Hardware innovations you'd like to see become mainstream

blakerwry

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as in your DVD player is connected to your reciever which is connected to your speakers and monitor, all wirelessly.

You almost wouldn't need a reciever.... if the speakers were wireless they'd be self powered anyway... so it's possible that your TV could run them...
 

Jan Kivar

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Got any better protocol? The key for TV/computer linkage (or pretty much any link, like controlling the lights/AC/heating of your house with computer) is the communication protocol. It has to be universal (like TCP/IP), or You can't use products from different manufacturers. If we like to have gear that can work wireless (with nothing more than power cables), they all must use same means of communication.

Cheers,

Jan
 

blakerwry

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True, tcp/ip is cheap to implement because all the foundations are there already there... but what about blue tooth? cant you use RFCOMM (simliar to serial port connection)? or UDP?

I would just think for completely streaming type data you might be able to do better than TCP/IP... specifically UDP.


Or there might be a new appliance protocol.. that is why i mentioned BlueTooth... I think we are coming to the beginning of where computers are beginning to merge with appliances.. we will start to see more computer-appliances and they will inevitably become wireless. What we will need then is a simple, robust way for communication between devices. If there is a need, someone will fill it.
 

Jan Kivar

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I think we're going to see Wi-Fi gear. Intel wants us to use it, most of the new laptop chipsets have Wi-Fi integrated. BlueTooth shares the same frequency bandwidth (at least with the 11 mbps Wi-Fi version), so they don't mix up very well.

Cheers,

Jan
 

blakerwry

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quite possibly...


what is the speed for bluetooth? how does it compare to other protocols?

I was at target warlier and noticed that they had these little bluetooth USB devices.... about as big as those USB memory drives (or a sony memory stick)..

In any event, they were selling the kit for $99.. had two of these bluetooth USB networking devices and software to network 2 windows boxes together... looked like a neat setup... problem is it was only 1Mbit/sec and I believe bluetooth has a pretty short range.

So maybe good for laptops, but not very appealing for desktops.
 

Jan Kivar

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Bluetooth is OK to use in mobile market. Bluetooth HF kit is nice, as is syncing the calendar without the hassle of cables or IR. The range is quite small, less than 10 meters in free air. As You mentioned, the transfer rates are low: bluetooth has 1 mbps theoretical, and with the frequency hopping and ack/verify eats some of the bandwidth. IIRC, the max true transfer rate is 723 kbps.

Cheers,

Jan
 

Cliptin

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blakerwry said:
I would just think for completely streaming type data you might be able to do better than TCP/IP... specifically UDP.

I would think they would use somethig with a little less setup/tear-down overhead. NetBeui is popular. :D
 

Jan Kivar

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TCP/IP has it's pros and cons... You could access your house from the Net. But so could any other (security must be very tight).

But it would be cool to check whether your neighbour has some cold beer in the fridge... :wink:

Jan
 

Handruin

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I could see it now..."Neighbors fridge shut down during a DDoS attack". :compress:
 

Cliptin

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Jan Kivar said:
TCP/IP has it's pros and cons... You could access your house from the Net. But so could any other (security must be very tight).

But it would be cool to check whether your neighbour has some cold beer in the fridge... :wink:

Jan

You could use one communication point within your house to communicate to the outside over IP. You could control everything on the inside from this one point. Everything on the inside should use a less expensive protocol.
 

blakerwry

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well, there are obvious reasons for wanting things to communicate outside.. such as the comercial that features your fridge automatically ordering food when it's low on a common item like milk.

but for other things... such as DVD, CD, and TV you(by you I mean the Recording industry) would probably not want communicating outside your home... it might be against copyright laws to be broadcasting material outside your home(publicly available) or it might just be a privacy/security issue with your own data.


If we were setting things up today, I'd say use one of those network over power outlet devices and hook all your appliances to it... for low bandwidth devices it would be great.



Boy, you know that would be really nice if appliances had network capablity... I can just imagine plugging one cat5 cable from my DVD player to my TV at that would be it...

