Intel Developer Forum 2010 CEO Keynote Coverage

Sandy Bridge Demo Highlights: An HD Video Powerhouse

Mr. Perlmutter continued with a handful of demos that showcased the performance of Sandy Bridge using a number of different systems / form factors.

In one demo, a 1080P HD video was converted to a portable device format using Core i7 and SB based systems. The Sandy Bridge system finished the encoding process in seconds, while the Core i7-based system had barely hit about the 30% mark. The rep helping Dadi with demo also mentioned that SB is capable of processing up to eight 1080P streams, which can enable some interesting real-time video analytics possibilities. 

In another demo, the new AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions) instructions in Sandy Bridge were utilized used to help render a scene much faster than current Core i7 offerings, and in yet another a number of photos were processed using HDR (high dynamic range). Of course, the SB system outpaced the Core i7 in that demo as well. 

Finally, in yet another demo, a rep form Sixense was brought out to showcase a new position orientation and tracking system the company has been working on. In the demo, a couple of hand-held devices were used to navigate through a 3D environment, manipulate and add elements in the environment, etc.

That about wraps up what we saw during the opening keynotes at IDF 2010, but we’ll have more in the days ahead.