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HDXPRT 2012 and Windows 8 follow-up

We’re hoping you will help us test the HDXPRT 2012 beta on your latest systems under Windows 8.

As Bill discussed a couple weeks ago, the beta of HDXPRT 2012 has some problems with Windows 8 and consequently will not install. However, with the latest version of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, some of the issues seem to be better. Using some command-line options, you can get around the installation restrictions. That is what we have been doing in our lab. The complete details of how to install and run the beta on the Windows 8 Consumer Preview are in this forum post (login required).

(Don’t worry, we hate hidden options as well, and there should not be any in the shipping version!)

Please let us know what you find out on your systems, either in the forum or via email. We have encountered some crashes in apps and we’d like to know what you find. We provide some instructions for running individual workloads in case you need to work around such an issue. We are also interested in hearing if you see any performance differences between Windows 7 and Windows 8 that don’t make sense to you. While the Consumer Preview license does not allow the publishing of performance results, we still need to start the process of understanding what is going on with Windows 8.

Thank you so much for your efforts to make HDXPRT 2012 as good as possible!

Eric

Comment on this post in the forums

New benchmark to evaluate touch-based devices

Principled Technologies (PT) and the HDXPRT Development Community, which PT administers, are pleased to announce a new touch computing benchmark.

 
This benchmark, which the community will be developing, will evaluate the capabilities of touch-based computing devices. “As popular as touch-based devices already are,” said Bill Catchings, Chief Technology Officer of PT, “the market is still in its infancy, and today’s offerings differ widely in performance and responsiveness. The new benchmark will provide a fair and consistent basis for comparing tablets and other touch devices.”

Community feedback will shape the new benchmark. The first operating system it will support is Microsoft Windows 8 with Metro, so the development lifecycle of the initial version will be on a fast track. The benchmark’s public release will coincide with the launch of Windows 8.

“We invite all interested parties to participate in the creation, evaluation, and testing of this new benchmark,” Catchings said. Anyone can participate in the Development program by paying a nominal fee ($20) to register as a member of the HDXPRT Development Community. Community members have the opportunity to help shape future versions of both benchmarks. To register for the HDXPRT Development Community and begin participating in the creation process of the new benchmark, go to http://www.hdxprt.com/ and select ‘Register for HDXPRT’ in the right-hand navigation menu.

You can learn more about the new benchmark and the HDXPRT Development Community by visiting with us at CES. Bill Catchings will be at the show from Tuesday, January 10 through Friday, January 13 and is available for meetings. For more information or to set up an appointment with him, email us at hdxprt_CES@principledtechnologies.com.

To see the latest information on the benchmark’s development, visit http://www.hdxprt.com/touch.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of fact-based marketing and technology assessment services. The founders, Mark Van Name and Bill Catchings, have worked together in technology assessment for over 25 years. As journalists, they published over a thousand articles on a wide array of technology subjects. They created and led the Ziff-Davis Benchmark Operation, which developed such industry-standard benchmarks as Ziff Davis Media’s Winstone and WebBench. They have also co-founded or led several other technology firms including ZD Labs, eTesting Labs, and VeriTest.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visit http://www.principledtechnologies.com.

Company Contact
Eric Hale
Principled Technologies, Inc.
1007 Slater Road
Suite 300
Durham, NC 27703
ehale@principledtechnologies.com
www.principledtechnologies.com

Source Code for HDXPRT 2011 is Now Available to Members

The HDXPRT Development Community, which Principled Technologies (PT) administers, is pleased to announce the availability to its members of the source code for the HDXPRT 2011 performance test tool.

 
HDXPRT 2011 is a benchmark for evaluating the capabilities of PCs in performing a wide variety of common consumer digital media tasks. Members of the Development Community have significantly influenced this version of the benchmark by helping to prepare its design specification and by beta-testing release candidates.

The release of the source code for a widely available application-based benchmark such as HDXPRT marks a milestone in the benchmark ecosystem. By opening the benchmark’s source code to its members, the HDXPRT Development Community is hoping to increase the transparency of the benchmarking process and to stimulate the participation of industry players and the public in the definition, development, understanding, and auditing of the benchmark.

Community members can download the benchmark’s source code directly from the official Community Web site,http://www.hdxprt.com. (Members must first accept a license agreement that prevents them from releasing the code to the public.) Any non-members who would like the source code can join the Community for a very modest fee by going to http://www.hdxprt.com.

