Toshiba has incorporated Cell processor technology, best-known for its use in the Playstation 3, into a laptop for the first time.
The processor was designed to cope with multimedia tasks such as video transcoding, and the company claims they take a fraction of the time with the new machine. The Qosimo also incorporates Intel’s latest Core 2 Duo processor technology and the Nvidia Geforce 9600M GT graphics card.
“The addition of the Toshiba Quad Core HD Processor marks a watershed moment in the multimedia and HD segments,” said Jeff Barney, vice president and general manager of Toshiba’s Digital Products Division. “Qosmio G55-Q802 laptop PC users now have the power and ability to control and manipulate their personal content with unmatched precision and speed, while also enjoying their full DVD collections at resolutions up to 1080i.”
The Cell processor technology was co-developed by Toshiba, Sony and IBM, and is used in the Sony PlayStation 3 and various supercomputers.
Through Upconvert/Upconversion, standard-definition video files, such as home videos and DVDs, are upscaled in real time to 720p high-definition. Combined with the use of the Qosmio’s HDMI-CEC port, this means users can output standard DVDs at up to 1080i on an HDTV, says Toshiba.
The included Ulead DVD Movie Factory 5 has been optimised to take advantage of the new processor. Transcoding video between high-definition formats or converting high-definition video into standard definition for burning to DVD can be completed up to 10 times faster, says Toshiba.
The Qosimo has all the other features you’d expect from a multimedia machine, such as an 18.4-inch diagonal widescreen Trubrite display, two Harman Kardon stereo speakers, a sub-woofer and Dolby Home Theater technology. X
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