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To: Wolf 2 who wrote (13059)	6/15/1998 8:04:00 PM
From: Tony Viola	Respond to of 25814

What's this, Intel throwing their weight around again, sucking other companies' bread and butter into their processors? Can one of the DVD technology gurus assess this for impact on LSI? ====================================================================== Intel Board Would Enable 'Ultimate DVD PC' Aaron Ricadela New York 5:34 PM EDT, Mon., June 15, 1998 At PC Expo tomorrow, Intel will announce plans to bundle a software DVD solution with its Express Graphics video boards sold at retail stores, industry sources said. Express Graphics is an accelerator board marketed by Intel that uses the Intel740 2D/3D graphics processor. The product began shipping to OEMs last month, but isn't yet available as a boxed product for retailers. However, sources said Intel plans to ship an Express Graphics retail package that would enable VARs and specialty retailers to help customers build the "ultimate DVD PC," according to one source familiar with Intel's plans. Intel, Santa Clara, Calif., will reportedly bundle a combination of products, including a software package that allows DVD decoding on the system's CPU, with its Extreme Graphics video cards. It's likely that Intel partner Zoran, Santa Clara, Calif., will supply the software DVD solution. Intel's Retail Products Division wants to differentiate Express Graphics from cards made by other manufacturers, such as Diamond Multimedia Systems and STB Systems, that also use the 740 chip, a source close to Intel said. "The graphics board business is extremely competitive," he said. "One edge is a nice compatibility with a soft DVD product. Intel declined to comment on tomorrow's announcement. Strategically, Intel supports software DVD, because it drives demand for faster processors and reduces the need for costly add-on boards to decompress the MPEG-2 and AC-3 audio code in DVD movies. Rajesh Shakkawar, Intel's technology development manager for DVD and Digital TV, said decoding DVD playback in software allows PC manufacturers to offer DVD at less than 10 percent of the cost of hardware decoding. Soft DVD requires at least a 266MHz Pentium II processor, he said. In the channel, a value-added bundle could fuel sales of Intel's product. Michael Warner, director of purchasing at Datel Computer Center, San Diego, said consumer response to boards using the 740 chip has been lukewarm so far. ======================================================================