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8.4 Megabyte Shrek
Entire Shrek movie in just 8MiB with AV1 and opus
128×72 resolution (the elusive "72p"), 4 FPS, 4.6 kbps video, 7.5 kbps audio, 1:30:04 runtime.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you shouldn't.
Some Stuff Ahead of CES 2020
Here's What to Expect From CES 2020
The 8 Things We Expect to See at CES 2020 (archive)
5G... AI... MicroLED... AirPod clones... "micromobility" e-scooters/bikes... foldables... privacy, and...
By now you might have heard the story: At last year’s CES, a robotic vibrator called the Ose was initially awarded an innovation prize, then was disqualified once the Consumer Technology Association (which puts on the big show) deemed the product “immoral” and “obscene.” Backlash followed, and last summer the CTA released a statement summarizing some policy changes, which included—surprise!—a trial run for sex toys at CES 2020.
All of that buzz (pun absolutely intended) seems to have generated momentum for the woman-led team behind the Ose vibrator. The company says it made more than $1 million within an hour of listing the product for pre-sale in November of 2019. But it also opened the doors for more sex toy and sexual health companies to exhibit at CES this year, whether those are bendable bullet vibrators, kegel exercisers, or “rear gear.” The caveat is that the products have to be “innovative and include new or emerging tech” to qualify. So, OK, we’re looking forward to seeing sex toys served up with AI smarts and a side of blockchain—but really, we mostly look forward to the erosion of taboos around sexual health and sexual pleasure, particularly for women.
CES 2020: Preview of tomorrow's tech on show in Las Vegas
Artificial intelligence, 5G, foldables, surveillance tech, 8K and robotics are set to be among this year's buzzwords.
But also expect Trump to feature. The President's clashes with China have led some of the communist country's biggest tech firms to cancel or reduce their involvement in the Las Vegas event. But the prospect of an imminent trade deal points towards tensions easing and greater access to Chinese consumers.
Ivanka Trump - the US leader's daughter - is also attending to give a "keynote" interview to CES chief Gary Shapiro.
He once called on Americans to oppose her father because of "his racism and inanity".
Now Mr Shapiro faces criticism himself for inviting Ivanka to discuss "the future of work". Critics claim she is benefiting from nepotism while better-qualified female tech champions are overlooked.
Personally, I'll be looking for AMD's announcements, which will include Zen 2 "Renoir" laptop APUs and likely a 64-core Threadripper (48-core for plebs?). AMD will have a streamed keynote on Monday, Jan. 6 at 2:00 p.m. PST. I'll also look at the 8K TVs and related junk. It looks like AV1 hardware decode will be featured in many devices this year.
Note: It looks like the VCN in Renoir will not support AV1 hardware decode. Also, "Dali" is likely going to be the Zen-based upgrade to last year's ultra low power Excavator APUs.
The Silicon Anti-Lottery
The Worst CPU & GPU Purchases of 2019
Intel Core i9-9900KF / i9-9900KS
Essentially what Intel has done here is create hype around a new product that’s not new at all. They’re charging users more money to cherry pick the best silicon, while reducing the overall quality of the 9900K range by limiting it to parts that can’t easily run at 5 GHz or beyond.
As a result, a few months out from the 9900KS release people started to notice how poorly new 9900K processors were overclocking and binning specialist ‘Silicon Lottery,’ had to drop the 9900K altogether. Typically as a CPU ages the manufacturing process that it’s based on will mature and this leads to a higher chance of ending up with better quality silicon, so typically you’d see parts like the 9900K that usually overclocked to 5 GHz, start to do it more frequently as times goes by.
Our concern with the 9900KS is that Intel now has the option to release a new CPU series and send reviewers the best silicon available at the time while also selling it to early adopters initially. After which point they activate an aggressive binning process, saving top tier silicon for an upcoming special edition series and sell it at a premium.
The chance of purchasing a lower quality silicon chip is always a possibility, but with this change your chance of winning the silicon lottery goes from say ~30%, to zero.
While we’re not wrapped with the idea of the 9900KS, there is also the 9900KF model. What we have here is a 9900K that overclocks no better, the integrated graphics are disabled, and it costs no less. Asking to pay full price for a defective 9900K is no joke.
Intel is so tight on 14nm supply right now that they’re selling everything, parts once destined for the bin are now binned as special versions without iGPUs. In our opinion, they’d be better off selling them to overclockers without the [integrated heat spreader], Intel could save a few bucks there, and overclockers would appreciate having to avoid the delidding step.
When you look at benchmarks for CPUs on sites like cpubenchmark.net, you're hopefully seeing an average score based on hundreds of tested samples, with the score fairly representing expected performance. But cooling and thermal differences, RAM speed, the number of RAM channels in use, and other factors could create large performance variations between the same chips. For example, the Intel Celeron N4000 in some 13-inch laptop should perform significantly better than in a thermally constrained device such as Walmart's landfill quality 10-inch EVOO tablet.
