Ask the expert The evolution of mobile entertainment Today’s PC users look at the “fun” side of computing when deciding about their next computer. In fact, today’s notebook users see “mobile entertainment” as a given criteria for any new machine. They expect to be able to play games, listen to music or watch DVD movies on their notebooks. But a mere 20 years ago, “mobile entertainment” as we know it didn’t exist. This feature will look at the major milestones that helped turn today’s mobile computers into “mobile Mobile gaming – The Satellite P30 from 2003 could show 3D games on its entertainers”. The pinnacle of this development can be seen in the Qosmio own highresolution display. Via an S video connection to an external 40 AV notebook PC. inch plasma display, it was also possible to share the excitement.
had just been ratified in 1984 and DVD was still a decade Flying high in the future. In 1985, when Toshiba launched the T1100, it was I’ve got the music in me considered a breakthough in terms of mobile working. It By 1995, the world of mobile computers had changed was the world’s first IBMcompatible considerably. Not only had image quality on notebooks laptop computer and the first machine 1985 improved from reflective black and to include a basic set of features that white LCDs to true colour (16.7 million would set the norm for portable computers in coming years: 1995 colours) TFT active matrix screens but it ran off internal rechargeable batteries, had an LCD also the audioout port and builtin speakers had become screen, a 3.5inch floppy disk drive and it was IBM standard features. compatible. Toshiba engineers went to great lengths to make sure that the T1100 could run Microsoft Flight The Portégé 610CT was one of the Simulator, the popular video game of the time. However, first notebooks to support true ultimately, the T1100 didn’t have what today’s modern AV colour depth, that is the notebook PC have: namely, true colour exceptional TFT reproduction of 16.7 million displays, surround colours. This development helped sound audio support to pave the way for an immersive and superb speakers graphic experience on a notebook. and of course it didn’t It’s impossible to imagine have builtin CD / cinematic DVD playback or gaming DVD drives. Not on a notebook without true colour surprising, since the depth. Mobile entertainment The T1100 came equipped with a 640 x gets clearer The CDROM specification 200 pixel reflective liquid crystal display Portégé 610CT was an (LCD) that was capable of showing 25 ultraportable notebook lines of 80 characters on an that featured a true approximately 9 x 4 inch screen. colour (16.7 million colours) TFT screen.
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Ask the Expert “The evolution of mobile entertainment” Page 1 of 3 EXP200505EvolutionofmobiileentertainmentEN Ask the expert The major milestone in screen, full framerate video decoding, it also turned the 1995 was the introduction notebook into a mobile entertainer as it allowed users to of the CDROM into the view movies on DVDs and in surround sound. first notebook PC. Toshiba The Tecra 750DVD also took mobile entertainment one claimed this honour by step further by incorporating an AC3 and MPEG launching the Satellite Pro multichannel digitalout port. For users, this was the first T2150CDT in early 1995. step toward a cinematic audio / video experience in a CDROM technology was mobile PC. not new to consumers in Making light of multimedia: The 1995. Audio CDs had Satellite came equipped with a doublespeed CDROM. The Burn baby, burn been around since the machine also boasted audio in / out ports as well as a 16bit By the turn of the century, whilst IT managers were mid1980s, while Soundblaster compatible sound system. multimedia CDs with worrying about their data integrity with the encroaching interactive encyclopedias or corporate presentations had Millennium bug, the world of the mobile first appeared in the early 1990s. Putting a CDROM into a 2000 PC had also seen some significant notebook was clearly a major step towards mobile changes. entertainment. First, the cascading of technology innovation from highend to lowend machine continued. By 2000, even standard Cinema to go business platforms, such as the Tecra 8000 were
