Stephen,
<Whittington gets a change of heart since 9/8 >
Good find. As if some of us were not already perplexed.
Here's a couple of news items...
Sony Unveils New Designs for Fall 2000 Desktop PC lineup; VAIO Digital Studios Reflect Stylish Flair and J Series Powers Up
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 2000--Power and style are uniting Sony Electronics' newest members of the VAIO(R)desktop PC family announced today.
In addition to several performance enhancements such as a 1GHz(1) processor and more expandable memory, the ever-stylish VAIO Digital Studio(TM) series shows off a design that looks more at home in an art gallery than Silicon Valley. The new case is both fresh and functional, as the top and the side panels of the mini-tower PC unlatch--giving users quick and easy access to the components when upgrading their systems.
"Accented with contemporary lines, the Fall 2000 VAIO Digital Studios take desktop computing beyond the traditional beige box," said Rich Black, Sony Electronics' marketing director for desktop PCs. "These new systems prove that beauty doesn't have to be sacrificed for powerful computing."
Also new to the VAIO Digital Studio series is a 15-inch TFT-LCD display with a digital interface, which offers a 1024 X 768 maximum resolution--all of which creates visual clarity and a space-saving design.
The popular VAIO J series delivers solid entry-level computing with upgraded performance. The new VAIO J120 features an Intel(R)Pentium(R) III 700MHz(1) processor with more expandable memory at an estimated selling price of $999.99(2).
VAIO Digital Studio PCs
Designed for the PC and video enthusiast, Black said that the VAIO Digital Studio series desktop PCs (PCV-RX260DS, PCV-RX270DS and PCV-RX280DS) comprise the next generation of computing and digital imaging convergence. The models focus on power and creativity by emphasizing digital imaging, movie editing, video e-mail and music.
The DVD drive on the VAIO Digital Studio series is ideal for video playback of popular DVD titles, and the CD-RW drive is a solid storage medium for all the personal memories created through the included MovieShaker(TM) software.
The new VAIO Digital Studio desktop PCs incorporate the latest processor technology from Intel, including the Pentium III 800MHz(1), 866MHz(1) and 1GHz(1) Pentium III processors. All systems come loaded with a V.90(3) integrated modem, 10/100BaseT Ethernet, two i.LINK(R)
(IEEE 1394) and three USB ports (two on PCV-RX260DS), as well as Sony's easy-to-use MovieShaker digital video editing application, starting at an estimated selling price of $1,399.99(2).
VAIO LCD Display
Taking a style queue from the VAIO Slimtop series, the Fall 2000 Digital Studio series now offers a 15-inch, TFT-LCD display with DVI digital interface. The VAIO PCVA-15XD2 features 1024 X 768 (max.) resolution, displaying over 16 million colors. The unit is compatible with the new VAIO PCV-RX260DS and PCV-RX280DS models at an estimated selling price of $899.99(3) (after $100 mail-in rebate when purchased with the PCV-RX270DS or PCV-RX280DS).
VAIO J120
A solid choice for the first-time buyer, novice video editor and Internet enthusiast, the PCV-J120 draws performance from a 700MHz Intel Pentium III processor. The J120 also features a CD-RW drive with a data capacity of 650MB per CD, which can record up to 60 minutes of MPEG-1 video, as well as a 20GB(4) hard drive. Other features include a V.90 integrated modem and a network interface card--both items geared for current dial-up and future high speed Internet connections.
Like its predecessor, the VAIO J100, the VAIO J120 hosts
connectors and ports that are geared toward compatibility and future connectivity--these include parallel and serial ports, two i.LINK and two USB ports, and an open PCI slot for flexibility in expansion.
MovieShaker
Pre-loaded on all the VAIO Digital Studio series and the J120 desktop PCs, the MovieShaker digital video editing application simplifies the creation of digital home movie, giving the user every director's dream: total control. Even the complete novice to DV editing can now easily re-arrange scenes, insert customized text and audio, and select appropriate transitions. The finished movies can then be shared in various formats ranging from a compressed e-mail
attachment to a high-quality DV format and copied onto a CD-RW disc.
"This software is proof positive that the digital revolution is coming home at last with broadcast quality video editing, " Black said. "Any family can now have access to the breadth and quality of entertainment that was previously unheard of for the home."
Digital Video Editing Software
The VAIO Digital Studio desktops and the VAIO J series feature Sony's complete suite of digital video software, including DVgate(TM) Motion and DVgate Still(TM). This features allows the user to capture full motion digital video and still photography for dynamic multimedia
presentations or even video e-mail. Sony's PictureGear(TM) version 5.0 software is included for enhanced management of digital content - both sound and video files. Users can visually organize and manage personal digital content collections, including still images, digital video clips, MP3 files and more.
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Intel Releases Computer Vision Software for Linux; Intel and Computer Vision Researchers Deliver Technology to Boost Use of Video to Interact with Computers on Linux-Based Systems
BRISTOL, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 2000--Intel Corporation today announced that it has released the first Linux(a) version of its Open Source Computer Vision Library. The Open Source Computer Vision Library provides a wide range of functions, including gesture recognition, object-tracking, face recognition and camera calibration, that will help researchers develop ways to use "computer vision" as a method for people to interact with computers. The announcement took place at the opening of the industry day events at the eleventh British Machine Vision Conference. Earlier this year, Intel released a computer vision library and its source code for Microsoft(R) Windows(a).
Since the Open Source Computer Vision Library was first announced at the IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition in June of this year, over 500 researchers worldwide have joined Web-based computer vision user groups.
Intel will facilitate the growth and maintenance of this library by accepting and maintaining submissions of source code content reviewed by a panel of experts from the computer vision community. Reviewers include representatives from major vision laboratories. This open source software release includes C source code for all of the library's functions and a royalty-free redistribution license. The library may be downloaded from www.intel.com/research/mrl/research/cvlib/, and researchers may join the user group by sending email to OpenCV-subscribe@egroups.com.
Intel's Microprocessor Research Laboratories are the leading developer of microprocessor technology. Its international research facilities are working on various areas, including microprocessors (circuits, architecture, compilers, etc.), platform architecture (buses, caches, memory, interconnect, etc.) and core human interface (speech, natural language processing, video, vision, graphics, new devices, etc.).
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SK |
