Microsoft has opted for ATI’s H.264 decoder to be placed into the upcoming HD-DVD movie add-on for the Xbox 360 console. The ATI decoder technology will use the Xbox 360’s graphics processing unit (GPU) to accelerate video processing.
Todd Holmdahl, corporate vice president of Xbox 360hardware development, says, “The Xbox 360 gives consumers access to a world of high-definition games and video content through Xbox Live Marketplace. With the new Xbox 360 HD DVD player using ATI’s decoder technology, we’re giving consumers the choice to playback the latest in high-definition movies. HD DVD brings new meaning to the term home theater. When people see the visual clarity and realism that Microsoft and ATI are delivering through the Xbox 360 this holiday, they will be blown away.”
According to the ATI website:
HD DVDs encoded using one of three approved codecs deliver up to six times the resolution of traditional DVDs all on a single disc. Built on ATI’s Avivo™ technology, the decoder used for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player brings to bear ATI’s considerable multimedia know-how to ensure gamers, home theatre buffs, and casual viewers alike get a more perfect picture from the H.264 format.