Chip offers more power than Apollo 11

Kanata, Ontario-Say goodbye to your old VCR system. The new DVR video system from March Networks is changing the way digital video is stored and retrieved by reducing the time required for finding stored video, compared to manually searching through hours of VCR tapes.

The new Mach Z PC-on-a-chip from ZF Micro Devices (Palo Alto, CA) enables the networked DVR system. The chip measures 35 x 35 mm, but has more processing power than was used to launch the first manned space mission to the moon.

"Our advantage lies in delivering an infinitely scalable and network manageable platform that fits within the requirements of nationwide and global installations," says Ted Bushneck, a design manager at March Networks. The company embedded the Mach Z in a networked multimedia server.

"We were looking for an x86 processor that would reduce our design time and have enough horsepower to allow us to re-use our PC-based server software," says Bushneck. The chip reduces design time by eliminating programming and configuration steps.

"With our chip, you just plug in the monitor and go," says inventor and designer David Feldman.

The chip is also fail-safe, so it is suitable for use on medical devices, Internet appliances, and other products that require crash resistance. "It will work even if a hacker erases your flash memory," says Feldman.

For more information about chips from ZF Micro Devices: Enter 535