High-definition HD DVD and Blu-ray movies have finally come to the PC. But not every PC is up to the challenge.

For superb picture clarity and smooth playback of HD DVD and Blu-ray movies, PCs must meet unique requirements—special HD optical drives, hardware acceleration, content protection, HDCP compatible displays, and new HD movie player software. NVIDIA® is working with PC manufacturers to help them meet the challenges of the new video formats, by using PureVideo™ HD technology—which combines high-definition movie decode acceleration (using certain NVIDIA GeForce 7-series GPUs), HDCP circuitry, and integration with HD movie players to deliver cinematic-quality Blu-ray and HD DVD movie playback on a PC.

NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology provides:

• Hardware acceleration for decoding high-definition movies in the required formats (H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2) with minimal CPU utilization and low power consumption.
• Advanced post-processing features for razor-sharp HD movie playback at resolutions up to 1080p, the highest HD resolution available.
• Support by the leading HD movie player software companies that take advantage of PureVideo HD’s hardware acceleration and HDCP features.

A graphics card featuring PureVideo HD technology combined with an AACS HD disk drive, an HDCP-compliant display and a PureVideo-powered HD movie player from companies like CyberLink, InterVideo and Nero will make it possible for consumers to enjoy superb HD movie playback on their PC.

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NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD Technology - Frequently Asked Questions

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Learn more about the unique acronyms and terms relating to high-definition video processing