VESA Issues Internal DisplayPort Standard for Flat Panel TVs

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) recently issued the Internal DisplayPort (iDP) interface standard to enhance inside-the-box connectivity for flat panel TVs. Based on the DisplayPort 1.2 standard, iDP is designed to replace Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) by using a simpler and higher-performing connectivity technology.

The VESA iDP standard addresses the connection between a TV controller system-on-chip (SOC) and a TV panel Timing Controller (TCON) within a TV chassis. With only 17 signals, eight differential pairs and one Hot Plug Detect (HPD) signal, the iDP link transports Full HD 240Hz at 10 bits per color, compared to the 96 signal requirement of LVDS. It provides optimizations specific for internal flat panel TV applications, similar to the VESA Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) interface standard used for the internal displays within notebooks and other PC devices.

The standard’s scalability allows iDP to support future design needs. For example, an iDP 1080p 3D implementation requires only two banks of 16 differential pairs and one HPD for 65 signals, compared to the 192 differential pairs that an LVDS implementation would require. iDP also eliminates the many LVDS printed circuit board traces and device pins, reducing system form factor and cost as well as lowering the shielding requirement by reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI). The standard is fully open and royalty-free, allowing for healthy competition among component suppliers, encouraging innovation with manufacturers and reducing costs for consumers.

“Today’s flat panel TV manufacturers are in a constant race to provide better picture quality, more realistic animation, and even 3D video. This continues to push refresh rates higher and has created the need for a new high-speed panel interface standard. VESA’s iDP standard meets that need while also helping control costs,” said VESA Executive Director Bill Lempesis in VESA’s May press release.

OWC Offers a New Level of SSD Performance

While most solid-state drive (SSD) manufacturers have been attracting new customers by lowering prices, Other World Computing (OWC) is taking a different approach: delivering the most powerful product on the market. OWC announced its new line of Mercury Extreme Pro SSDs, offering exciting performance features in the largest capacity of any current OWC SSD.

The line of prosumer SSDs takes all the benefits of SSDs – faster speeds, greater reliability and lower power consumption – to a whole new level. The Mercury Extreme Pro line delivers up to 285MB/s sustained data rates with no speed degradation, making it one of the fastest SSDs available. In a side-by-side comparison test, the Mercury Extreme Pro SSD booted an OS and loaded six apps in just over 30 seconds, compared to the nearly two minutes it took the factory standard hard drive. The SSDs feature seven percent over-provisioning to offer the highest level of data reliability, offering up to 100x greater data protection than ordinary SSDs. To top it off, the SSDs use up to 1/7 less power than standard SSDs, enabling longer notebook battery runtime and a more energy efficient system.

The SSDs are available for pre-order for both PC and Mac platforms and can be easily installed into notebooks as well as desktop systems with an adapter. They are available in capacities of 60GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB for $219.99, $379.00, $699.99 and $1,579.99, respectively.

OCZ’s Enyo Portable SSDs Deliver Top Speeds

This week, OCZ Technology unveiled an exciting new line of Enyo Portable solid-state drives (SSDs) featuring SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) technology. The SSDs incorporate all the advantages of an internal SSD – better speed, performance and durability with lower power consumption – into a portable external storage device. This allows consumers to transfer data between multiple computers using one of the fastest backup drives to date.

The Enyo series enables impressive read and write speeds that are sure to please even the most demanding consumers. With up to 260MB/s read, 200MB/s write and 150MB/s sustained write capabilities, the Enyo SSD can copy a 6GB DVD in 20 seconds and a 25GB Blu-ray in 70 seconds. These speeds allow the SSDs to take full advantage of the 5Gbps speeds offered by SuperSpeed USB, a significant speed boost over traditional rotating media. “Background garbage collection” helps maintain optimized performance throughout the product’s lifespan by addressing the fragmentation caused by combined writes while the system idles. The Enyo SSDs are ultra-portable, weighing just 87.7g, are fully backwards-compatible with legacy ports and do not require external power supplies. The SSD line is based on multi-level cell (ML) NAND flash memory and is available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB varieties for $229.99, $409.99 and $819.99, respectively.

