Category: HDXPRT development process

Thinking ahead to the next HDXPRT

on November 12, 2020

We’re currently formulating our 2021 development roadmap for the XPRTs. In addition to planning CloudXPRT and WebXPRT updates, we’re discussing the possibility of releasing HDXPRT 5 in 2021. It’s hard for me to believe, but it’s been about two and a half years since we started work on HDXPRT 4, and February 2021 will mark two years since the first HDXPRT 4 release. Windows PCs are more powerful than ever, so it’s a good time to talk about how we can enhance the benchmark’s ability to measure how well the latest systems handle real-world media technologies and applications.

When we plan a new version of an XPRT benchmark, one of our first steps is updating the benchmark’s workloads so that they will remain relevant in years to come. We almost always update application content, such as photos and videos, to contemporary file resolutions and sizes. For example, we added both higher-resolution photos and a 4K video conversion task in HDXPRT 4. Are there specific types of media files that you think would be especially relevant to high-performance media tasks over the next few years?

Next, we will assess the suitability of the real-world trial applications that the editing photos, editing music, and converting videos test scenarios use. Currently, these are Adobe Photoshop Elements, Audacity, CyberLink MediaEspresso, and HandBrake. Can you think of other applications that belong in a high-performance media processing benchmark?

In HDXPRT 4, we gave testers the option to target a system’s discrete graphics card during the video conversion workload. Has this proven useful in your testing? Do you have suggestions for new graphics-oriented workloads?

We’ll also strive to make the UI more intuitive, to simplify installation, and to reduce the size of the installation package. What elements of the current UI do you find especially useful or think we could improve?

We welcome your answers to these questions and any additional suggestions or comments on HDXPRT 5. Send them our way!

Justin

Posted in Adobe, Application-based benchmarks, benchmark, BenchmarkXPRT, CloudXPRT, Collaborative benchmark development, Future of performance evaluation, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, HDXPRT development process, HDXPRT metrics, HDXPRT release cycle, Performance benchmarking, WebXPRT, What makes a good benchmark? | Tagged Adobe, Audacity, benchmark, BenchmarkXPRT, CloudXPRT, CyberLink, Handbrake, HDXPRT, WebXPRT |

Progress updates: HDXPRT 4 and AIXPRT

By Justin Greene

on October 24, 2019

Over the next few weeks, we’re expecting to publish both an updated HDXPRT 4 build and the AIXPRT public release (GA). Timelines may change as a result of development or testing issues, but we want to provide a brief update on where both projects stand.

HDXPRT 4

As we discussed last week, Adobe removed Photoshop Elements 2018, the application that HDXPRT 4 uses for the Edit Photos scenario, from their public download page. This means that new HDXPRT 4 testers are currently unable to successfully complete the benchmark installation process.

To fix the problem, we adapted HDXPRT 4’s Edit Photos scripts to use PSE 2020, and we hope to begin testing by the end of this week. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we put a solution in place, and we’ll publish the new build as soon as possible.

AIXPRT

We’re now in the third week of the AIXPRT Community Preview 3 (CP3) period, and we’re working on finalizing the AIXPRT GA installation packages for release. Because several of AIXPRT’s component toolkits release updates on a regular basis, it’s likely that we’ll need to update AIXPRT’s installation packages more frequently than we have with previous XPRT benchmarks. At the moment, we’re working to integrate and test recent updates to OpenVINO and TensorRT before GA.

As usual, we’ll keep you informed here in the blog. If you have any questions or comments about HDXPRT or AIXPRT, please let us know. We do value your feedback.

Justin

Posted in Adobe, AI, AIXPRT, Application-based benchmarks, benchmark, Benchmarking, BenchmarkXPRT, BenchmarkXPRT development community, Community Preview, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, HDXPRT development process, Machine learning, OpenVINO, Performance benchmarking, TensorRT | Tagged Adobe, AIXPRT, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, OpenVINO, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, TensorRT |

Principled Technologies and the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community release HDXPRT 4, a benchmark designed to show how well Windows devices handle real-world media tasks

By Justin Greene

on February 25, 2019

Durham, NC, February 25 — Principled Technologies and the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community have released HDXPRT 4, a free benchmark that gives objective information about how well Windows 10 devices handle common media-creation tasks. HDXPRT 4 uses real commercial applications, like Photoshop and MediaEspresso, to perform tasks based on three everyday scenarios: photo editing, video conversion, and music editing. After the test is finished, the tool provides an overall measure by generating a single performance score. Anyone can go to HDXPRT.com to compare existing performance results on a variety of devices, or to download the app for themselves.

