Alongside IBM’s multimedia announcements, Intel Corp has announced its own suite of new DVI digital video-interactive products for multimedia developers. The new ActionMedia II products – developed jointly with IBM and being demonstrated this week at the Comdex show in Las Vegas – include personal computer add-in boards, system software and compression algorithms which run under OS/2 v.1.3, Windows 3.0 and MS-DOS. Intel has also brought out a new digital audio-video software kernel, AVK, that renders the new boards compatible with OS/2 1.3 and Microsoft Windows 3.0. AVK’s low-level programming interface is intended to integrate seamlessly with proposed multimedia applications programming interfaces, such as the Media Control Interface from IBM and Microsoft, and Apple’s QuickTime. Intel has also announced updated low data rate motion video algorithms, PLV 2.0 and RTV 2.0, and a new still-image algorithm based on the JPEG specification. The ActionMedia II upgraded MS-DOS Library, Intel says, ensures that existing DVI applications run on the new AT bus boards under MS-DOS. The new DVI products are to be available in limited quantities by the end of the year, with production quantities available in the first quarter of 1992. The AT bus ActionMedia II Delivery Board is priced at $1,900 with 2Mb video RAM; the Micro Channel7/8 bus version is priced at $2,100. The optional ActionMedia II Capture Module attaches to either version of the delivery boards and costs $700. The ActionMedia II MS-DOS Library, which contains the MS-DOS software upgrade, sells for $1,000. The AVK software development kits are $3,000 for both Windows and OS/2 versions.
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