Now, not only do you have to be wary of benchmark conditions and reviewers getting sent excellently binned chips, but you should also keep in mind that early benchmarks could be artificially higher if a company's binning shenanigans includes selling lower quality chips with the same name later.
Related: That's Ryzen AF: Some Old AMD Chips Might Be Getting a 12nm Makeover
Zen 3: +17% IPC?
It is pointed out that in mixed operations that leverage both integer and floating-point units of the Zen architecture, Zen 3 could deliver a 17% IPC gain on average. It is also stated that the integer ops are getting a 10-12% increase on average while the floating-point operations could feature up to a 50% increase in performance. Integer operations are what most general consumer apps use but in floating-point heavy applications, Zen 3 has the potential to be a big game-changer for the industry and especially the server market (HPC/Datacenters).
Big if true. Looks like a worthwhile upgrade to Zen/Zen+ systems if your motherboard is compatible. Otherwise, it might be better to wait it out until Zen 4 on a new AM5 socket, likely allowing upgrades to future Zen 5 and Zen 6 CPUs.
Baba Ram Dass Dies at Age 88
Baba Ram Dass, Proponent of LSD and New Age Enlightenment, Dies at 88
Baba Ram Dass, who epitomized the 1960s of legend by popularizing psychedelic drugs with Timothy Leary, a fellow Harvard academic, before finding spiritual inspiration in India, died on Sunday at his home on Maui, Hawaii. He was 88.
His death was announced on his official Instagram account.
Having returned from India as a bushy-bearded, barefoot, white-robed guru, Ram Dass, who was born Richard Alpert, became a peripatetic lecturer on New Age possibilities and a popular author of more than a dozen inspirational books.
The first of his books, “Be Here Now” (1971), sold more than two million copies and established him as an exuberant exponent of finding salvation through helping others.
He started a foundation to combat blindness in India and Nepal, supported reforestation in Latin America, and developed health education programs for American Indians in South Dakota.
More Zen 2 Laptop Chips Leak Out
That's Ryzen AF: Some Old AMD Chips Might Be Getting a 12nm Makeover
AMD's first-gen Ryzen processors are selling at all-time low pricing, but it turns out that some of these chips are filtering out into the hands of enthusiasts with an unexpected surprise: The 12nm process, which is more efficient and faster than the original manufacturing process used with AMD's freshman Ryzen chips.
The original Ryzen 5 1600 landed with six cores and twelve threads powered by the 14nm GlobalFoundries process, but a new "AF" version has appeared at retailers for a mere $85 and apparently comes with the 12nm Zen+ architecture.
[...] The newer AF models also come with the Wraith Stealth cooler, which is a lesser cooler compared to the Wraith Spire that came with the original 1600 models.
Performance may or may not be slightly better.
8 cores at a 15 Watt TDP sounds great (I have a Llano system with 4 cores at 35 Watts), although we'll have to see if hyperthreading is dropped or if that was just related to how it was tested.
I don't think using Vega graphics instead of Navi is a deal killer. But if there is no AV1 decode on the media engine, I don't want to get it. Also, I want to start seeing some AMD APUs with HBM or stacked DRAM on the chip, which could come with Zen 3 or Zen 4, if not later. AFAIK, Intel isn't planning to stop including eDRAM on certain models, and the next-gen consoles will probably have the CPU, GPU, and RAM packed in close.
Here are some proper APUs. Except I'm not sure I care about a 45 Watt TDP chip in that form factor anymore. Even if I take the hit down to 15 Watts, it would perform better than any laptop I've used.
The important thing is that this could help AMD claw back some market share in the segment and get some design wins.
AMD’s Radeon RX 5500 XT Graphics Cards Bottlenecked by PCIe Bandwidth?
If Radeon RX 5500 XT launch reviews were crippled by using PCIe 3.0 instead of 4.0, WTF is AMD's marketing department doing?
There is an expectation that APUs will completely take over 1080p gaming in the near future, and the already tiny die size of the RX 5500 XT is notable. Shrink to "7nm+" or "5nm" and that level of performance will require an even smaller die size.
No More "Pontifical Secrecy"
Pope lifts 'pontifical secret' rule in sex abuse cases
The Pope has declared that the rule of "pontifical secrecy" no longer applies to the sexual abuse of minors, in a bid to improve transparency in such cases.
The Church previously shrouded sexual abuse cases in secrecy, in what it said was an effort to protect the privacy of victims and reputations of the accused.
But new papal documents on Tuesday lifted restrictions on those who report abuse or say they have been victims.
Church leaders called for the rule's abolition at a February Vatican summit.
They said the lifting of the rule in such cases would improve transparency and the ability of the police and other civil legal authorities to request information from the Church.
