AMD Launches Viiv Rival - AMD LIVE!

MEDIA CENTER PC NEWS

June 1st 2006

AMD Launches Viiv Rival - AMD LIVE!

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When Intel's Viiv platform first launched we spent a lot of time writing 'Viiv - sounds like live'. Of course, we didn't notice that 'live' can be pronounced two ways and now that failing has come back to hanut us with the news that AMD is to brand it's Viiv rival as LIVE!

No, caps-lock isn't stuck - it seems to be essential to write the name in uppercase, but we're still not sure whether AMD is telling us that our media center PCs will be alive, or live as opposed to recorded.

This slightly frivalous opening is by way of introducing you to the fact that AMD has played catch up with Intel and is dipping a toe into the media center PC market.

Leading OEMs including Acer, Alienware, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway, HP, Sahara, and Tsinghua Tongfang, as well as system builders in North America, Western Europe, and China, will have AMD LIVE! PCs, powered by the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor, starting in June. The AMD LIVE! Entertainment Suite, a collection of services and applications designed to enhance the PC experience, is also available today at www.amdlive.com.

“The AMD LIVE! PC and AMD LIVE! Entertainment Suite represent the culmination of industry-leading companies collaborating around open standards to deliver compelling entertainment solutions,” said Bob Brewer, corporate vice president, Desktop Business, AMD. “With the AMD LIVE! PC, AMD begins delivering on its vision for merging broadcast TV content with interactive, personalized broadband applications and services, all without disrupting the devices already accepted and used by consumers in their homes today.”

The AMD LIVE! PC is designed to help consumers get more enjoyment out of their digital media by consolidating their content in a central location and delivering the tools to help them easily and seamlessly access that content through the devices they already have. “Today customers are looking for PCs that will allow them to view, interact and play new content from broadcast television to music to games,” said Tom Anderson, vice president of marketing, global consumer PCs, Personal Systems Group, HP. “By offering AMD LIVE! branded PCs, our customers will have the ability to buy a PC that will meet their evolving entertainment needs.”

“We’ve seen remarkable enthusiasm for Windows XP Media Center Edition PCs, which enable consumers to enjoy their photos, music, TV shows and movies throughout the home,” said Mike Sievert, corporate vice president, Windows Client Marketing at Microsoft. “By collaborating with AMD to deliver a powerful combination of digital entertainment software on a strong media platform, Microsoft is helping to provide consumers with rich, engaging experiences.”

Not surprisingly, Alienware is one of the first OEMs to produce a LIVE! PC. They will offer AMD LIVE! branded Aurora 7500 and Aurora ALX desktop systems, enabling users to consolidate their photos, videos, music, and movies in one place while accessing all of it through their TVs, game consoles, MP3 players, cell phones, and other common digital devices.

"AMD LIVE! converges home entertainment with personal computing by taking the innovative performance present in the AMD64 dual-core processor-powered Aurora 7500 and Aurora ALX and applying it to every aspect of a consumer's entertainment experience," said Bob Brewer, Corporate Vice President, Desktop Division, AMD. "AMD LIVE! PCs can erase limitations on entertainment, enabling Alienware users to enjoy their favorite digital media anywhere within the home and anywhere on the road."

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