SSDs and SuperSpeed USB are continuing to broaden their market reach as products push technological boundaries. As more manufacturers adopt SuperSpeed USB and as SSDs continue to gain traction, manufacturers are capable of delivering the highest level of quality and functionality to their customers. With customers demanding greater speed and performance, we can expect more SSDs and SuperSpeed USB certified devices on the market in the near future.

Allion Japan Implementing Tektronix Solution for HDMI 1.4a and USB 3.0

This week, Allion Japan announced with Tektronix, Inc. that they will implement Tektronix test and measurement solutions supporting HDMI 1.4a and SuperSpeed USB in their certification test services. As one of the first compliance test labs to conduct certification testing for HDMI 1.4a and USB 3.0 in one facility, this is an exciting development for Allion.

Read the complete announcement.

Verifying SSD Quality and Performance through Testing

As Solid State Drives (SSDs) become widely available and popular with consumers, manufacturers are striving to meet high levels of performance and interoperability. With more operating systems (OS) being supported, along with faster speeds and higher performance requirements, manufacturers need their products to undergo a variety of tests to ensure quality and interoperability before they enter the market.

To help manufacturers meet the highest level of performance and compatibility, Allion has developed a series of tests to ensure the quality of SSDs:

• Hardware Testing: This series of testing provides basic interface conformance and thermal impact benchmarks. It includes high-speed electrical testing, interface protocol testing, thermal testing and mechanical testing.
• Reliability Testing: These fundamental tests help ensure user data will not be compromised due to drive failure. It includes data integrity testing, IO stress testing, power cycle testing, endurance testing and data retention testing.
• Compatibility Testing: These tests ensure that the SSD is compatible with most of the systems available on the market. The SSD is installed in various systems to verify that the different functions of the drive and system work and data is transferred properly. Full compatibility testing includes system compatibility testing and RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) compatibility testing.
• Performance Testing: Complete performance testing detects possible firmware flaws and allows developers to benchmark the market competitiveness of their solution. This series of tests measures performance stability, composite performance, OS installation time, Windows boot/suspend performance, WinSAT, power consumption, and performance on Linux and Mac systems. Manufacturers receive a competitive report to show how their product compares with other SSDs on the market.
• Trim Testing: Trim is a feature available on Windows 7 that reduces the amount of data that is deleted, increasing SSD speed and lifespan by allowing it to delete unnecessary data in advance before it is rewritten. Allion tests Trim support, Trim command performance, I/O latency with Trim, performance degradation and Windows Volume Shadow Service (VSS), which allows users to revert a networked file back to a previous version.

Thorough SSD testing can help both system OEMs and SSD manufacturers guarantee product quality and compatibility. By combining the complete SSD testing process into one facility, Allion is able to deliver the most cost-effective testing environment for developers, providing valuable feedback that can speed up development cycles. Faster development in turn speeds deployment of the product to market while also allowing manufacturers to deliver a device that they can stand behind.

Testing the Google Chrome Browser

After working hard to fine-tune and crank up the speed of its offering, Google has released the latest version of the Google Chrome Browser. According to tests and technology pundits, it appears Google’s hard work has paid off, with the latest beta release giving users the fastest Chrome offering to date.

Using a series of benchmarks, Google has demonstrated a dramatic increase in Chrome’s performance. The V8 and SunSpider benchmarks show that the latest browser version has a 30-35 percent speed improvement over its predecessor, marking a 213-305 percent improvement since Google’s very first beta.

In addition to speed, the latest version of Chrome comes with a number of new features. Users can now sync their bookmarks and browser preferences, including homepage, themes and startup settings, across multiple computers. Users can also use Chrome extensions while in incognito mode, allowing a user to browse privately without recording browsing or download histories. This is also useful when borrowing a PC so as to not disturb the primary user’s browser settings, saved passwords and history.

