A new HD codec chip coming to market promises to bring high res screens to even the cheapest of gadgets – it costs under a fiver! Read on to see how the low-end just became high-end.
We showed you last week how a new, mini HDMI port promises to bring HD visuals to everything from iPods to phones, but pointed out that we’d need more advanced hardware like NVIDIA’s Tegra set up for gadgets to be able to churn out voluptuous videos at watchable speeds.
See the NVIDIA Tegra in action
A solution is here though, and for much less than we thought. US company eASIC has just unveiled its eDV9200 H.264 codec chip, which is capable of playing back everything from VGA to 720p. Technically, that’s nothing new, but these little HD critters cost just $4.99 (£3.20) each!
The upshot for us is that you’ll eventually be able to slap an HD display into any sort of gadget you can imagine, at any sort of price. eASIC says this could include toys, baby monitors, and even screens on buses, but we’re looking forward to the day where even the cheapest phone comes with a sparkling HD screen. There’s no word on any takers just yet, but expect low tech to take a big leap forward soon.
Out TBC | £TBC | eASIC (Via Engadget)