In 1995, major industry manufacturers agreed to work supporting 14” TFT screens with 16.7 million colours and together to formulate the future optical disk storage SVGA resolutions. Svideo out ports were allowing users to standard that we now simply call DVD. connect notebooks to external monitors or televisions and The DVD standard was aimed at both integrated video RAM graphics accelerators were making 1997 the electronics and the computer 3D rendering and gaming possible. Builtin multispeed industries as it promised consumer DVDROM drives were electronics the extra storage capacity necessary for high letting users access DVD quality MPEG2 movie playback while giving the computer based audio or industry the extra gigabytes of storage capacity necessary multimedia information. for new multimedia The Tecra 8000 series is applications. also noted for being the
For Toshiba, the Tecra first notebook series to 750DVD represented incorporate a combined another milestone in DVDROM/CDRW multi mobile entertainment. It drive, allowing users to The Tecra 8000 series was the save data to recordable first Toshiba notebook series to was the first notebook incorporate CD recording capabilities. A professional PC to incorporate a CDs. notebook series, the Tecra 8000 DVDROM drive. With The Tecra 750DVD was the series was a flexible, stable world’s first notebook with a built notebook platform that was its builtin MPEG2 in 2speed DVDROM drive and designed to meet a wide variety MPEG2 decoding chip. of corporate needs. decoding chip for full
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Ask the Expert “The evolution of mobile entertainment” Page 2 of 3 EXP200505EvolutionofmobiileentertainmentEN Ask the expert 4in1 entertainment goes mobile
As with many technological developments in the computing Qosmio – stateoftheart mobile entertainment industry, it is the sum of all parts that is most interesting. It’s an LCD television With the builtin TV tuner Looking at the developments in and QosmioPlayer, users mobile entertainment proves this can watch your favourite TV 2005 shows at the touch of a point. All of the technological button. An 17inch Toshiba TruBrite WXGA+ display innovations of the last two decades have lead to the delivers stunning images, development of a machine that Toshiba calls the AV while Toshiba’s own QosmioEngine reduces notebook PC. digital noise, enhances edges, adjusts the colour The Qosmio family of AV notebook PC introduced a and more. And with unbelievable viewing angles, number of new gaming and other viewing experiences are also technological enhanced. innovations that define It’s an HDD/DVD recorder the leading edge of With the Qosmio, users can record programmes on the today’s mobile integrated DVD Super Multi drive with double layer entertainment. In capability or on the two addition to the standard HDDs, or enjoying movies and music. The features such as S QosmioPlayer lets users bypass the Windows® Video ports, large colours screens and DVDreading operating system at the touch of a button. capability, the Qosmio AV notebook PC also introduced: It’s a virtual surround sound system. Ultrabright TruBrite TFT screen (at 500 cd/m) with anti The Qosmio G20 supports glare and extrawide viewing angles for a shared viewing SRS® TruSurround XT™ virtual surround sound experience; builtin 4W Harman Kardon® speakers for an technology and SRS® WOW™ for deep rich bass excellent audio experience and together with SRS® sound. Together with state TruSurround™ virtual surround sound support; and oftheart Harman Kardon® stereo speakers users can integrated HDD recording / TV tuner which allow users to take their music collection on the road or connect to a view TV via Toshiba’s own QosmioPlayer (a noboot home audio system via an software solution that makes it possible for users to view S/PDIF digital out port for multichannel audio. DVD and TV and listen to CDs without having to power up It’s a powerful and versatile PC. the device) and to record their favourite programmes to the The Qosmio is fully loaded with Intel® Centrino™ hard disk drive for later viewing. mobile technology, integrated Wireless LAN and All of this means that we can be entertained with games, Bluetooth™. Users can connect to a home network, movies, music, photos, chatting, access to online the Internet or to other magazines, all of which earn the Qosmio G20 the title “the Bluetooth®enabled devices. Dual hard disk drives world’s smartest entertainer with TV, audio, HDD/DVD provide ample storage space for work and digital recorder and PC” and show us how far we’ve come since media, as well as RAID 1985 and the Toshiba T1100. support for realtime disk mirroring.
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