Nvidia decodes H.264 in hardware
NVIDIA has shown off H.264 video decoding using its GeForce cards for the first time, today.
We were able to watch a GeForce 7800 use its GPU processing power to decode 20mbit, 1080p high definition content encoded with the H.264 standard. With the GeForce running at full throttle, CPU usage was throttled back to below 50%.
NVIDIA took some time out to explain their strategy for high-definition decoding - a strategy which will click into place in just a couple of months, with the release of ForceWare version 85.
H.264 is the codec used by both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, and at a high bitrate such as 20mbit, most CPUs struggle to decode at full speed.
The GeForce video engine
GeForce 6 and 7 GPUs all have a video engine built into them. The engine, powered by the PureVideo software, will get an upgrade in ForceWare 85 that will enable the H.264 decoding. Most GPUs from the 6600GT and upwards will be able to handle full bitrate, 1080p content, according to NVIDIA.