“When we started working on HDXPRT 4, we knew we wanted to create a benchmark that accurately reflects the kind of work average consumers do when creating content on their PCs,” said Bill Catchings, co-founder of Principled Technologies, which administers the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community. “HDXPRT delivers clear results that make sense to the wide audience of buyers shopping for new Windows systems.”

HDXPRT is part of the BenchmarkXPRT suite of performance evaluation tools, which includes WebXPRT, MobileXPRT, TouchXPRT, CrXPRT, and BatteryXPRT. The XPRTs help users get the facts before they buy, use, or evaluate tech products such as computers, tablets, and phones.

To learn more about the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community, go to www.BenchmarkXPRT.com.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of technology marketing, as well as learning and development services. It administers the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visit www.PrincipledTechnologies.com.

Company Contact
Justin Greene
BenchmarkXPRT Development Community
Principled Technologies, Inc.
1007 Slater Road, Ste. 300
Durham, NC 27704

BenchmarkXPRTsupport@PrincipledTechnologies.com

Posted in Benchmarking, BenchmarkXPRT, BenchmarkXPRT development community, Collaborative benchmark development, Future of performance evaluation, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, HDXPRT development process, HDXPRT metrics, HDXPRT Press Releases, Performance benchmarking, Press Releases, WebXPRT, Windows 10 | Tagged BatteryXPRT, BenchmarkXPRT, BenchmarkXPRT Development Community, CrXPRT, HDXPRT, MobileXPRT, TouchXPRT, WebXPRT |

HDXPRT 4 is here!

By Justin Greene

on February 22, 2019

We’re excited to announce that HDXPRT 4 is now available to the public! Just like previous versions of HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4 uses trial versions of commercial applications to complete real-world media tasks. The HDXPRT 4 installation package includes installers for some of those programs, such as Audacity and HandBrake. For other programs, such as Adobe Photoshop Elements and CyberLink Media Espresso, users will need to download the necessary installers prior to testing by using the links and instructions in the HDXPRT 4 User Manual.

In addition to the editing photos, editing music, and converting videos workloads from prior versions of the benchmark, HDXPRT 4 includes two new Photoshop Elements scenarios. The first utilizes an AI tool that corrects closed eyes in photos, and the second creates a single panoramic photo from seven separate photos.

HDXPRT 4 is compatible with systems running Windows 10, and is available for download at HDXPRT.com. The installation package is about 4.8 GB, so the download may take several minutes. The setup process takes about 30 minutes on most computers, and a standard test run takes approximately an hour.

After trying out HDXPRT 4, please submit your scores here and send any comments to BenchmarkXPRTsupport@principledtechnologies.com. To see test results from a variety of systems, go to HDXPRT.com and click View Results, where you’ll find scores from a variety of devices. We look forward to seeing your results!

Posted in Benchmarking, BenchmarkXPRT, BenchmarkXPRT development community, Collaborative benchmark development, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, HDXPRT development process, HDXPRT metrics, HDXPRT release cycle, HDXPRT workloads, Performance benchmarking, Windows 10 | Tagged Audacity, benchmark, desktops, Handbrake, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, laptops, MediaEspresso, PC, Photoshop, Windows |

New XPRTs for the new year

By Justin Greene

on January 3, 2019

Happy 2019! January is already a busy time for the XPRTs, so we want to share a quick preview of what community members can expect in the coming months.

The MobileXPRT 3 community preview (CP) is still open, but draws to a close on January 18^th. If you are not familiar with the updates and changes we implemented in the newest version of MobileXPRT, you can read more in the blog. Members can access this APK on the MobileXPRT tab in the Members’ Area. We also posted an installation guide that provides both a general overview of the app and detailed instructions for each step. The entire process takes about five minutes on most devices. If you haven’t already, give it a try!

