AMD Announces VISION Technology

AMD today announced a new way to help consumers select the PC that best meets their needs. Working with retailers and PC manufactures, VISION Technology from AMD breaks the model in how PC benefits are communicated. Rather than the traditional model, which focuses on the technical specifications of individual hardware components, VISION communicates the value of the whole system and demonstrates the combined processing power of both the CPU and GPU to deliver a superior visual experience to mainstream PC users. It emphasizes how an AMD-based PC is optimized for video, digital media and content creation activities. VISION guides the industry past the era of CPU-centric marketing and describes the PC capabilities in terms of what can be enjoyed on the system - see, share, create. This helps consumers to make better informed buying decisions.

"Today's consumer cares about what they can do with their PC, not what's inside," said Nigel Dessau, CMO of AMD. "They want a rich HD and entertainment experience on their PC, delivered by the combined technology of AMD CPUs and GPUs, without having to understand what gigahertz and gigabytes mean. VISION technology from AMD reflects the maturation of marketing in the PC processing industry and communicates the technology in a more meaningful way."

Notebook PCs with VISION Technology from AMD are expected to be widely available on retail shelves and online during the holiday buying season timed to the release of the Windows 7 operating system from Microsoft. Complementing VISION, Windows 7 supports DirectX 10, Direct X10.1, and Direct X11 for richer 3D detail on games and other media apps, and a Unified Video Decoder to free up the CPU so that users can have a superior visual and more responsive computing experience while converting video for use on hand held devices. This last activity is greatly simplified and much more rapid with the new Drag and Drop feature of Windows 7.

"We are excited for the upcoming launch of Windows 7, when our OEM partners will introduce some exciting new PCs that match our mutual customer's needs and feedback," said Mike Ybarra, general manager of Windows Product Management at Microsoft Corp. "Coupled with VISION Technology from AMD, customers can feel confident that the PC they purchase will deliver a rich, tailored PC experience."

AMD's 2009 notebook platforms, also announced today, serve as the first proof points for VISION Technology. Mainstream OEM notebooks offered with VISION have next-generation HD graphics technology for rich, vivid HD and Blu-ray video playback, life-like 3D games, brilliant, clear photos, and multi-tasking power for editing photos, music and videos.

For consumers seeking rich PC experiences in a very thin and stylish notebook, innovative ultrathin OEM notebooks with VISION are designed to deliver highly responsive, balanced performance and a superior visual experience at accessible price points. VISION technology contains three levels of increasingly rich PC system capabilities: VISION Basic, VISION Premium, and VISION Ultimate to reflect the different usage patterns of PC consumers: from digital consumption to content creation.

These notebook platforms bring visually-rich experiences to consumers through features such as:

• UP to one billion colors for crystal-clear photos and videos,
• DirectX 10.1 for smooth, lifelike games,
• 7.1 audio for pulse-pounding music; and
• Blu-ray support for the latest movies.