INTERVIEW:
Question 1
Mr. Whittier, Silicon Valley is meeting Hollywood. Can you explain the relationship
between these two cultures, technology and entertainment?
Answer
Well, basically, Silicon Valley is leading in technology and bringing new opportunities to
Hollywood. Hollywood is intrigued with new forms of entertainment to use the connected PC.
The personal computer sitting on some kind of a network offers the opportunity for
Hollywood people to interact with their audience. That's the nature of the relationship at
the present time.
Question 2
And in December Intel opened the Media Lab in Beverly Hills. What is it?
Answer
The Media Lab in Beverly Hills is a showcase where Hollywood talent, from actors to
directors to producers, can come and find out about what the capabilities of the personal
computer are. And what it offers is relative to being able to produce new kinds of
products from Hollywood aimed directly at the personal computer. Many stars have come:
Michael Keaton, Sean Connery, a number of stars of that magnitude have come. They're all
very impressed in the capabilities of the computer.
Question 3
And now Intel, who is a leader in the chip market, has decided to invest in content. Why?
Answer
Our investments are to help content producers bring their products to the personal
computer so that consumers who buy personal computers will get the best possible content.
Our investments are not in the content but more with the content companies so that they
can bring their products to the marketplace for PC consumers. We are investing tens of
millions of dollars per year to make this happen.
Question 4
Can you explain the kind of relationship between the hardware producers and the needs of
different software in 3-D or Internet? What are the most import tendencies?
Answer
The most important areas for the hardware producers to support are in the areas of media,
media being video; 3-D capability, surround-sound capabilities. So one area is media and
making sure that media playing on a personal computer are of the same quality that you get
anywhere. The second area is in communications, to make sure that PCs which are connected
on networks, which is becoming the norm, have very good bandwidth capabilities, whether
you're broadcasting or whether you're hooked to the Internet, a whole set of technologies
that enhance communications is a second area of activity.
Question 5
What's you vision of the PC in the living room?
Answer
Over time, you will have PCs which people get used to working interactively on one-on-one,
and then you'll have a group personal computer with a big screen that does things like
play movies, does TV, does a variety of games but does them in addition to interactive
modes for TV viewers. So when you're viewing on a personal computer, you can do the
traditional things but in addition you will be able to move into an interactive mode, and
do things with people on remote sites. You'll be able to go on the Internet to be able to
do a variety of things from your living room.
Question 6
And what are your expectations for DVD?
Answer
DVD initially will be used to bring very large programmes, digital movies of very high
quality, Dolby sound capability, to personal computers. On the longer haul, we see it as a
medium that can support interactivity within the medium itself. So, additional
capabilities will come as people get more comfortable with the formats.
Question 7
Are the majors of Hollywood ready to make the database of film on DVD? Are the titles
really coming?
Answer
The titles are coming. There will be something like 100 titles introduced over the next
six months, so Hollywood has thoroughly embraced going to the DVD format. They look at it
as a market expansion opportunity. We expect to see broad Hollywood participation in the
DVD movie capability for personal computers going forward.
Question 8
What do you think of Web TV?
Answer
I think Web TV is important from the standpoint of bringing some level of interactivity to
the consumer. As the consumer starts to work with the product of a Web TV or a Web phone,
he starts to understand interactivity more than he does today, gets comfortable with it.
Ultimately, we think these people will want the full capability of a personal computer,
and will end up being personal computer customers in the future.
Question 9
There is interactive developed technology for broadcasting called Intercast. What will be
its use, also thinking of satellite broadcasting in the next year?
Answer
Intercast technology for broadcasting is based on analogue technology. The initial
capability is being used by a number of broadcasters in the United States. It is a first
step towards what we ultimately hope to see, which is interactivity in broadcast channels,
digitally formatted, which will take place in the next several years. It is a first step
in the direction of interactivity within the digital television domain. Also for Europe.
Question 10
In which field do you think Intel needs to invest more for the content, for new
development?
Answer
I think our investments in the entertainment area are quite solid. We're making additional
investments in areas like advertising, to make advertising much richer as it is projected
into personal computers and bigger investments in virtual words that allow electronic
commerce to take place. I think we will continue to make big investments in the
entertainment segment and complement that with investments in advertising and investments
in electronic commerce.
Question 11
What is you impression of "Milia". Is there a lesson from "Milia"?
Answer
Milia is getting stronger and stronger. We see more and more applications being
demonstrated here. We're very happy with, for example, all of the MMX technology
demonstrations in the Intel booth. So, it's a stronger show. I would expect it to become
even more important going forward as the whole world moves to multimedia on PCs in a very
extensive way.
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