In addition to downloading the source code of the current version of the tool, HDXPRT Development Community members can influence the design of future versions of HDXPRT and can even participate in the coding and development of these versions. Membership in the Community also keeps you up to date on the latest information regarding the benchmark. To learn more, visit the official HDXPRT Development Community Web site,http://www.hdxprt.com, and look for the Community’s presence on Facebook and Twitter.

About HDXPRT
HDXPRT, the High Definition Experience & Performance Ratings Test, is a software tool for evaluating the capabilities of PCs at handling real-world digital media scenarios involving common consumer applications. It includes tests for popular consumer usage models such as high-definition video transcoding, high dynamic range (HDR) photo manipulation, Windows 7 Drag and Drop transcoding for portable media players, and HD Flash video playback.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of fact-based marketing and technology assessment services. The founders, Mark Van Name and Bill Catchings, have worked together in technology assessment for over 25 years. As journalists, they published over a thousand articles on a wide array of technology subjects. They created and led the Ziff-Davis Benchmark Operation, which developed such industry-standard benchmarks as Ziff Davis Media’s Winstone and WebBench. They have also co-founded or led several other technology testing firms, including ZD Labs, eTesting Labs, and VeriTest.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visit http://www.principledtechnologies.com.

Company Contact
Eric Hale
Principled Technologies, Inc.
1007 Slater Road
Suite 300
Durham, NC 27703
ehale@principledtechnologies.com
www.principledtechnologies.com

HDXPRT 2011 Media Benchmark Now Available

The HDXPRT Development Community, which Principled Technologies (PT) administers, is pleased to announce the release of the HDXPRT 2011 benchmark.

 
HDXPRT 2011 is a benchmark for evaluating the capabilities of PCs in consumer digital media usages.

PT will ship the release discs to all registered HDXPRT Development Community members. The public can access the benchmark via direct download from the official Community Web site, http://www.hdxprt.com.

The official global HDXPRT 2011 launch will take place in early June during Computex Taipei. Bill Catchings, CTO of PT, will lead informational seminars about the benchmark and its potential to shape the way we measure the performance of PCs manipulating consumer digital media.

Members of the HDXPRT Development Community significantly influenced the development of the benchmark by providing feedback on the initial design specifications and participating in Beta testing.

Visit the official HDXPRT Development Community Web site, http://www.hdxprt.com, to learn how you can participate in the development of future versions of HDXPRT and stay up to date on the latest information regarding the benchmark. The Community also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

About HDXPRT
HDXPRT, the High Definition eXperience & Performance Ratings Test, is a software tool for evaluating the capabilities of PCs at handling real-world digital media scenarios and common consumer applications. It includes tests for popular consumer usage models such as high-definition video transcoding, high dynamic range (HDR) photo manipulation, Windows 7 Drag and Drop transcoding for portable media players, and HD Flash video playback.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of technology marketing and assessment services. The founders, Mark Van Name and Bill Catchings, have worked together in technology assessment for over 25 years. As journalists, they published over a thousand articles on a wide array of technology subjects. They created and led the Ziff-Davis Benchmark Operation, which developed such industry-standard benchmarks as Ziff Davis Media’s Winstone and WebBench. They have also co-founded or led several other technology testing firms including ZD labs, eTesting Labs, and VeriTest.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visit http://www.principledtechnologies.com.

Company Contact
Eric Hale
Principled Technologies, Inc.
1007 Slater Road
Suite 300
Durham, NC 27703
ehale@principledtechnologies.com
www.principledtechnologies.com

HDXPRT 2011 Beta Released for Testing

The HDXPRT Development Community, created by Principled Technologies (PT), is pleased to announce the distribution of the HDXPRT 2011 Beta to its registered members.

 
HDXPRT 2011 is a benchmark for evaluating the capabilities of PCs using real-world media scenarios and common consumer media applications.

PT has invited Community members to test the HDXPRT 2011 Beta and provide assistance in evaluating the benchmark. Their feedback will help resolve any remaining issues before PT releases the benchmark to the public. The deadline for Beta testing feedback is April 29, 2011.

Participation in the HDXPRT 2011 Beta program is available only to registered members of the HDXPRT Development Community. Membership is open to anyone willing to pay the nominal annual membership fee. Community members have the opportunity to help shape future versions of the benchmark. To register for the HDXPRT 2011 Beta program and receive access to members-only content, go tohttp://www.hdxprt.com/forum/register.php and complete the registration process.

