
A PC with a twist
A couple of years ago, devices combining PCs with
traditional TVs were touted as the "next big thing."
Companies big (Gateway 2000, Compaq) and small
(WebTV, NetPC) jumped on the bandwagon, only to find
the market untested, untried, and for the most part very
immature. If the problem wasn't cost (Gateway's
Destination was $5,000+), it was lousy execution (WebTV
just plain sucked). Enter Cirrus Logic. By combining its
resources and experience in silicon, sound, motherboards,
and system integration, the company hopes to legitimize
both the low-cost PC and convergence markets with its
latest, the MediaMax.
First of all, MediaMax is a reference design only, so before
you hit your local superstore, don't. You won't find it.
However, Cirrus Logic is courting various OEMs (none were
announced at press time) and assures us products based
on this design will be available this summer, from both PC
and personal- electronics manufacturers. Given that the
average DVD-player costs around $600 to $700 these
days, the MediaMax is an intriguing blend of traditional PC
and home-entertainment components.
As you can see in this exclusive first look, the current
design resembles a VCR, but it'll be up to the OEMs to
determine the actual aesthetics, design, and dimensions.
This first-rev reference design is also a closed box,
meaning you'll be restricted from poking around inside (but
OEMs can elect for some level of upgradability). The
entire unit can be modified to resemble a desktop PC, and
the proprietary motherboard can be swapped out for a
more traditional NLX or ATX formfactor.
Considering the system's price, the guts are impressive.
The box we saw housed an AMD 166MHz processor, but
Cirrus Logic expects the speeds to be bumped up to
233MHz and maybe 266MHz by the time it actually starts
shipping. Better yet, because the motherboard is Socket 7
compliant, there's no reason an OEM couldn't migrate to
something even faster, such as AMD's enticing K6+3D.
And although the current design houses only one 32MB
DIMM, future designs will support two SIMMs for a total of
64MB.
The MediaMax is primed for Win98's Auto-On feature and
will include a second-gen DVD-ROM drive along with
hardware MPEG decoding. Cirrus Logic is integrating its
own TV-tuner card--code-named Revolution--that will
include various signal ins and outs, support for
Macrovision copy protection and closed captioning, a
five-tap filter for flicker-free processing. Maximum screen
resolution will be 800x600. 2D and 3D video will be handled
by an AGP-class Laguna 3D.
Cirrus Logic emphasizes sound processing, so it has turned
to its subsidiary, Crystal Semiconductor, for SoundFusion,
a Dolby AC-3, Pro Logic, and Aureal-compatible PCI audio
accelerator. It's a RAM-based DSP--the sounds are stored
on your hard drive--and provides support for DLS 1.0, 3D
virtualization, and HRTF-based 3D sound.
For communication, MediaMax will integrate an
X2-compatible controllerless modem chipset, a
speakerphone, and an infrared port. USB and IEEE 1394
ports are positioned on both the front and rear bezels,
and although the model we saw didn't include one, a
SuperDisk (LS120) drive can be integrated into the unit as
well.
Again, this is only a reference design. Final models and
features will vary by manufacturer.
-- Bryan Del Rizzo |