And instead of a traditional reciever you would have something that operates more like a hub... allowing all devices to talk to eachother simultaneoulsy without quality loss... so i could be watching a DVD on the TV while recording multiple television or radio programs to my DVR...


I wonder what the difference in cost of audio and video codecs are on multimedia devices like DVD, VHS, TV, etc... I wonder how that compares to having an ethernet connection...
 

fool

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I'd be really leery about doing anything in the analogue domain inside a computer (amps to give you proper speaker posts) at least any analogue I wanted to listen to. For AV what I want is progressive scan capable component I/O and something that will pass a 24/192 data stream(can you hear the difference? Probably not but why throw away info before you have to?)

What I do want on the next all singing all dancing turbo nutter CPU/motherboard combo I buy is some way to change the clock speed through the Os while the thing is running. Isn't that a software thing? Yes but AFAIK no current CPU or motherboard would let the software do it so I reckon its hardware too.
I want this because I'm fussy, really fussy, about noise, IMO if you can hear a computer its too loud. But I do a lot of fairly heavy duty PhotoShop stuff which can always use more power. So I want to be able to choose whether my machine is a quiet cool box suitable for all those mundane things or weather its a wailing banshee of a beast that can liquefy 100Mb of PhotoShop file in less time than it takes me to cook dinner, eat it, and wash up.
 

Mercutio

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Actually most overclocker friendly motherboards have a tool that lets you adjust frequency settings on the fly. Ages ago I recall a tool that did the same thing for multiplier settings, but it only worked on Abit BX boards.
 

blakerwry

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All AMD and intel CPU's since the pentiumMMX are capable of recieving a HALT command... this command basically turns off your CPU, simliar to the power management functions of a monitor or hard drive.

The makes my Athlon XP1700+ operate at 3F above case temps when idle... a palomino operating at below 90F is a sight to see...

The main problem with this is that VIA boards are set to ignore the HALT function by default... what's more is there is no BIOS interface to allow you to change this setting... the only way i know how is through software/drivers.


additionally, you can get a program called SoftFSB.. .i believe dev. on it has halted and it may no longer work on current motherboards... but it used to allow you to change your FSB speed in windows...



One peculiar thing i found out is my 440BX board has temp monitoring in BIOS... and if the temps reach a temperature of my choosing the mobo will slow down my CPU to a clock speed of my choice.. pretty nifty... why isn't this available on all computers?


Some mobo's also have support for slowing down fan speeds when they are in suspend mode... this is a great idea... I wish more boards would do this.



So, basically what I'm saying is there are a number of solutions currently available for you... if you have an Athlon, turn on HALT detection and get a smart PSU, case, and CPU fan... if you have an intel, just get smart fans...
 

Cliptin

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blakerwry said:
additionally, you can get a program called SoftFSB.. .i believe dev. on it has halted and it may no longer work on current motherboards... but it used to allow you to change your FSB speed in windows...

I have used this on a decidedly un-overclock friendly motherboard and it still worked OK. There were no such settings even in the BIOS.
 

Pradeep

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Well for consumer audio/video, it loks like DVI with HDCP will be the way forward. The studios are happy because with the encryption nothing can be recorded directly in digital. There is also Firewire with encryption, used to connect things like D-VHS decks to HDTVs, the encryption kicks in when you playback an HD DigitalTheatre tape.
 

blakerwry

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Pradeep said:
Well for consumer audio/video, it loks like DVI with HDCP will be the way forward. The studios are happy because with the encryption nothing can be recorded directly in digital. There is also Firewire with encryption, used to connect things like D-VHS decks to HDTVs, the encryption kicks in when you playback an HD DigitalTheatre tape.

im sure they're going to do a helluva lot better job w/ encryption than they did with DVD's...

Of course, you can always find where the video is in analog form and nab it there... but that leads to quality losses.
 

Jan Kivar

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blakerwry said:
All AMD and intel CPU's since the pentiumMMX are capable of recieving a HALT command... this command basically turns off your CPU, simliar to the power management functions of a monitor or hard drive.