To see the latest information on the benchmark’s development, visit the official HDXPRT Development Community Web site, http://www.hdxprt.com. The Community also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

About HDXPRT
HDXPRT, the High Definition eXperience & Performance Ratings Test, is a software tool for assessing the capabilities of PCs at handling real-world media scenarios and common consumer applications. HDXPRT 2011 is currently planned for release in the second quarter of 2011. It includes tests for popular consumer usage models such as high-definition video transcoding, High Dynamic Range (HDR) photo manipulation, Windows 7 Drag & Drop transcoding for portable media players, and HD Flash video playback.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of technology marketing and assessment services. The founders, Mark Van Name and Bill Catchings, have worked together in technology assessment for over 25 years. As journalists, they published over a thousand articles on a wide array of technology subjects. They created and led the Ziff-Davis Benchmark Operation, which developed such industry-standard benchmarks as Ziff Davis Media’s Winstone and WebBench. They have also co-founded or led several other technology testing firms including ZD Labs, eTesting Labs, and VeriTest.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visithttp://www.principledtechnologies.com.

Company Contact
Eric Hale
Principled Technologies, Inc.
1007 Slater Road
Suite 300
Durham, NC 27703
ehale@principledtechnologies.com
www.principledtechnologies.com

Principled Technologies, Inc. Announces the Formation of the HDxPRT Development Community

Principled Technologies (PT), a leading provider of independent technology marketing and assessment services, has announced the formation of the HDxPRT Development Community.

 
This group will help shape future versions of HDxPRT, a benchmark for evaluating the capabilities of PCs using real-world media scenarios and common consumer applications. Intel Corporation developed HDxPRT, the latest release of which, HDxPRT 2010, is the fifth. Members of the Community, which Intel is sponsoring, will be able to contribute to the definition of future versions of the benchmark. PT will create and administer the Community Web site, where anyone can learn more about HDxPRT or join the Community, collect input to help define future versions of HDxPRT, and coordinate and work with the members.

PT brings a long history of expertise in benchmarking and performance evaluation to the HDxPRT effort. “PT’s experience with industry-standard benchmarks will benefit both HDxPRT and the industry,” said Bill Catchings, CTO and co-founder of Principled Technologies. “The goal of HDxPRT is to address the need for relevant media and consumer-oriented usage scenarios. Our hope is that we can build on Intel’s work with HDxPRT and increase its value for consumers and for the industry. We look forward to working with a wide range of industry partners on future versions of HDxPRT.”

The HDxPRT Community will provide a forum for members to provide feedback and guidance for the ongoing evolution of the benchmark. Membership will be open to anyone willing to pay the nominal annual membership fee. “There has been a long-standing need for a consumer-oriented benchmark like HDxPRT, which is based on end-user workflows with emphasis on user experiences communicated in plain language rather than the more traditional technology-focused metrics. Intel is delighted that HDxPRT Community efforts can help these user experience metrics reach a wider audience.” said Shervin Kheradpir, General Manager of Intel’s Performance Benchmarking and Analysis Group.

The current plan is to make HDxPRT 2011 generally available in the second quarter of 2011. The official Web site for this program, http://www.hdxprt.com/, will provide more details as they are available.

About HDXPRT
HDxPRT, the High Definition eXperience & Performance Ratings Test, is a software tool for assessing the capabilities of PCs at handling real-world media scenarios and common consumer applications. In 2005, realizing a need for a benchmark to accurately assess how well PCs handle the rapidly evolving digital media usage models, Intel started developing the technology that led to HDxPRT. HDxPRT 2010, which Intel released in July, is the fifth revision. It includes tests for popular consumer usage models such as 1080p high-definition video transcoding, High Dynamic Range (HDR) photo manipulation, Windows 7 Drag & Drop transcoding for portable media players, and HD Flash video playback.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of technology marketing and assessment services. The founders, Mark Van Name and Bill Catchings, have worked together in technology assessment for over 25 years. As journalists they published over a thousand articles on a wide array of technology subjects. They created and led the Ziff-Davis Benchmark Operation, which developed such industry-standard benchmarks as Ziff Davis Media’s Winstone and WebBench. They have also co-founded or led several other technology testing firms including ZD Labs, eTesting Labs, and VeriTest.

Principled Technologies is located in Durham, North Carolina USA. For more information, please visit http://www.principledtechnologies.com.

Company Contact
Eric Hale
Principled Technologies, Inc.
1007 Slater Road
Suite 300
Durham, NC 27703
ehale@principledtechnologies.com
www.principledtechnologies.com

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