The possibilities of a HDTV powered by Cell

by Nick Doerr { Jan 11th 2008 at 6:30PM }

What would a TV be like if it used the Cell Processor as the base for its technology? Toshiba asked themselves this question and built a prototype television utilizing the Cell and we have to say -- it's almost sensory overload. First off, real-time upscaling of regular ol' TV to high-definition is done flawlessly. No need to pay a premium for HD channels, we guess. The TV will do you one better -- in addition to upscaling the picture, you can actually zoom in on the picture being shown in real-time and the picture will auto-focus and re-upscale itself. Impressive? You bet. Useful? If you're analyzing a sports game, perhaps.

How about this: instead of channel surfing one channel at a time, the Cell allows your television to display multiple channels simultaneously. It's like picture-in-picture, but 48 of them. Or 24, depending how you interpret our math. Clicking on one of these thumbnails brings up the video in the bottom half of the screen while the top half continues to stream the other channels; push whatever the button is again and it moves to full-screen. These small thumbnails are in standard definition -- if they were in HD, the TV would only be able to stream six of them at once. Other features haven't been decided on yet, but with that at the very outset you can bet this will be the ultimate TV set to own in the coming years. Color us impressed.

Tags: cell, cell-processor, toshiba

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

MeLindi @ Feb 6th 2008 10:03PM

I would like to know how to purchase a TV with the Cell Processor as well as a laptop. Also I found a site Terra Soft that sells PS3 with Yellow dog Linux preinstalled - and multi PS3 systems. I am interested in writing programs for Chemistry and Molecular Biology for the PS3 and get Academic Institutions to begin using these mighty processors. We need to get rid of all the PC & Mac and start using the PS3 for all computing work.
I am so ready to go.
MeLindi

farce83 @ Jan 11th 2008 6:49PM

Can we say Back to the Future part II?

Dane @ Jan 11th 2008 7:50PM

EXACTLY what I was thinking when I read this.

mr sauce @ Jan 11th 2008 6:49PM

where can I pre-order??? Sign me up!!!

Tristan @ Jan 12th 2008 3:57PM

I need one of these TVS too!!!!

Ruben @ Jan 11th 2008 6:49PM

Wow please be LCD!

Schoolimangooli @ Jan 11th 2008 6:50PM

Please excuse me for my ignorance, but why is this article in PS3fanboy.com. Is it the a Sony cell chip that Toshiba using?

Branden @ Jan 11th 2008 6:55PM

the cell chip is in the ps3

Anticrawl @ Jan 11th 2008 8:36PM

The cell chip is owned by IBM, Sony just has an optimized Cell processor in their PS3 kinda like the 360 and Wii use custom PowerPC processors from IBM. Seems this is more engadget HD article. Glad to hear it though, sounds impressive. Sony won't make a dime on this, especially if Toshiba gets a sole license to use the Cell in their TVs from IBM.

Tim Parsons @ Jan 11th 2008 8:49PM

@ Anticrawl

Actually SONY,IBM,& TOSHIBA jointly created the Cell, neither needs permission from the other for anything Cell is own and was designed by STI Design ( do you need a hint has to what STI stands for?,. SONY,TOSHIBA,IBM)

you should try to look things up a bit more b4 explaining things to others,. only thing worst then someone with know clue what their talking about is someone who fits the bill but thinks they do ,. LOL

Noshino @ Jan 12th 2008 1:14AM

actually Tim, IBM alone does own the patents for the Cell...so, if we go by what has been reported (since the public doesn't really know of confidential contracts/pacts between them), IBM owns the rights to the Cell...

Anticrawl @ Jan 12th 2008 2:53PM

@Tim Parsons

Sorry man, but maybe you need to do a little more research before attacking a fellow poster. It would help if you actually had a legible style of typing.

I presonally would love to see a Cell chip in my next Bravia, but it's a lot more complicated than you're making it out to be.

xFenixKnightx @ Jan 11th 2008 6:50PM

Damn, color me impressed as well. Damn I hate being a tech freak =( Especially since Im usually teh brokes -$

RagingStormX @ Jan 11th 2008 7:10PM

Son of a bitch!.....its like just when you thought you've bought the best HDTV...WHAM! you see uber shit like this to blow your current TV sky high out of the water....damn you damn you all to hell.......Oh, can I have one to go please :)

nnarum23 @ Jan 11th 2008 7:16PM

Sony, make it happen! I'll take one in a 46" please.

