ATI Integrates Stream acceleration

AMD is set to release a free software giving Set to Release ATI Radeon owners a new way to run demanding computing tasks faster. The company plans to release for download a free ATI Catalyst driver update that instantly unlocks new ATI Stream acceleration capabilities already built into ATI Radeon graphics cards.

ATI Stream is a set of hardware and software technologies that enable AMD graphics processors (GPU), working in concert with the system?s central processor (CPU), to accelerate applications beyond just graphics. ATI Stream-enabled software titles for entertainment, gaming, and productivity are being released or are under development by independent software vendors (ISVs) including ArcSoft and CyberLink.

To give users immediate benefit from ATI Stream, AMD also plans to release in December a free downloadable version of its ATI Avivo Video Converter utility. According to AMD, this application enables transcoding of HD video up to 17 times faster than with the CPU alone, in tests performed using an ATI Radeon HD 4850.

The next ATI Catalyst release is version 8.12. AMD has begun distributing a beta version to its hardware and software technology partners for testing, with the final version scheduled to be released for download on or around December 10.

General Tech Headlines

It seems as if a single summarized article on the latest tech headlines were not enough today. In the news today since the previous edition of General Tech Headlines:

Valve has unleashed the Left 4 Dead pre-order system via Steam. Those who pre-purchase via Steam will save 10% off the regular price. The pre-order promotions are part of a $10 million marketing campaign
that includes television, outdoor, online and print advertising. Left 4 Dead is due for release on PC and Xbox 360 on November 18 in North America and November 21 in Europe. The worldwide Steam release will happen November 18.

A demo for Tom Clancy’s EndWar has hit the Xbox Live Marketplace today. The demo is a large one, coming in at 1.6GB, despite containing only one map. The map it does include lets you experiment with both single-player and the 1-versus-1 multiplayer options.

Sun has released an Update 10 to the Java Runtime Environment 6. This is not an essential update but if you run Java-based applications it is recommended.

Nvidia has released Version 6.03 of the Nvidia System Tools, a collection of system monitoring and adjustment utilities.

ATI has released the Catalyst 8.10 graphics drivers. This version adds fan speed control and the ability to force Component Video detection, as well as resolving a range of bugs.

Technorati Tags: ati, nvidia, drivers, catalyst, forceware, sun java, update, end war, left 4 dead