If you drive, chances are you exceed the speed limit on occasion. Who among us hasn’t yielded to the temptation and driven faster than the traffic, accelerating into the distance with troubles (and the speed limit) left far behind? Today that thrill is measured not in MPH but in MHz, enhanced CPU utilization, efficient instruction processing and excellent data throughput.
While addiction to speed generally proves costly, violators of speed and performance barriers in the computer realm, gain entry to the winner’s circle and to well-deserved rewards and accolades. With the proliferation of rich clients, the trend in favor of distributed computing, and the demand for more realistic, immersive, interactive Digital Media experiences, today’s developer needs all horsepower he can get. To be sure, increased computational power is nothing new. But the most recent developments in processor design represent more than the gradual and expected increase in operating frequencies. The innovative EPIC* and Intel® NetBurst™ microarchitectures, Hyper-Threading Technology, Streaming SIMD extensions (SSE2), 64-bit instruction sets and more are making new types of applications possible. The advanced design of Intel’s flagship processors and advances in mobility and form factors, position Intel solutions to deliver outstanding digital media performance. This enhanced performance supports profound changes in the way people work and play, extending and transforming the workplace, enabling in the Digital home creative expression and immersion in the media we enjoy and the games we play.The insatiable desire of today’s PC user for greater and greater performance reflects demands and expectations for performance that rival those of developers and creators. Consumers recognize we are in the midst of a revolution touching every aspect of media; from creation, collaboration and presentation to management, publishing, and secure distribution. Consumers are buying systems with the latest Intel processors more than any competing platform. Why not target the mainstream, make performance potential work for you, and make your applications stand out? Intel’s long-standing industry leadership means the majority of your end-users will benefit from applications optimized for Intel processors.
Better Tools and Target Platforms
Time is money, and Intel performance allows developers to get more done in less time. “For collaborative Web Services, the more performance you have on the user’s client system, the better. In a multitasking environment, this is just one of several applications the user might be working on at any given time. We don’t want to keep users waiting for the system to respond, so we give them fast machines based on the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor or the Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor - M.” Andreas Essing, Competence Manager Messaging and Collaboration Group, Siemens Business ServicesApplication developers can benefit from having faster and more powerful tools, pre-optimized and threaded libraries and attractive platforms to target. Compile code faster. Quickly encode and decode digital media while you simultaneously perform other productivity tasks. Deliver multiple streams of audio and video, getting the full benefit of Intel’s high clock frequencies, Hyper-Threading Technology and industry leading cross-platform performance. Quick adoption of Intel’s latest technologies by businesses means that end users will experience software the way the developer intended and with fewer compromises.
Better Business Applications
“With Web Services, we can build better software, fast. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We can pull in best-of-breed software and drop it into our customers’ environment and it will be able to integrate.” - Oliver Gajek Co-founder Brainloop AG Technologies such as XML based web services and .NET demand the power of Intel processors and are making new types of business applications possible. These applications enable businesses to create highly portable content, transcending the boundaries that currently exist between devices and platforms. Portability of rich content, wireless connectivity, greater mobility and many new form factors extend and expand the notion of ‘workplace’, enhancing collaboration, sync of field and office, and productivity in ways that could scarcely be imagined just a year or two ago.Dynamic XML-based information delivery, pushing and pulling of data between client and server, and remaining connected to real-time business intelligence are all benefits of these new technologies now beginning to be tapped.
Better Digital Media Content Creation
Intel processors are making the digital revolution possible from inception and creation through to content delivery.”It’s important for us to match our top artists with Intel-based technology. The power of Intel-based systems gives our artists the tools they need to succeed, while the flexibility and cost of the systems allows us to stay on the cutting edge of technology in an affordable way.” - Cliff Plumer, Chief Technology Officer, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM)
Intel’s latest processors are used to create today’s top grossing movies. From digital film editing to post production, compositing and effects Intel technology is put to use creating the films, TV programs and music that we enjoy every day.”Every single project that comes through The Orphanage-feature, commercial or music video-is processed through Adobe After Effects*. Running on Intel processor-based PCs, After Effects positively screams!” - Stu Maschwitz, Founder, The Orphanage
Better and Faster Manipulation of Ever-larger Digital Media Files
Today’s consumer digital still cameras capture images of up to five mega-pixels and DV video cameras are capable of recording gigabytes of information. Consumers want to be able to manipulate these huge files and do fun and creative things with them. With Hyper-Threading Technology enabled processors, wait times are significantly reduced and the computer is usable for other demanding tasks while background tasks are running.”I get a lot more bang for my buck with Intel Architecture than I can on anything else. . . . more streams and lot more content and a lot more apps running in the same amount of space.” - Jonathan Seelig, Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development, Akamai
In this age of digital media, numerous formats and a proliferation of sources make content management increasingly important. That is why company’s such as Akamai rely on the power of Intel processors to deliver millions of images, countless hours of media content, and an untold number of file downloads. Intel powers the latest broadcast technologies facilitating delivery to a wide variety of clients from HDTV to the most modest handheld.Intel power media computers are becoming ever more popular as the PC moves from the office into the living room. Intel powered personal computers are becoming the hub of the digital family.
Better, Smarter Games
Few consumer applications stress systems as severely as do modern games. Whether it is the advanced artificial intelligence used to create computer adversaries, the complex physics calculations required to reproduce an environment, or the management of millions of data packets screaming through the fog of the Internet in hotly contested online tournaments, only raw power and greater CPU utilization separates an unresponsive slide show from a realistic and engaging gaming experience. Developing a fast and versatile game engine can confer instant rock star-like status on a developer. Why not give yourself that edge?”I’m excited about making games a personal experience. I find that fascinating because every other form of entertainment is about sitting back and watching someone else’s idea of what they think you would enjoy. But imagine, what computer games could do is see this world and AI could watch the way you play and what you enjoy and how much time you spend on things and adapt that world to make it even more enjoyable for you. I think that is fascinating.” -Peter Molyneux, Lionhead Studios
Intel processors create a platform that enables the suspension of disbelief. The more real it looks and behaves, the more real it is. Game developers receive a dual benefit; they are able produce more accurate visual fidelity and realism without bogging down projects and an Intel development platfrom can reduce production time and costs associated with rich 3D, real-time, highly interactive games. Intel’s powerful processors are allowing developers to create highly detailed physics modeling for game environments and realistic non-player character behaviors. These benefits cumulate in realistic, believable games and offer gamers deeper challenges and greater rewards. “Our games have always run really well on Pentium 4 processor-based systems, without having to do extensive optimization. We’ve really moved away from the assembly language days where tweaking some instruction usage and ordering had a significant impact on performance.” - Tim Sweeney, Programmer and Founder, Epic GamesBetter frame rates and enhanced visual and aural quality deliver a more immersive experience and more compelling games. Casual and hard-core gamers alike demand quick and responsive game play. As Intel continues to shatter speed and performance barriers, people are increasingly looking to Intel to provide the platform that makes their favorite games possible or at least faster.
Conclusion
Intel’s new processors offer tremendous Digital Media performance and with the industry’s highest adoption rate, they also represent a smart choice when choosing your target platforms. So fasten your seatbelts, optimize and thread for outstanding cross-platform performance, and differentiate your product from those of your competition. You can break performance barriers without fear of being ticketed.
