Intel Corporation outlined its plans to develop a broad family of PC, consumer electronics (CE) and mobile platforms and technologies designed to work simply and easily together inside the digital home.

The company also disclosed additional branding and customer details about its first dual-core desktop PC processors and related chipsets, which will be available during the second quarter of this year.

Speaking at the company's Developer Forum in San Francisco, GM of Intel's Digital Home Group, Don MacDonald, said Intel's imminent dual-core processors and family of silicon technology innovations would help consumers get the most enjoyment from their digital content - including games, music, photos and video - on multiple devices throughout the home.

?Intel will not define the digital home by its shape, size or location, nor will we limit the opportunities of the digital home to a single device," said MacDonald.

"Whether it starts with an Entertainment PC for graphic-intense gaming, an MP3 player for digital music, or a personal media recorder for recording TV shows, it takes just one device and one new way to use technology to open the door to more devices, uses and a whole new digital home experience," he said.

MacDonald provided additional details of Intel's first dual-core desktop PC platforms, including the brand name for Intel's first mainstream dual-core desktop processor, the Intel Pentium D processor, formerly codenamed "Smithfield."

"Intel's multi-core plans address consumer needs and present the industry with a significant opportunity for innovation in the digital home," MacDonald said.

Simultaneous computing

Dual- and multi-core products are designed by including two or more CPU cores within a single processor, enabling the simultaneous management of activities.

The Pentium D processor will bring increased computing capabilities to PCs, including support for several users to enjoy simultaneous computing experiences. For example, a child could play a game on a Pentium D processor-based PC in the bedroom, while a parent in the living room uses a remote control to record or access stored music or video from the same PC using a digital media adapter and then routing the content to a connected stereo or display.

The dual-core Pentium D processor will be coupled with the Intel 945G Express or the Intel 945P Express chipsets (both formerly codenamed "Lakeport"), supporting Intel High Definition Audio, which will allow multiple audio streams to be routed to different users simultaneously.

The company expects several different designs based on the Pentium D processor and the new chipsets to be initially available in the second quarter and growing throughout the year by many computer makers.