NVIDIA Tegra Provides The Multimedia Muscle In Zune HD

[Apoptosis]

NVIDIA Tegra Provides The Multimedia Muscle In Zune HD

World’s First Ultra-Low-Power HD Processor Behind Microsoft’s Next-Generation Portable Digital Media Player

SANTA CLARA, CA—AUG. 17, 2009—NVIDIA Corporation today announced that Microsoft’s new Zune HD portable media player is powered by the NVIDIA® Tegra™ processor, which gives it exceptional multimedia capabilities.

The Zune HD player, which Microsoft recently announced is available for preorder, is the first portable media player to combine HD-compatible video1, HD Radio receiver, full-screen Internet browsing, an organic light emitting diode touch screen, and Wi-Fi. These features will connect consumers to a whole new world of entertainment, while delivering excellent battery life. Working closely with Microsoft and optimizing the Tegra processor, NVIDIA has played an important role in helping to bring the next-generation Zune HD portable digital media player to market.

“Tegra provides the multimedia muscle in Zune HD,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager of NVIDIA’s mobile business. “Users will love the device’s new design, amazing multimedia features and HD video out capability. Zune HD is a must-have for anyone looking for the best portable digital media player on the market.”

Key to Tegra’s rich multimedia features are eight independent processors, each designed for a specific class of tasks - among them are an HD video processor, an audio processor, a graphics processor, and two ARM cores. The processors can work together or independently to minimize power consumption. The Microsoft Zune HD2 uses the following NVIDIA Tegra technology to deliver a unique visual experience:

* an HD video processor dedicated to HD video, providing unprecedented picture quality and ultra-smooth, vivid movie playback with low power consumption
* an ultra-low power graphics processor for a compelling and intuitive user interface
* NVIDIA nPower™ technology, which optimizes system power use and enables extended HD video and MP3 playback time

Based on NVIDIA’s decade of graphics leadership, Tegra processor has been engineered over the past five years to bring high performance and low power capabilities to the next generation of mobile computing devices such as portable media players, smartphones, smartbooks, netbooks and tablets. Tegra processor-based devices are delivering the experiences that today’s mobile consumers demand, with HD video playback, always-on HD Internet, and intuitive 3D user interfaces. There are 50 active Tegra processor-based design projects currently in the works today.

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from portable media players to notebooks to workstations. NVIDIA’s expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. Fortune magazine has ranked NVIDIA #1 in innovation in the semiconductor industry for two years in a row. For more information, see www.nvidia.com

[HONkUS]

Tegra sounds like an amazing chip, its either going to make or break Nvidia. With that said, if Microsoft, Samsung or LG make a crappy device for the Tegra then it wont matter how long the battery lasts or how pretty the graphics are. In order to compete with Apple the Zune needs more publicity, and an "easy" SDK. Ask anyone on the street if they have heard of the Zune and they will most likely say "huh?". While the iPod was around to build a following way before the Zune, Microsoft has had a few years now to make the brand a household name and they have failed to do so. If the average consumer sees a Zune and an iPod sitting right next to each other for the same price they are most likely to pick the iPod unless Microsoft decides to make the Zune more visually appealing which they have not done with the Zune HD. Once again Microsoft has placed an emphasis on hardware rather than design, at first glance the Zune HD looks like any other small black device on the market as opposed to the rounded, brighter looking Apple product. 90% of the people who will buy such a device wont notice the fact that the device has a Tegra chip in it much less know what Tegra is. The iPhone has an Aluminum shell and a glass screen because Apple knows that even though those are more expensive than a plastic shell it will give the product the illusion of quality and people like that! What catches peoples eye is strong design, what sells them is performance. Think about how many devices you see out there that aren't in a black plastic shell. Not too many.

From an app standpoint, Zune has some major catching up to do. A quick google on the "Zune SDK" returns a blog about the SDK in which the writer expresses his frustration on how he has to pay $100 to port his home made games to Xbox live. If you google iPhone SDK you get a well put together Apple site about the SDK with tutorials. How does Microsoft expect to catch up to Apple in the app department without a site for their SDK with a hosted tutorials? No one is going to learn this SDK if its a pain in the ass! Especially if they have to pay to use all of its features!

My point in all this is that even though the Tegra is an amazing chip, It's going to take more than a performance advantage to make it successful. We all know about whats under the hood of these devices but we don't account for 90% of consumers, and 90% of consumers wont know or care about what Tegra is, they just want a better looking and faster device then the next guy.