First AMD Live! media centres hit the market
Big-name vendors line up to pledge support for AMD's high-profile rival to Intel's Viiv home entertainment suite. The new PCs will boast an updated version of the AMD Live! technology suite, which was announced in June. They will feature Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors.
Alienware and Dell are the first two vendors to launch media centre PCs based on AMD’s latest version of its home entertainment technology suite, AMD Live!.
Launched as a rival to Intel’s Viiv technology, AMD has lagged a long way behind in coming up with a rival technology for the home market. The new PCs will boast an updated version of the AMD Live! technology suite announced back in June.
AMD Live! PCs are based on the Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor and will be available from a wide range of manufacturers, including Fujitsu Siemens and Hewlett-Packard.
Frank Azor, senior vice-president and general manager of the worldwide product group at Alienware, said: “The integration of the D2Audio Intelligent Digital Amplifier inside an Alienware AMD Live! media powered PC platform is very exciting for our consumers. Digital media devices are integrating deeper into consumer applications, and the sleek new DHS A Series all-in-one form factor will replace bulkier alternatives, while maintaining the audio quality that consumers have come to expect.”
Dell has denied recent reports that it has snubbed Intel’s Viiv for AMD Live!, claiming that the lack of Viiv information on its web sites is due to a recent site redesign, not a change in allegiances.
Brian Wong, chief executive officer and president of D2Audio, said: “With the new Alienware DHS A Series, consumers have a leading digital media platform combining the connectivity of a PC with the quality of an AVR-class amplifier, all-in-one slim case. The industry has long predicted the convergence of the many boxes into one.”
AMD has added three new applications to its suite, AMD Live! Communicator, Games and Kid Rocket. Communicator will allow for video and voice communications over the internet using SightSpeed technology, while Games will use WildTangent to deliver online games and downloadable content. The Kid Rocket web browser is designed to keep parents happy by allowing young children to safely use the internet.
AMD has also overhauled its Media Vault application, based on StreamLoad. The new Vault caters for automatic file backup to an online account and file synchronisation between networked PCs and devices.
Steve Iverson, president and chief executive officer of Streamload, said: “Media Vault’s new features make it even easier for consumers to preserve their precious photos, videos and music without the hassle of manual uploads.”
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AMD processors ready to go live