Quantcast

Don't have an account? Register Now! Forgot password?

Related Articles
Maximum IT
SEE MORE MAXIMUM IT
Features

Hands-on with Deep Viewer, Intel's Potential Killer-App for Nehalem

Posted 08/21/08 at 04:30:00 PM  by Norman Chan

comment Commentsprint Printemail EmailDeliciousDiggStumbleUponRedditFacebookSlashdot

Looking at the CPU usage during the demo, we could see the Nehalem chip really being taxed as we zoomed in, but we never noticed any hiccups in the performance. Intel's argument is that this is the kind of application that users should be demanding from software developers -- something that'll really utilize the CPU's processing potential.

The magnetic hard drive was cited as the biggest bottleneck in the application, so we were shown another system running with 4 new Intel SSDs configured in RAID. Zooming into the Deep Viewer calendar on this machine looked just as smooth as on the drive-based HD equipped system, but this time, all the images being processed were large RAW image files. 

Of course, we don't all have 30" touchscreen displays, so we were shown another technology that Francois is working on in his own off-time -- a motion sensor for Deep Viewer using a standard webcam. He demonstrated gesture controls by putting his hands two feet away from the webcam, pinching and waving in the air to navigate through the interface. His homebrew software looked responsive and accurate, and with a little more work, could bring that awesome motion-gesture tech from the Minority Report film to life.

Intel isn't making any promises that Deep Viewer will be released for free (or even at all). It's definitely an impressive visual computing application that innovates photo album sorting. Once they spruce up the GUI and optimize the software a little more, Deep Viewer could be a real killer-app for Nehalem. 

« first‹ previous12
COMMENTS:3
TAGS: intel, Software, nehalem, multi-core, IDF, hands-on, Intel Developer Forum, core-i7, deep viewer, technology demo, image sorting, IDF 2008
COMMENTS
avatarI agree with you......those

Submitted by gatorXXX on Thu, 08/21/2008 - 3:31pm

I agree with you......those were the key words they said.....an intel app designed and made by intel for intel and a benchmarking guru hired by intel for intel. MMMMMM makes me wonder how many other apps are favored by intel....does 3dmark06 come to mind? Does for me.

Login or register to post comments
avatarAMD's just as guilty of

Submitted by jwalch.hawk on Thu, 08/21/2008 - 4:15pm

AMD's just as guilty of making multicore chips as Intel is.  It's not like they saw Intel make core jumps and just sat there going "Nah, we'll stick with single core, no reason for more."  Hell, wasn't AMD first on the multi-core scene (I know IMB's Power4 was actually first, but since it's not x86 I'm ignoring it for this case)?  I'm pretty sure they were first to dual-core on 64-bit, though I'm less certain about who was first in general (I'm assuming the first were 32-bit).  Anyway, the point is that AMD would love applications like this just as much as Intel does.  The only difference I'm really seeing here is that AMD didn't actually develop an app to rationalize their decisions.

Personally, I'm glad Intel is doing this.  Yes, it's a gimmicky little "this is what you can achieve with multi-core" thing, at least in terms of motivation.  But if people see it and *do* demand more apps like it, then you can damn well bet developers will change their tune.  Fact is, developers don't like multi-core because it's far easier (at least right now) to code for a single core and consumers haven't demonstrated to them that they want or need anything that requires more than a core of processing power.  Ergo, multi-core development/programming is unnecessarily difficult.  This might just be an instance of consumers having ready access to way more processing power than they really need for the things they currently want to do (dunno, just reaching on that one - though I think the rapid popularity of these weak [comparably speaking] netbooks serves to verify that point).  Let's remember that it was years before an OS as a GUI (a thing we take for granted today) really took hold.  I mean, after all, why would anyone want or need anything more than a command line? :D  Just because developers in general don't think multi-core is worth it doesn't mean they're right.  They might be, but let's remember they're just as biased as the chipmakers are - just in the opposite direction.

Login or register to post comments
avatar" Intel's argument is that

Submitted by horzo on Thu, 08/21/2008 - 1:56pm

" Intel's argument is that this is the kind of application that users should be demanding from software developers..."

...so we can justify our decision to push higher and higher core counts and sell more chips.

 Software developers have, not surprisingly,  found better things to do with their time than concentrate on the complexities of multithreaded software design. Consumers for the most part don't know the difference, and certainly aren't out there demanding multihtreaded apps.

 

Login or register to post comments

This Month's Issue
Maximum PC
SUBSCRIBE NOW
AND SAVE!
FEATURE How to Get FREE Programs, Services, Software & MoreFEATURE Digital Photo Printer RoundupHOW TOBuild a 3D CameraFEATUREDIY Arcade PCWHITE PAPERHow TRIM Works