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Intel unveils integrated media processor for consumer electronics industry
MUMBAI: Computer chip major Intel has unveiled a integrated media processor for the consumer electronics (CE) market segment. This will power a new generation of devices, such as digital set top boxes and networked media players, and bring consumers advanced in-home information and entertainment services. |
The Intel CE 2110 Media Processor is a complete system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture that combines a 1GHz processing core with powerful A/V processing and graphics, and I/O components, onto a single chip. This all-in-one component design the company says becomes increasingly important in today’s marketplace as CE manufacturers look to accelerate time to market, and develop smarter, more cost-effective consumer electronics designs that provide the processing performance, flexibility and headroom needed to deliver advanced revenue-generating services, such as Voice over IP (VoIP), video phone, interactive gaming, enhanced karaoke and e-learning. Intel’s Consumer Electronics Group GM William O. Leszinske Jr. says, “The Internet is a powerful disruptive opportunity for the CE industry. Intel’s work with the CE ecosystem to power new intelligent devices will help accelerate the availability of a new range of exciting Internet-based information and services, and video entertainment experiences for consumers throughout the home.” |
Chunghwa Telecom, a telecom service provider in Taiwan, has adopted the new SoC media processor for its Multimedia on Demand (MoD) service deployment. Based on the new Intel media processing platform, Chunghwa Telecom will expand its high-definition video content, karaoke, e-banking and e-learning services, and introduce emerging usage models to consumers. Intel and Chunghwa Telecom will conduct research to ensure a deeper understanding of consumer needs and desires in Taiwan, which will then help Chunghwa Telecom design and deploy solutions that transform how consumers absorb television-based content and services. Intel works with CE companies to bring advanced video and interactive services to consumers. ASUS has a set top box with the new Intel SoC media processor today. Digeo plans to deliver new Moxi Multi-Room HD digital media recorders, and OKI and ZTE will build set top boxes based on the Intel CE 2110 Media Processor. System integrator Hwacom plans to provide application layers for IPTV services using the new Intel media processing platform. In addition, Radvision will deliver VoIP and video conferencing capabilities; Amino Communications will provide the IntAct IPTV client software stack and Verimatrix will deliver content protection software based on the new media processing platform. The Intel CE 2110 Media Processor includes an embedded 1 GHz Intel XScale® CPU, MPEG-2 and H.264 hardware video decoders, DDR2 memory interface, 2D/3D graphics accelerators, and is supported by a modular software development environment. The platform architecture also allows CE developers and manufacturers to deliver pure IP or hybrid set top boxes designed to receive content from IP and digital broadcast pipes. |
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
