[mythtv-users] NVIDIA ION Future in Doubt

[Mache Creeger]

See http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=791&type=expert

Key excerpts below

-- Mache

Chipsets, the other NVIDIA market

While Fermi was definitely the focus of the GPU Technology 
Conference, we took the chance to pose some questions about ION and 
other chipsets to the NVIDIA personnel on site.  ION has seen 
moderate success in the world of low power and low cost computers 
though I would say that the number of implementations using 
<http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=663>the ION chipset have been 
fewer than expected.  NVIDIA still alludes to the pressures of Intel 
as the key factor of ION adoption which, even if true, won't change a 
thing for NVIDIA in terms of market share or profits.

The future of ION is in doubt as well; remember that Intel will be 
pushing for further technology integration with the 
<http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=715>upcoming Pine Trail release 
that moves a basic graphics core onto the CPU die.  When that occurs, 
system integrators like ASUS and HP might find it even more of a 
stretch to spend the extra money on the ION chipset.  NVIDIA's plans 
for countering that trend will be to offer a discrete version of a 
GPU under the ION brand that will remove the MCP features lowering 
costs and probably power requirements.  Whether or not this change is 
what "ION 2" will materialize as is yet unknown.

Finally, we have an update pending for the killer feature that would 
make ION-based netbooks and nettops truly irresistible: 
GPU-accelerated Flash.  We saw this feature 
<http://www.pcper.com/comments.php?nid=7254>first previewed at 
Computex last June and even though there are announcements coming 
VERY SOON on this new player revision, it will likely be sometime in 
Q2 2010 before Adobe Flash Player includes GPU acceleration out of 
the box.  I know many people that would love to put an EeeBox on 
their home theater that could run Hulu reliably - I am one of them 
and eagerly await the day we can do so!  
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