Intel’s third generation Core integrated processor graphics (IPG) chip, aka Ivy Bridge (IVB), got off to a slow start for us with a set of high-end CPUs not really intended for the home theater PC (HTPC). We still do not have one of the low power Core i3/i5 with HD4000 graphics on hand; now that they are available, H77 based […]
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In an HDMI A/V environment, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is the glue that ties components together into a cohesive unit–able to be controlled by a single remote without the hassle, or expense, of a normal universal as well as removing infrared’s (IR) line-of-site requirement for playback devices. Where there can be problems with the protocol, most often the root cause […]
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I know only one other person who has a home server and a fleeting few more who have a NAS device in their homes, but all of these people do so specifically to accomodate the increasingly massive amounts of media that they not only want to store, but pipe around the house. Intel thinks there is a growing market here […]
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It’s been a while since we last talked about IVB, and for good reason as none of the more interesting HTPC chips were available at launch (or trickled out of OEM status later on). That has chanced, at least in part with HD 2500 Core i3’s available from Newegg and Amazon right now. If you’re holding out for the HD […]
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When Intel first announced their Atom line of low power processors way back in 2008, I had visions of tiny, quiet HTPCs sipping power in my home theater stack. Unfortunately, the promise never lived up to expectations and it has been awhile since I seriously considered an Atom processor for my own HTPC, but that hasn’t stopped me from hoping […]
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When Intel introduced the Thin Mini-ITX form factor with the DH61AG board, we were impressed with the performance and potential of the platform; however, the innovative form factor lacked any accompanying chassis to take advantage of the extra thin profile. Fortunately, that situation is changing with the introduction of LIAN LI’s PC-Q05 which supports the new Thin Mini-ITX form factor. […]
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We haven’t had a chance to take a HTPC-centric look at IVB’s HD 2500 so more traditional gaming-style reviews will have to do – stepping into that space AT takes a look at the GPU. Unfortunately, there’s no look at its capability with respect to madVR, but since they found that The 2500’s performance is tangibly worse than last year’s […]
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Last year Intel’s Sandy Bridge “TOCK” married the graphics processing unit (GPU) and CPU on the same die, making it a first class citizen in the system and introduced a true integrated processor graphics (IPG) solution. With HD audio bit steaming introduced in the previous generation, full hardware acceleration of VC-1, AVC (H.264), MPEG2 as well as 3D Blu-ray (MVC) […]
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A few weeks ago Intel released a BIOS update for their H67 Media Series motherboards that provided support for next generation 22nm CPUs, better known as Ivy Bridge. Shortly their after the file was pulled because of issues with bricked boards. Well today an updated BIOS dropped offering this, and a few other features. As I was working my way […]
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The first generation Google TVs were Intel-powered, and if those original Google TV devices had been the runaway successes that Google had hoped, then Intel today would have a pretty big foot in the door of the smart TV market. Instead, the general consensus is that Google TV v1.0 flopped, sending Google back to the drawing board for v2.0, and […]
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