GPU Assisted transcoding / decoding coming from ATI!

[dbfresh23]

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2536&p=2

Supports hw assist for MPEG2, H.264, DIVX, WMV9, and MPEG4

My favorite quote from that link!

"CPU utilization dropped from 90% down to around 30% while playing a 20Mbps H.264 stream."

Can only hope that the results from other formats are just as good.

[nielm]

Hmm sounds like HW-assisted playback of MPEG4 and HW-assisted MPEG4 encoding during capture, not transcoding of pre-recorded data...
Basically, what the older AIW cards did with MPEG-2...

All Avivo enabled graphics cards will support this GPU assisted transcode; the only requirement will be that the appropriate Catalyst driver is installed.

Uh-huh? So what about the changes required to MPEG-4 *encoders* in order to support whatever GPU features are used...

[dvd_maniac]

although the largest gains will be going from formats like MPEG-2 to something like H.264.

sounds like it will work with pre-recorded material.