CES 2006 - Day 1: Dell's 30" Display, Quad SLI, WUSB and more
by Anand Lal Shimpi on January 6, 2006 4:20 AM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
Seagate's WUSB Demo and eSATA/DVR drive
Wisair and Seagate were demonstrating a proof of concept technology demo using Wireless USB to stream video from an external hard drive to a laptop.
The demo was simple; an external Seagate hard drive and a laptop were both outfitted with Wireless USB antennas.
The laptop started playing content from the Seagate drive without a hitch, all wirelessly. However one of the major issues with Wireless USB, especially for storage, is that you still have to plug the device into the wall for power. So Seagate's demo actually employed an external hard drive with a battery that would allow you to stream data from the drive, completely wirelessly.
The demonstration got choppy when on battery power as the operator moved further away from the notebook, but it is an early technology so hiccups can be expected.
The switch on the back of the unit switched between external and battery power
While transfer rates weren't disclosed, Wireless USB is supposed to be able to achieve transfer rates of up to 480Mbps - the same as wired USB 2.0.
The other interesting device at Seagate's booth was an external SATA drive that was plug and play compatible with Scientific Atlanta DVR boxes. Simply plug the drive in to the eSATA port on your Scientific Atlanta DVR and you instantly increase your storage capacity, allowing you to record more shows without having to open your DVR.
Note that the external drive does not allow you to move content onto your PC or other devices.
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bob661 - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
The basic Dell XPS 600 costs over $4000. I'm thinking this will be pretty close to a $10,000 system.bob661 - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
True indeed but you really won't see much difference in framerates without some insanely high resolution monitor.jvrobert - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
nonsense.. Try playing F.E.A.R at 1600x1200 with everything turned on on any current video card.bob661 - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
Forgot about FEAR. I wonder if that game would become CPU limited. I'd like to see some benchies.at80eighty - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
..and Dell debuted their 30"er - coincidence?MrSmurf - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
Ironic that Dell would showcase such a computer which is obviously targeted at hardcore PC user but hardcore PC users wouldn't buy a Dell.Deinonych - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
Not only that, but until they start putting AMD procs in their boxes, they'll never have *any* credibility with gamers. Even then, I don't think their "target market" would consider a pre-built box anyway. Sounds like another still-born idea by a bunch of MBAs that don't know anything about the DIY/gamer set.Pass.
Bonesdad - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
no matter how fast it is...it's fugly as heck.Why do manufacturers put PC users on a level with guys who pimp out their pickups and vans?
at80eighty - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
while 'fugly' is debateable - to me, the last pic on page 2 - of the rig in flames , is frickin perfect on two levels1) Blazing performance
2) Reminds you that you'll need a fire hydrant handly in case that baby blows up :-)
at80eighty - Friday, January 6, 2006 - link
i have NO clue how that happened - mods please delete repeated entries