The makes my Athlon XP1700+ operate at 3F above case temps when idle... a palomino operating at below 90F is a sight to see...

Some mobo's also have support for slowing down fan speeds when they are in suspend mode... this is a great idea... I wish more boards would do this.

Blakerwry, You really need to dig out the motherboard's manual. If You enable S3 suspend mode (STR, or Suspend To RAM) from BIOS, You can suspend the computer and it goes completely off. No fans, no hard disks, no nothing. Only RAM is at slow refresh. Once You turn the computer back on, BIOS/SCSI/IDE RAID identification is skipped. So basically You have Windows desktop as soon as the disks have spinned up.

Two drawbacks: No *ix/linux support (that I know of), OS has to be 2K/XP and the HW must support the power saving modes. Wait, that's three... Oh, I'm not sure whether You can change the setting with current installation (issues similiar as changing the ACPI feature).

The HALT command is great. I use vCool, room temp is about 23 degrees Celsius, and CPU/case has temps of 29-30 degrees Celsius. But I have a nice windtunnel in my computer: Antec 1030B case, with three 80mm Papst 12 dB case fans (two back, one front), one 80mm Papst 26 dB CPU fan, two fans in my Enermax PS and the GPU fan. Despite the low dB readings the computer is quite noisy. I haven't pinpointed the noisiest component, but I think it's the PS/GPU. Silencing will be the job for summer.

Cheers,

Jan
 

jtr1962

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One thing I definitely would appreciate is a replacement for the mouse that basically points at whatever I'm looking at, and has buttons activated by some basic thought pattern or minor muscle movement(maybe the small muscles under the ears). Since I have intermittant carpal tunnel syndrome, it just plain hurts when I'm using a mouse continuously for a couple of hours, even with a good wrist rest. I have lesser problems with the keyboard, although a mind-controlled substitute for that would be nice as well. Not the stupid interface that you talk to, either. I heard the error rate is still appalling, plus I don't need everybody within earshot hearing what I'm typing. I can think far faster than I can either physically type or talk, so this is yet another reason for a thought-controlled keyboard.

At the very least a no hands pointing device should be feasible with today's technology. The other types of pointing devices on the market today are even more tedious to use than mice. In particular, I hate trackballs with a passion. My thump or wrist gets stiff after about 10 minutes, and the pointing accuracy is atrocious.
 

Dïscfärm

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jtr1962 said:
One thing I definitely would appreciate is a replacement for the mouse that basically points at whatever I'm looking at..

The principle approach to the hands off interface has been the 3-D GUI. The 3-D GUI is not a new idea, instead it's an idea that has been kicked about for years.

3-D GUI is talked about in this SPIE (International Society Of Optical Engineering) paper, which is a 90KB PDF file:

http://www.movesinstitute.org/darken/publications/virtualmenus.pdf



A working 3-D interface is talked about here in this 165KB online PowerPoint presentation:

http://www.movesinstitute.org/darken/courses/MV4001/Presentations_Su00/selection_Su00.ppt



...which is based on research from 1992:

http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Research/Reports/Techreports/1992/HTML/RNR-92-011.html

 

blakerwry

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Jan Kivar said:
blakerwry said:
All AMD and intel CPU's since the pentiumMMX are capable of recieving a HALT command... this command basically turns off your CPU, simliar to the power management functions of a monitor or hard drive.

The makes my Athlon XP1700+ operate at 3F above case temps when idle... a palomino operating at below 90F is a sight to see...

Some mobo's also have support for slowing down fan speeds when they are in suspend mode... this is a great idea... I wish more boards would do this.

Blakerwry, You really need to dig out the motherboard's manual. If You enable S3 suspend mode (STR, or Suspend To RAM) from BIOS, You can suspend the computer and it goes completely off. No fans, no hard disks, no nothing. Only RAM is at slow refresh. Once You turn the computer back on, BIOS/SCSI/IDE RAID identification is skipped. So basically You have Windows desktop as soon as the disks have spinned up.