Google also used a series of non-traditional testing methods to measure the browser’s speed capabilities. You can view the full results below:

Chrome’s speed and features have been appealing to users. According to a recent study by Net Applications, Chrome’s market share has grown steadily since its release in December 2008, nearly doubling from October 2009 to April 2010. With its combination of speed, features and customization options, Google’s Chrome is continuing to gain traction among the vast and varied browser offerings available to users.

SSD Test Solution Seminar Post Review

The solid state technology remains a captivating topic in the IT industry, despite the effect of the fluctuation on the costs of NAND Flash. On April 27, representatives came from PC manufacturers, NAND Flash makers, IC design houses and Module houses have gathered for Allion’s first major event of this year, the “SSD Test Solution Seminar” which was held at Allion’s Taipei facility in Taiwan.

For nearly 3 hours of event, over 150 attendees have witnessed, as Allion delivered a series SSD test concept focusing on the SSD Endurance, Data Retention, Signal Integrity through connecting interfaces, OS Optimization, Industry Standards and the emerging TRIM Command.

A live demonstration featuring SSD Power Cycle and Stress Test were also conducted by Allion test engineers to the audience. And in order for all the participants to experience if they have implemented TRIM Command properly in their SSDs, Allion offers free TRIM Command Testing Sessions that each company will be able to schedule a free test slot privately with the Allion’s service representative. To explore more on Allion’s presentation, please visit http://www.allion.com/training.html

MeeGo has Coming-Out Party at IDF Beijing

Earlier this month in Beijing, Intel provided the first public demonstrations of its new MeeGo mobile Linux platform. The MeeGo, which promises to provide a lightweight yet feature-robust OS for a number of applications, is the result of a partnership with Nokia and previous work in mobile Linux under the banner Moblin (MeeGo = Moblin + Maemo).
Currently being touted for inclusion with smart phones, tablets, connected televisions, netbooks and embedded applications including automotive and digital display verticals, MeeGo provides a compelling solution for designers looking for a robust OS without high cost and complex customization. The solution, which was first shown operating on an Intel-powered netbook, was showcased as providing a substantial set of features for end-users while still being customizable for developers.
As with any off-the-shelf software solution, extensive testing of software and hardware interaction will be necessary to ensure a complete and satisfactory user experience. But with many articles pointing out the promise of MeeGo for low-cost and low-power devices like mobile phones, MeeGo might have the appeal to spread into many different verticals.
Intel is currently targeting a May 2010 release of the open source MeeGo solution. Learn more at the extensive MeeGo website, which includes many resources for developers.

Budget SSD Market Continues to Grow

As the solid-state drive (SSD) market continues to expand, consumers are increasingly able to select features and options to meet their individual needs. While some want the most powerful SSD money can buy, others are looking for the best value. And as more SSDs enter the market, the value-conscious consumer will soon be celebrating.
A number of companies have recently introduced lines of SSDs aimed at the budget-conscious consumer, reducing the cost of an SSD without sacrificing performance. In March, OCZ Technology was one of the first companies to break the $100 barrier with the release of the 32G Onyx SSD. Super Talent Technology recently introduced its own line of value SSDs, dubbed the Super Talent VSSD. The VSSDs are available in capacities from 8G to 64G and start as low as $65.
SSDs offer several benefits over traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). SSDs deliver increased speed and power efficiency, enabling better battery life. The use of flash memory improves data access capabilities, resulting in a shorter bootup time and faster application loading. Overall, SSDs provide a more rugged and portable computing experience than their HDD counterparts.
Budget SSD products continue to emerge, meeting users’ demands for increased speed and performance while keeping costs low. The overall SSD market growth has been incredible, and the trend is expected to continue. For the manufacturers, appealing to budget-conscious consumers may be the best way to see widespread market adoption.