TinyTim121 @ Jan 11th 2008 7:16PM

How much?

Dehshizknight @ Jan 11th 2008 7:26PM

If it's an LCD, I'll only buy it if its made by Sony or Samsung because they make the better LCD's.

ck @ Jan 11th 2008 7:32PM

The original PS3 spec had 3 gigabit network ports, and was originally intended to be used as a gateway for your home network, but this only requires two ports. What was the third port for?

Sony have already said that gigabit ethernet is fast enough to allow clustering with other cell-powered gear, and with manufacturers now talking about putting cells into displays as general purpose processors, I'm betting we'll see a new PS3 SKU with multiple gig ethernet ports, allowing you to boost your PS3's power if you have any other cell-powered gear around.

Vince UK @ Jan 11th 2008 7:36PM

"In a demo at CES, the chip was streaming 48 chapters from a standard-definition video file in real-time, with each appearing as a video thumbnail on the screen."

This is a far cry from displaying 48 different live tv channels simultaneously, this just sounds like the video thumbnail thing the PS3 does with it's video files.
The upscaling abilities sound useful though.

ck @ Jan 11th 2008 7:38PM

The video thumbnails on the PS3 are pre-saved as separate animated thumbnail files and aren't read directly from the video file as you're browsing files, so it's quite different from streaming in real time.

Vince UK @ Jan 11th 2008 7:44PM

But the article talks of "chapters", which suggests video clips of a certain length.

Vince UK @ Jan 11th 2008 7:53PM

Ignore that last comment I'm getting confused about what I'm trying to say.

Sam @ Jan 11th 2008 7:53PM

Upscaling never convinces me.

You can stretch out pixels and blur them and smooth them and sharpen them, but you cant bring out detail that wasn't there to to start with.

I'll be convinced when i see it but every instance of upscaling i've ever seen has dissapointed me.

Then again i'm a videophile so...i may have a more wary eye than the average consumer.

Tim Parsons @ Jan 11th 2008 8:55PM

True,.. 480P upscaled can never look has good as true 1080P or even 720P as you said you can't see detail that was never there,.

But this is Dedicated Hardware upscaling of signals the TV is getting,. Normally you'd need an Upscaling DVD player to do it for you. Any HDTV automatically is "streching" the image for you to fit it's native Resolution,. but with this TV it's done on a hardware level,. it's like a Built in UPSCALER for every signal the TV receives,.

But still this won't be as Good as an Actual HD signal/image

B1gC72 @ Jan 11th 2008 9:30PM

coolio. color me impressed. too bad i have no moneys. but in the same vein i guess these a little ways off so i could hit the lotto or something between then and now.....but that would require me actually playing the lotto. dammit.....

Haiddasalami @ Jan 11th 2008 9:50PM

This in a Bravia. Come on! Planning on finally entering into this whole hd business with the bravia (the one with the xmb). It matches the PS3!

Kspraydad @ Jan 11th 2008 10:48PM

Cell Powered PSP2 running the games AND the display?

:)

Anyway...hoping to get the Bravia this year but if this tech is close will I have buyers remorse?

Leo @ Jan 12th 2008 2:18AM

Holy....

finelicker @ Jan 12th 2008 6:16AM

@20

Well said that man. You can't get something out of nothing. If the detail is not there in the first place, it can't just invent new detail.

DMeisterJ @ Jan 12th 2008 7:47AM

BEHOLD, TEH TRU3 POW3R OF TEH C3LL!!!!!!!!

bamf @ Jan 12th 2008 11:12AM

I'm sure Sony said they'll use the Cell in future Bravia's. I don't think people in here are too sure who owns the rights to Cell. I know that the development of the Cell was joint between Sony, Toshiba and IBM. The cell in the PS3 isn't bought from IBM like the CPU's from Wii and 360. Sony had a hand in the development process, using their own R&D teams and money jointly with IBM and Toshiba. Sony had their own Cell fabrication plants untill they recently sold in on. But I don't think they ever sold the rights to use it, so Sony can use the Cell in anything they want and they even talked about mobile phones.

Noshino @ Jan 12th 2008 4:10PM

yes, they can, but like I stated, the only public documents in regards of the ownership rights of the Cell are the patents filled by IBM (NOT STI) for it...

We DO NOT know if there are other documents which share the ownership/rights of the Cell in between the 3 of them, I mean, so long as they are friendly to each other they can use/produce the Cell as much as they want, but if a problem was to arise, IBM would have papers to back them up....