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Plastic Chips...Cheaper Athlon PCs...Replay Refocuses... |
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AnchorDesk Staff ZDNet AnchorDesk Wednesday, November 29, 2000 |
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Cambridge University researchers are working on next-generation microprocessor technology that uses plastic instead of silicon, which could lead to low-cost chips. Plastic Logic says it has patented a technique of printing plastic to a polymer substrate, creating cheap and flexible plastic transistors. While they probably won't replace silicon, cheap plastic processors could be used in smart appliances and to create cheaper flat-panel displays. VIA HELPS LOWER ATHLON PRICES
Chip maker VIA Technologies says its upcoming KM133 chip set for AMD processors could cut consumer PC prices by up to 10%. The new chip set will feature integrated graphics from its recent acquisition of S3 Graphics. By combining S3 Graphics' technology with the part of the chip set called the North Bridge, VIA hopes to cut the cost of manufacturing the chip set while potentially eliminating the need for a separate graphics unit within the PC. REPLAY REFOCUSES
Personal Video Recorder provider ReplayTV is getting out of the set-top business in order to refocus on licensing its technology to cable providers and other manufacturers. ReplayTV said it was losing money on retail sales of its set-top devices and was not generating advertising revenue fast enough. Additionally, cable operators and satellite-television providers want to integrate the personal video recorder features into their own set-top boxes. Replay had also faced stiff competition from rival TiVo.
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