I didn’t get what was new and useful about HP’s DreamColor technology when it debuted for monitors at NAB 2008. (DreamColor was introduced in 2007, but aimed initially at color printing solutions.) There seemed to be a lot of noise being made for better color rendition, but what was exciting or new about that?

I think I’m starting to get it. Attending a talk by HP and a group of DreamWorks artists and technicians–their partners in developing the technology–the differences in the crisp colors and black blacks of the new 24-inch HP DreamColor LP2480zx display and a standard LCD at its side were remarkable.

The new display is described as “true 30-bit”, which means it can choose from a range of over 1 billion colors to display. The result? No banding, and rendering of colors subtle enough to best reflect what the artists want to see on the big screen. more

In scheduling a 9am press conference on the opening day of the Siggraph, Sony lost no time in providing an answer to the many who–over the years since technology was first announced—questioned the value of the Cell processor initiative.

The joint venture with IBM and Toshiba to develop a new type of media-savvy processor initially appeared in the PlayStation 3, but seemed adrift for any other applications, since the hardware design was significantly different from the legacy x86 the computer industry has grown comfortable with. (The Cell processor—referred to by the consortium as the Cell Broadband Engine microprocessor , or Cell/B.E., is a relatively unusual design that combines a general-purpose IBM POWERPC processor core that communicates with eight special-purpose, on-chip DSP cores.) more

Far from the Siggraph show floor, on the third floor of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, I saw the best 3D display demo I’ve encountered to date from a company out of Paris called Alioscopy. What particularly intrigued me about what they showed me was the fact that the technology has great crossover potential for all sorts of markets as the professional and consumer 3D revolutions march onward. In fact, and although I didn’t ask, this is probably one reason why Alioscopy is demonstrating its technology away from the show floor—the Siggraph market probably is far from the biggest potential market for Alioscopy’s technology. more

HP will unveil unmatched, powerful computing solutions for creative professionals at SIGGRAPH 2008, and provide multiple opportunities to see them at the show.

Demonstrations and talks from HP include:

• HP DreamColor Display technology

o Demonstrations of the technology offered at the bottom of every hour.

o Customers share their experiences at the top of every hour.

o Demos and customer talks held in HP booth #739. Read on at The Briefing Room

More Siggraph 2008 news from The Briefing Room