Viiv is built to entertain

Intel is to launch a platform tailored for entertainment PCs in the same way as Centrino chips and motherboards are designed for notebooks.

The Viiv (rhymes with five) platform will include a dual-core processor and chipset optimised for the needs of Microsoft’s XP Media Center operating system.

It will be the first Intel platform designed from the ground up for people who are ‘passionate about the idea of accessing their content anytime, anywhere in their home on a number of devices,’ said Don MacDonald, vice-president of Intel’s Digital Home Group, at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF).

Viiv systems will range from modules such as hi-fi units to traditional desktop or tower designs. You will be able to turn them on and off like a TV, though they will take time to boot up, and will support 5.1 and 7.1 sound.

They will have a remote control, but a TV tuner is optional. If present, the PC will be able to record, pause, and rewind live TV programmes like a personal video recorder.

Viiv machines will come with a network configuration wizard, navigable by the remote control, to allow video and audio to be passed to portable media players, DVD players, TV sets and stereos. The first Viiv products are expected to ship early next year.

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