As we consume more media online, and the web becomes more central to our lives, it’s only natural to want to bring that content into our living rooms. But while I and a few others will watch movies and shows on a laptop, most people want to watch their media on their TV. And if they can surf the web at the same time, more power to them. For some people, this trifecta of the couch, web surfing and movie-watching on a big screen is their version of heaven. If they have an AMD-powered computer running Windows, then they’re in luck.
I met on Friday with Brent Barry, a PC gaming strategist over at AMD, to get a demo of the AMD Live Explorer software running on a Windows PC and a Sony television. The demo was hardwired, but a consumer could also use a Wii or an Xbox console (both contain AMD chips from the ATI graphics division) to wirelessly send the information from the PC to the console hooked into the television. Since this only works on AMD-powered PCs, most of the market (notably Mac users) are out of luck, but anyone else can download the software for free. It seems similar to the functionality of the ZvBox, but doesn’t require the extra hardware. For a quick tour of the software and why visual computing is becoming so important, check out the video.
You can use transcoding and playback tools such as reeplay.it, either mac or PC.
I have only respect for AMD, but they are terrible in marketing! Something they should learn from intel (if not anything else)… overall they make awesome products.
http://www.livbit.com (www.livbit.com)
That’s… that’s just a piece of software. It’s just a GUI. This doesn’t actually solve any of the problems of actually getting content from your PC to your TV!
“Run a wire” isn’t a new solution, that’s been done for decades.
“Use a Wii or Xbox” isn’t a new solution either, that’s been done for years, just another box next to your PC.
I’m confused at how the ZvBox comparison is even remotely appropriate here. (Actually, it seems like the ZvBox would be ideal for getting this application to your TV in the first place.)
Why can’t you just run an s-video cable from your graphics card to your TV? Or some of the newer graphics cards have HDTV out and some even HDMI.
Quartics (quartics.com) has been working on this for a while and I think we’ll see wireless PC to TV connectivity built into all new units in the next few years.
For now you really don’t need an expensive box. You can easily connect your PC to a HDTV with a high-quality VGA/SVGA cable.
http://PCTVCables.com
I think this is not a new idea, it’s very similar Windows Media Center done before.
And it just changes user interface to more friendly.
I think a lot of what AMD is trying to say, is that using their ATI and processor technology, you can push the 1080p directly to your TV. That application is pretty neat. It allows you to connect to your home media with just a login and access all your media from work, friends, or mobile device.