We also recently published the first AIXPRT Request for Comments (RFC) preview build, an early version of one of the tools we’re developing to evaluate machine learning performance. You can find more details in Bill’s most recent blog post and on AIXPRT.com. Only BenchmarkXPRT Development Community members have access to our RFCs and the opportunity to provide feedback. However, because we’re seeking broad input from experts in this field, we’ll gladly make anyone interested in participating a member. To gain access to the AIXPRT repository, please send us a request.

Work on the HDXPRT 4 CP candidate build continues, and we hope to publish the preview for community members this month. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to get this right. We think it will be worth the wait.

On a general note, I’ll be travelling to CES 2019 in Las Vegas next week. CES is a great opportunity for us to survey emerging tech and industry trends, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts from the show. If you’ll be there and would like to discuss any aspect of the XPRTs in person, let me know.

Justin

Posted in AI, AIXPRT, Benchmarking, BenchmarkXPRT, BenchmarkXPRT development community, CES, Collaborative benchmark development, Community Preview, Future of performance evaluation, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, HDXPRT development process, Machine learning, MobileXPRT, MobileXPRT 3, Performance benchmarking, Trade Shows | Tagged AIXPRT, CES, Community, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, MobileXPRT, MobileXPRT 3 |

Notes from the lab: Updates on HDXPRT 4, MobileXPRT 3, and AIXPRT

By Justin Greene

on November 29, 2018

The next couple of months will be very busy with XPRT activity, so we want to update readers on what to expect. Depending on a number of factors, we expect to release HDXPRT 4 and MobileXPRT 3 community previews (CPs) within the next four to six weeks. We’re also hoping to publish an early AIXPRT request-for-comment (RFC) build on GitHub within the same time frame. Here’s a little more detail about each of these developments.

HDXPRT 4: We originally planned to release the HDXPRT 4 CP several weeks ago. As we recently discussed in the blog, a lot has changed in the Windows 10 development world within a short period of time, and Microsoft has released a number of new Redstone 5/October 2018 Update builds in quick succession. While our HDXPRT 4 CP candidate testing went well overall, we observed some inconsistent workload scores when testing on some of the new Windows builds. Since then, we believe we’ve narrowed down the list of possible causes to a few specific graphics driver versions, but we’re still testing to make sure there are no other immediate issues. As soon as we’re confident in that assessment, we’ll release the CP along with any relevant information about the affected graphics drivers.

MobileXPRT 3: MobileXPRT 3 development is progressing nicely, and we’re close to completing a CP candidate build. We’ll test that build extensively on our library of Android phones and tablets, and barring any unforeseen issues, we plan to release the CP in the next few weeks.

AIXPRT: AIXPRT is the umbrella name for a set of tools we’re developing to help evaluate machine learning performance. After a great deal of research, we’re getting closer to releasing a build – tentatively called the AIXPRT RFC – for community members and other interested parties to download and review. For a number of reasons, the AIXPRT RFC process will be a little different than our normal XPRT RFC and CP process. We’ll be offering more information on the AIXPRT RFC build over the next several weeks.

We’re grateful to everyone who’s contributed in any way to each of these projects, and we look forward to sharing the benchmarks with the world. If you have any questions about the XPRTs, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Justin

Posted in AI, AIXPRT, Android, BenchmarkXPRT development community, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 4, HDXPRT development process, HDXPRT release cycle, MobileXPRT, MobileXPRT 3, Windows 10 |

Category: HDXPRT development process

Thinking ahead to the next HDXPRT

Progress updates: HDXPRT 4 and AIXPRT

HDXPRT 4

AIXPRT

Principled Technologies and the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community release HDXPRT 4, a benchmark designed to show how well Windows devices handle real-world media tasks

HDXPRT 4 is here!

New XPRTs for the new year

Notes from the lab: Updates on HDXPRT 4, MobileXPRT 3, and AIXPRT

Check out the other XPRTs: