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To: HDC who wrote (94967)	1/4/2000 12:49:00 PM
From: Process Boy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

HDC - <They did not have a box with Rambus available to see.> I don't believe Gateway is currently offering SKU's with RDRAM and 133 FSB. May need to try another vendor if you want to evaluate that option. Best of luck, PB

To: HDC who wrote (94967)	1/4/2000 1:57:00 PM
From: Paul Engel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 186894

HDC - Re: "What needs to be developed for the image "blockiness" to be eliminated or greatly reduced?" I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "BLOCKINESS" , but I'll assume it is image sharpness AND "JERKINESS", with lost or skipped frames. I can only assume that BANDWIDTH was and still is the limiting issue - and that the transmitted image/video stream you were viewing was compressed greatly for transmitting over standard dial-up modem connections as well as cable-modems. In short, bandwidth was and will be an issue, coupled with routing delays (Hops) along the way from the image source to your home PC. Each HOP adds a delay - and possible intermittent interruption in the transmission. If your quest is Video Quality on a PC via Internet access, you may have to have your own T1 or T3 connection installed - and I'll bet that even that might not satisfy you. Paul

To: HDC who wrote (94967)	1/4/2000 2:19:00 PM
From: ericneu	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

I went to the local Gateway store yesterday to see the progress of streaming media on the current PC designs. They had a unit w/ a Pentuim III 700 Mhz Coppermine Chip using 128 Mbit 100Mhz SDRAM and a 32Meg video card. They did not have a box with Rambus available to see. I pulled up the latest Gateway annual meeting file under Windows Media and opened it to full screen. Unfortunately, it was only a little better (ie. less blocky) than my current Presario Model w/ 200Mhz Pentium I w/65 Mbit 66 Mhz SDRAM using a cable modem. I've been waiting to upgrade until the picture has little or no "blockiness" on full screen. What needs to be developed for the image "blockiness" to be eliminated or greatly reduced? --- CPU and RAM has very little to do with it. There are two issues to consider: 1. What are the specs of the recording? When the original signal is encoded, you can choose many things, including your target bandwidth. Most streams are targeted at using less than 56k in order to be viewable via modem. If the signal was encoded to fit into a 56k pipe, viewing it over a faster connection (or locally from a hard drive) won't improve the picture as many frames have been dropped and compressed during the encoding process. 2. How much bandwidth was available when you viewed it? Sometimes signals will be encoded at multiple bandwidths so that you can choose the appropriate signal. If you look at msnbc.com, you'll see that video clips are usually available for 28k, 56k, and T1 connections. Windows Media can provide DVD-quality (I've done it), but the capability is rarely used since most of the world wouldn't be able to view it. - Eric

To: HDC who wrote (94967)	1/6/2000 5:40:00 AM
From: Amy J	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

HDC, RE: "Pentium III 700 Mhz Coppermine Chip using 128 Mbit 100Mhz SDRAM and a 32Meg video card." The speed of the CPU would have the most effect on the number of frames per second processed, resulting in greater "smoothness" of motion, or less jerkiness in the movements. However... RE: "Windows Media...Unfortunately, it was only a little better (ie. less blocky) than my current Presario Model w/ 200Mhz Pentium I w/65 Mbit 66 Mhz SDRAM using a cable modem." However, the blockiness is more directly related to the quality (long story) and number of bits-per-second used to encode the image (i.e. encoding makes a difference). If the image were encoded for a bit-rate of 80kbps, then even if you had a cable modem, T1 line, or OC512, your system just wouldn't work any better. (Sorry). The blockiness is caused by a truncation in the number of arithmetic coefficients used to represent 8x8 pixel patches of the picture (I don't think you really want to know the details). Since you need data rates of 400-500kps to produce VHS-quality video (i.e. pretty darn good TV-quality), a DSL line should be pretty close to VHS-quality. [ Now, do you know why Intel wants either DSL or cable to take off? It's like TV. ] However, most of the Public Internet is 40-80kbps, which will remain blocky, even if you have a 1 GH Pentium and 1 GB of RAM. [ Now do you see Intel's dilemma? ] RE: "I've been waiting to upgrade until the picture has little or no "blockiness" on full screen. What needs to be developed for the image "blockiness" to be eliminated or greatly reduced? Will the new Rambus memory do it? Does the video card need to be higher than 32Meg? Does the PC need an even bigger BUS? Since I use a cable modem, I believe I have enough bandwidth." But what rate is the source sending it out at? Regards, Amy J