Intel CE Media Processor Slips Into Next-Gen Comcast Set-Top Box

Comcast was always a major player in the cable / ISP space, but now it's almost unfair. These guys have managed to coerce even a monstrous company like Intel to team up with 'em, with their newest Xfinity TV set-top box being powered by none other than Chipzilla herself. Intel's CE media processor has been kicking around in one form or another for a few years now, but mostly it attracted attention at trade shows rather than consumer halls. But with media, content and streaming becoming such hot topics, the whole industry is ripe for an explosion in these kinds of chips.

Comcast will be relying on Intel-based set- top boxes, engineered by Pace, in a next-gen Xfinity TV market trial. Why? Comcast hopes that these will add to the overall experience, which uses a new guide and user interface to make the television more interactive, personal and social. The company is using Intel’s processors in new set-top boxes in its Augusta, Ga. market trial of Xfinity TV, but there's no telling if it'll spread elsewhere soon.


Is this the first step to Intel busting out their own HTPC? We doubt it, but hey, what's life without pipe dreams?