X

DVD comes to PowerBooks

Wired Incorporated introduces a powerful video playback circuit board for the new Apple PowerBook 3400 computer.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
See full bio
Brooke Crothers
Wired Incorporated has introduced a powerful video playback circuit board for the new Apple PowerBook 3400 notebook computer.

The compact "DVD To-Go" circuit board processes MPEG-compatible applications, including DVD video titles, displaying full-screen, full-motion movie images on the PowerBook 3400. MPEG is a standard used for full-motion video playback on a computer.

Until now, PowerBooks have lacked the ability to adequately reproduce the multimedia experience found on desktop Macs, according to Wired Incorporated. Using the new board, users can create Macromedia Director presentations with full-screen, full-motion video, the company said.

The PowerBook 3400 line ships with the 180- or 200-MHz 603e PowerPC processors and is now available in limited supply. A 240-MHz PowerBook 3400 will ship sometime in April, according to Apple.

Later this year, it is expected that there will be a crush of new MPEG content in the form of DVD movies. DVD To-Go offers a solution for playing back these movies in a mobile computer.

DVD To-Go is a miniature PCI expansion circuit board that fits inside the PowerBook 3400. DVD To-Go is fully compatible with all previously written software for Wired Inc.'s line of existing Mason desktop MPEG software.

DVD To-Go will be available in March 1997 for $399. Discounted prices are available to qualified resellers and developers.