Enhanced Rendering and Display Capabilities Bring Immersive and Authentic Gaming Experiences
SHANGHAI, Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Pixelworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: PXLW), a leading provider of visual processing solutions, today announced the newly launched OnePlus 12 smartphone incorporates the Pixelworks X7 visual processor. This marks the fourth collaboration between OnePlus and Pixelworks in 2023, starting from the all-around flagship OnePlus 11 at the beginning of the year and extending to the performance powerhouse OnePlus Ace 2 and its advanced version, the OnePlus Ace 2 Pro. The two companies have not only cooperated on the hardware level to improve the rendering performance of smartphones, but also worked closely with game development teams to optimize the picture quality of game content and scenes, thus providing end-users a more smooth, stable and immersive gaming experience.
The OnePlus 12 smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 mobile platform featuring generative AI from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. The smartphone incorporates a 2K display panel from BOE with DisplayMate’s A+ certification and supports a 120Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate. Additionally, the main camera of the OnePlus 12 is the world’s first to feature the latest LYTIA image sensor, enabling the smartphone to capture clear images across various scenarios. In terms of gaming experience, the seamless integration of the Pixelworks X7 visual processor and OnePlus’ Super Frame Rate and Picture Quality Engine further enhance the rendering and display capabilities of the device. By incorporating Pixelworks’ ultra-low latency MotionEngine® technology, low-power super resolution and multi-brightness color calibration technologies, the OnePlus 12 smartphone offers users a smoother and more stable 120Hz ultra-clear visual experience.
High color accuracy display delivers immersive visual quality supported by both 120fps frame rate and 2K super resolution.
Leveraging a distributed computing architecture, the MotionEngine® technology offloads intensive image rendering from the GPU to enable silky-smooth 120fps gaming experiences on the smartphone. This approach effectively manages smartphone power consumption and prevents the device from overheating, which provides users with longer play time and lower device temperatures. In addition, the low-power super resolution technology brings smooth 120fps gaming experiences to consumers by scaling picture quality to 2K resolution, generating clearer texture and richer details, and taking full advantage of the 2K resolution screen. Both 120fps frame rate and 2K super resolution can be enabled simultaneously, allowing users to unleash the power of the Super Frame Rate and Picture Quality Engine for a lifelike visual experience in popular mobile games, including Glory of the King, Game for Peace, Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail and League of Legends.
Moreover, to ensure the authentic representation of colors in different scenarios, the OnePlus 12 smartphone adopts Pixelworks’ multi-brightness color calibration solution. This effectively guarantees that the colors displayed on the screen under various color modes mirror what the human eye sees in the real world. Pixelworks’ color calibration technology compensates for the color saturation in different color modes and lighting conditions. By leveraging the 3D LUT method, the technology conducts advanced color calibration to comprehensibly and precisely manage numerous display attributes, including hue, saturation and brightness, making the color displayed on the screen look as vivid as what the human eye detects in the ‘3D space’.
Empowered with Pixelworks’ end-to-end IRX image rendering accelerating solution brings a unique creator’s perspective to the gaming experience.
In order to comprehensively enhance the rendering performance of smartphones while preserving the original artistic intent of game creators, Pixelworks has introduced the end-to-end IRX image rendering accelerating solution. This solution is built on Pixelworks’ refined professional display technologies and extensive expertise in picture quality optimization, seamlessly tailored to the rendering capabilities of mobile devices and the distinct characteristics of gaming scenes. By leveraging the Rendering Accelerator SDK, game developers are able to deeply integrate the game engine with algorithmic functions in the visual processor, further improving the picture quality of games and optimizing the gaming experience based on the unique characteristics of each game scene. As Pixelworks’ important gaming ecosystem partner, OnePlus provides robust hardware support for the implementation of the end-to-end rendering accelerating solution. Furthermore, the OnePlus 12 is the first certified smartphone to feature an end-to-end IRX gaming experience. Currently, users can immerse themselves in captivating gaming experiences on popular titles, such as Crystal of Atlan and One Piece Fighting Path. This is made possible through the collaborative optimization efforts of Pixelworks, game developers, and OnePlus. The integration and verification for more popular mobile games are also underway.
“We are truly honored to continue our collaboration with Pixelworks on the OnePlus 12 smartphone.” said Louis Li, President of OnePlus China. “As the flagship celebrating OnePlus’ 10-year anniversary, the OnePlus 12 smartphone strives for excellence in every core aspect. From hardware components spanning chipset to screen, to the all-round optimization of imaging and gaming experiences, the OnePlus 12 exemplifies a commitment to perfection in every detail. In terms of gaming experiences, we have continued to cooperate with Pixelworks to provide users with diverse picture quality modes. Additionally, we have worked closely with gaming ecosystem partners to implement targeted picture quality optimizations for specific games. While this involves extensive cross-team testing, tuning, and communication efforts, we believe that a strategic focus on both content and performance is crucial for a holistic improvement in user experience. We hope that the OnePlus 12 smartphone can serve as a trailblazer to explore more possibilities in the realm of mobile gaming experiences in collaboration with Pixelworks.”
“Congratulations on the launch of the OnePlus 12 smartphone!” said Ting Xiong, President of Pixelworks China. “Over the years of collaboration with OnePlus, Pixelworks has witnessed the birth of OnePlus’ many best-selling products. We are also honored to have grown together with OnePlus. From the deep technical integration of OnePlus’ Super Frame Rate and Picture Quality Engine to the joint exploration and implementation of the end-to-end IRX rendering accelerating solution with gaming ecosystem partners, OnePlus and Pixelworks have consistently prioritized fundamental aspects of the end user experience in our efforts to improve mobile gaming performance. The two companies are devoted to enhancing hardware rendering capabilities and elevating the visual quality of games, making stable, high-frame-rate and high-quality graphics the standard for mobile gaming experiences. The debut of the OnePlus 12 smartphone is a special event to celebrate the brand’s 10th anniversary. We believe that the smartphone, with its innovative technologies and impressive specifications, will mark the beginning of another brilliant chapter in OnePlus’ product portfolio.”
About OnePlus
OnePlus is a pioneering and performance-oriented brand under OPPO. The company brings together a group of engineers who dare to challenge the limits of the industry, pursue cutting-edge technologies, and pay attention to quality details. OnePlus sticks to its “Never Settle” mantra and provides technology enthusiasts with exquisitely designed devices featuring ultimate performance, specially designed texture, and flagship user experience.
About Pixelworks
Pixelworks provides industry-leading content creation, video delivery and display processing solutions and technology that enable highly authentic viewing experiences with superior visual quality, across all screens – from cinema to smartphone and beyond. The Company has more than 20 years of history delivering image processing innovation to leading providers of consumer electronics, professional displays and video streaming services. In July 2023, Pixelworks announced its new IRX gaming experience brand. As a brand targeted at smartphone users, IRX is grounded on Pixelworks’ profound visual processing and rendering technologies coupling with in-depth tuning services with consideration on games’ characteristic. This combination leverages Pixelworks’ expertise to optimize the performance and display quality for various mobile games, thus providing end users with unparalleled mobile gaming experiences.
For more information, please visit the company’s web site at www.pixelworks.com.
Note: Pixelworks, MotionEngine and the Pixelworks logo are trademarks of Pixelworks, Inc. Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Investor Contact: Brett L Perry
Shelton Group
P: 214-272-0070
E: bperry@sheltongroup.com
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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