Two drawbacks: No *ix/linux support (that I know of), OS has to be 2K/XP and the HW must support the power saving modes. Wait, that's three... Oh, I'm not sure whether You can change the setting with current installation (issues similiar as changing the ACPI feature).

The HALT command is great. I use vCool, room temp is about 23 degrees Celsius, and CPU/case has temps of 29-30 degrees Celsius. But I have a nice windtunnel in my computer: Antec 1030B case, with three 80mm Papst 12 dB case fans (two back, one front), one 80mm Papst 26 dB CPU fan, two fans in my Enermax PS and the GPU fan. Despite the low dB readings the computer is quite noisy. I haven't pinpointed the noisiest component, but I think it's the PS/GPU. Silencing will be the job for summer.

Cheers,

Jan


Ah, I dont think my dragon plus supports suspend to RAM... it does have hibernate(suspend to disk?) capability in winXP.

Maybe my SB51G supports Suspend to RAM, however it's operating as a linux server.... so no go there... not sure about my AK32L... probably not.

But even then, STR only helps when you are not using the computer... using the HALT command will lower temps both while you are using and not using the computer (assuming CPU usage isn't at 100% the whole time)...

my original post was there to help create a full time-quiet/cool solution... STR is good, but so is HALT detection.
 

Jan Kivar

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blakerwry said:
Ah, I dont think my dragon plus supports suspend to RAM... it does have hibernate(suspend to disk?) capability in winXP.

Maybe my SB51G supports Suspend to RAM, however it's operating as a linux server.... so no go there... not sure about my AK32L... probably not.

But even then, STR only helps when you are not using the computer... using the HALT command will lower temps both while you are using and not using the computer (assuming CPU usage isn't at 100% the whole time)...

my original post was there to help create a full time-quiet/cool solution... STR is good, but so is HALT detection.

If your board is "SOYO SY-K7V DRAGON Plus!", it should support S3. The setting should be under "Power Management Setup". "ACPI Suspend Type" is the option here in the manual. The manual doesn't point out whether there is even an other option than "S1 (POS)".

Intel has some plans to have active fan adjustment in the future boards. Too bad that You must then use fans with 3-pin connector.

Antec has some PSs that have "Fan Only" connector. It will make the fans temperature controlled. Only problem is that the sensor is inside the PSU.

Cheers,

Jan
 

blakerwry

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Jan Kivar said:
Antec has some PSs that have "Fan Only" connector. It will make the fans temperature controlled. Only problem is that the sensor is inside the PSU.

No problem with that, the exiting air of a case is the ideal place to tell how hot a case is getting... you just have to make sure you make adjustments for whatever heat the PSU creates in addition to the heat that is inside the case so that you dont over or underpower your cooling. This can easlily be estimated, and "played by ear" by using faster or slower fans and monitoring temps/noise until you reach the proper balance.
 

Jan Kivar

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blakerwry said:
Jan Kivar said:
Antec has some PSs that have "Fan Only" connector. It will make the fans temperature controlled. Only problem is that the sensor is inside the PSU.

No problem with that, the exiting air of a case is the ideal place to tell how hot a case is getting... you just have to make sure you make adjustments for whatever heat the PSU creates in addition to the heat that is inside the case so that you dont over or underpower your cooling. This can easlily be estimated, and "played by ear" by using faster or slower fans and monitoring temps/noise until you reach the proper balance.

True, but I'm using Antec 1030B case. It has 2x80 mm fans below the PSU, right next to the processor, so I'd estimate that over 80 % of exhaust is going through those fans. I'd like to put the sensor under my CPU heat sink. SilentPCReview tested some Antec PSU that had the "Fan only" header, and it kept outputting 5V, until the load was high (over 100W). So it will let the inside of the PC quite hot. The 550W model had though some user adjustable circuit, allowing more air flow.

Cheers,

Jan
 

blakerwry

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Jan Kivar said:
If your board is "SOYO SY-K7V DRAGON Plus!", it should support S3. The setting should be under "Power Management Setup". "ACPI Suspend Type" is the option here in the manual. The manual doesn't point out whether there is even an other option than "S1 (POS)".

bah! i see the STR option, however I can't use it... my computer suspends to RAM... but doesn't wake up... I guess I'll have to stick to Power On Standby or Suspend to Disk.
 

Jan Kivar

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blakerwry said:
Jan Kivar said:
If your board is "SOYO SY-K7V DRAGON Plus!", it should support S3. The setting should be under "Power Management Setup". "ACPI Suspend Type" is the option here in the manual. The manual doesn't point out whether there is even an other option than "S1 (POS)".

bah! i see the STR option, however I can't use it... my computer suspends to RAM... but doesn't wake up... I guess I'll have to stick to Power On Standby or Suspend to Disk.

As I mentioned earlier, You might have to re-install the OS (I assume that You are using XP, right?). You could also check the M$ Knowledge Base for new ideas. My old system (running 98se) didn't go to stand-by (S1), because I had custom swap file, and the path (c:\swap) had the letter "c" in lowercase. I changed it to uppercase, and it did go to stand-by. It didn't wake up though... That was an old 440BX chipset and 98SE. So check the KB for more ideas...

Changing the POS to STR is like You would disable/enable ACPI in your BIOS. W2k/XP doesn't like that.

Cheers,

Jan
 

Mercutio

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Upgrading to ACPI on 2000/XP isn't that bad. You start the install, and at the point where you reboot the first time, you switch on ACPI, then allow the upgrade to continue.
 

Jan Kivar

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Mercutio said:
Upgrading to ACPI on 2000/XP isn't that bad. You start the install, and at the point where you reboot the first time, you switch on ACPI, then allow the upgrade to continue.

You mean re-install, right?

Jan
 

blakerwry

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lol, im not resintalling for something so piddly.. i just reinstalled this OS the other day ... "less to reinstall" you say? well... maybe... but i have school work to do... so maybe some other time.
 

Jan Kivar

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blakerwry said:
lol, im not resintalling for something so piddly.. i just reinstalled this OS the other day ... "less to reinstall" you say? well... maybe... but i have school work to do... so maybe some other time.

I'd upgrade my RAID1 array, but I don't have any/much spare time. School is keeping me busy too...

Jan
 

Howell

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Jan Kivar said:
Bluetooth is OK to use in mobile market. Bluetooth HF kit is nice, as is syncing the calendar without the hassle of cables or IR. The range is quite small, less than 10 meters in free air. As You mentioned, the transfer rates are low: bluetooth has 1 mbps theoretical, and with the frequency hopping and ack/verify eats some of the bandwidth. IIRC, the max true transfer rate is 723 kbps.

Cheers,

Jan

There seems to be multiple versions of bluetooth (Class 1/2). For the particular product I was looking at, Class 1 was 723 Kbps within 100 meter range (328 ft.) and Class 2 was 723 Kbps within a 10 meter range (33 ft.).

Mitsumi
 

Dïscfärm

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I'd like to see technology introduced where I could convert browser cookies into REAL cookies and E-mail spam into REAL Spam.

Just think, surfing content rich websites and all of a sudden... piping hot oatmeal cookies coming out of the floppy drive slot! Well, I rarely ever eat cookies and never eat Spam, so, I'd have to give it all away to charity.
 

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Dïscfärm said:
Just think, surfing content rich websites and all of a sudden... piping hot oatmeal cookies coming out of the floppy drive slot! Well, I rarely ever eat cookies and never eat Spam, so, I'd have to give it all away to charity.
Gary, we all know you're from the grass-smoking generation, but do you have to make it so obvious? ;-)
 

blakerwry

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Dïscfärm said:
I'd like to see technology introduced where I could convert browser cookies into REAL cookies and E-mail spam into REAL Spam.

Just think, surfing content rich websites and all of a sudden... piping hot oatmeal cookies coming out of the floppy drive slot! Well, I rarely ever eat cookies and never eat Spam, so, I'd have to give it all away to charity.

I think you can do that if if have a 1.4gHz t-bird... it's called the measly bake oven... last time I heard they're working on doing it with IBM SCSI drives as well.
 
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