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[Izzy]

Toshiba @ CES - CELL processors for all TVs in 2006 and more
Posted Jan 5, 2005, 5:07 PM ET by Dan Wu
Related entries: CES, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Toshiba has announced that the mysterious CELL processor, set to be used in the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) console, will be in all their TVs in 2006 as well. This should coincide with the PS3 launch, which may be released next year. For the DVD player market, the new Toshiba SD-6980 player will feature 720p/1080i enhancement, HDMI output, with support for both Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD-Audio, along with slots for nine memory card formats. The unit will also display JPGs in full hi-def resolution. In the DVD recorder market, the move is towards bigger hard drives to store the content until the user offloads it to DVD blanks. There’s currently a 600GB DVD recorder available in Japan, but no word was given on if we’ll see that here. Toshiba also jazzed up their press conference with a custom Toshiba chopper built by the guys from Orange County Choppers (on Discovery’s American Chopper show) complete with flashing LED lights.

Interesting...

 

[Shrike_Priest]

Not really.

It's pretty much what they've been saying all along.

 

[Andy787]

I've never understood why Toshiba is helping to create something so integral to Sony products, while at the same time helming a consortium making products that directly compete with the products they are helping Sony make.

 

[Unison]

What does it do?!?

 

[monkeyrun]

I thought Sony's going to use some variation of G5 instead of cell in PS3 .... hmm ..

 

[Shrike_Priest]

"I've never understood why Toshiba is helping to create something so integral to Sony products, while at the same time helming a consortium making products that directly compete with the products they are helping Sony make."

Because they're two entirely different things?

The Cell chip will be as integral to Toshiba's consumer electronics as Sony's, and IBM's servers. Back scratching aplenty. They all gain from it.

The HDDVD/BLU-RAY fight is not really affected.

 

[Fafalada]

I thought Sony's going to use some variation of G5 instead of cell in PS3 .... hmm ..

For the last time, nobody could use a variation of G5 "IN" their console because G5 is a freaking Macintosh computer - you know, that 80cm tall silver case thing.

However, G5 does use a PowerPC processor called PPC970... which brings me to...

For the second last time, nobody is using a PPC970 variation in their console. The new console cpus are a variation of PPC970 about as much as an AMD64 is a variation of Pentium4.

 

[Oxymoron]

However, G5 does use a PowerPC processor called PPC970... which brings me to...

Actually, the processor itself is also called "PowerPC G5" by just about everyone.

 

[sonycowboy]

Well,

That would seem to indicate that the processor isn't crazy expensive if they're willing to put it in ALL of their TV's.

 

[teiresias]

Sony also mentioned using Cell in future televisions in a CNN segment a few weeks ago.

 

[Deg]

Not really big news. Its just that the processor will be used in other devices which is common.

 

[Raistlin]

This could yield some interesting economy-of-scale benefits.

If figure Xenon will probably use an off-the-shelf CPU, so it probably doesn't matter to Microsoft? Revolution on the other hand, aren't using a custom CPU? That coupled with Nintendo's refusal to lose money on hardware (or at least not lose much), could put them at a pricing disadvantage?

 

[kaching]

That would seem to indicate that the processor isn't crazy expensive if they're willing to put it in ALL of their TV's.

"Cell" denotes a processor architecture though, not a specific implementation. A TV may therefore not receive as expensive an implementation as a standalone box might.

 

[Pug]

Onix Xbox 2 isn't using an "off the shelf" cpu.

 

[Fafalada]

Actually, the processor itself is also called "PowerPC G5" by just about everyone.

Yeah I just checked, it's Apple themselves that calls it that, so I guess they really wanted to rename it, whatever

Doesn't change the second and more important part of what I said earlier though

 

[Izzy]

Well,

That would seem to indicate that the processor isn't crazy expensive if they're willing to put it in ALL of their TV's.

DeadmeatGA Yesterday, 10:55 PM Post #1
Veteran


??? Toshiba's quitting sub $1000 TV market altogether???? What does Toshiba have to gain by putting worthless CELL in their TV sets?? Did Toshiba agree to use XMB for free or something?

 

[psycho_snake]

"I've never understood why Toshiba is helping to create something so integral to Sony products, while at the same time helming a consortium making products that directly compete with the products they are helping Sony make."

Because they're two entirely different things?

The Cell chip will be as integral to Toshiba's consumer electronics as Sony's, and IBM's servers. Back scratching aplenty. They all gain from it.

The HDDVD/BLU-RAY fight is not really affected.

Isnt the whole point of competition to make sure you have a better product then your rivals. I dont think sony would want Toshiba or IBM to benefit from their creation.

 

[Vashu]

Isnt the whole point of competition to make sure you have a better product then your rivals. I dont think sony would want Toshiba or IBM to benefit from their creation.

Well, CELL was co-developed by IBM, Toshiba and Sony... It's not an 'Only Sony' thing mind you...

 

[mashoutposse]

I've never understood why Toshiba is helping to create something so integral to Sony products, while at the same time helming a consortium making products that directly compete with the products they are helping Sony make.

Because smart companies don't take things personally?