Information in abuse cases should still be treated with "security, integrity and confidentiality", the Pope said in his announcement. He instructed Vatican officials to comply with civil laws and assist civil judicial authorities in investigating such cases.
The Pope also changed the Vatican's definition of child pornography, increasing the age of the subject from 14 or under to 18 or under.
Defeated Kentucky Governor Goes on Pardoning Spree
Matt Bevin is no longer the governor of Kentucky, but his decisions continued to send shock waves through the state’s legal system this week after he issued pardons for hundreds of people, some of whom committed violent offenses.
Bevin issued 428 pardons since his defeat to Democrat Andy Beshear in a close election in November, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. His list includes a man convicted of reckless homicide, a convicted child rapist, a man who murdered his parents at age 16 and a woman who threw her newborn in the trash after giving birth in a flea market outhouse.
He also pardoned Dayton Jones, who was convicted in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy at a party, Kentucky New Era reported.
It is not unusual for governors to issue pardons as they leave office, but Bevin’s actions boggled some of the state’s attorneys, who questioned his judgment.
[...] Steele said he was particularly disturbed by the pardon of Patrick Brian Baker, whose brother hosted a fundraiser for Bevin and donated to him over the years, the Courier Journal reported.
[...] Not all of Bevin’s pardons stirred controversy. He spared death row inmate Gregory Wilson by commuting his sentence to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years, the Courier Journal reported. Wilson’s 1988 murder trial had been plagued by legal and ethical issues.
Bevin also pardoned Louisville community activist Christopher IIX, who was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 1990 and theft by failure to make disposition in 1997, according to local reports. In the pardon, Bevin said the activist “has turned his life around after a rocky start many years ago and has paid his debt to society.”
On His Way Out, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin Pardons Murderers, Rapists, Hundreds More
Matt Bevin defends his controversial pardons in twenty-tweet-long Twitter thread
UPDATED: "5nm" Zen 4 in Early 2021?
AMD ‘Zen 4’ 5nm Products Will Launch In 2021, 5nm Yield Has Already Crossed 7nm
AMD has been on a red hot streak lately and it looks like it can't get anything wrong. If this report from China Times is to be believed (and this is usually a reliable source) then TSMC's 5nm testing is going very well and the first 3 customers have already been locked in - including AMD. According to the schedule obtained by China Times, AMD's 5nm products will be landing in early 2021 with mass production for 5nm scheduled in 2020.
("5nm" yield "crossing" "7nm" seems to refer to when "7nm" was at the same point in its production, around 2 years ago)
I thought it was possible that Zen 4 would slip into 2022. If it doesn't, that's good news since Intel is supposed to be stepping up its game in 2021 (after preordained failure in 2020).
"Early 2021" (March?) is an aggressive target for a Zen 4 release. However, it might make sense. Features can be moved to Zen 4 instead of debuting with Zen 3, something already indicated by previous rumors. A relatively brief duration between the Zen 3 and Zen 4 releases could work since Zen 3 will be the last generation compatible with the AM4 and SP3 sockets. Some people will upgrade to it on their existing motherboards. Zen 4 is likely to support DDR5, perhaps exclusively. Combine with chip shortages, and there won't be a glut of unsold Zen 3 chips.
1.8x density of TSMC "5nm" is a comparison to "7nm" rather than "7nm+" (source). So the core count could double with a slight increase in the size of or area covered by the chiplets.
My guess is that chiplets will continue to have 8 cores, since that is better for yields/binning. They'll just get smaller and more numerous as needed. I am not sure that core counts are going to increase much for the mainstream Ryzen lineup. 24-32 core "mainstream" Ryzen is possible but seems excessive. I will predict the elimination of desktop 6-core Ryzen CPUs with Zen 4. Just include 2 of the bad chiplets with 4 working cores each, or 1 chiplet with 8 cores, whichever is cheapest. The minimum core count for all new Ryzen chips would match PS5/Xbox core count.
One feature I'm looking out for is L4 cache stacked onto the I/O die. This is an interim step before true monolithic 3D designs, but it could be great for performance. Stacking 4 GB of HBM on the I/O die should cost relatively little. Or if HBM prices are still steep by 2021, 1-2 GB stacks or bigger stacks for the more expensive CPUs.
Zen 4: Even bigger performance leap?
This article is an excellent writeup of what is known or suspected for Zen 3 and Zen 4. I linked directly to the section discussing Zen 4 but you might want to read the whole thing. Some things to note:
* It looks like most Zen 3 CPUs will land just short of that magic (marketing) 5 GHz frequency. Although AMD will probably push to make the 16-core flagship turbo to 5 GHz instead of 4.9 GHz.
* AMD has to improve memory latency to beat Intel's slight lead in games (other areas of improvement include higher frequencies and optimization for AMD CPUs).
Update:
In an interview with Tom's Hardware, AMD's CTO, Mark Papermaster, has revealed that we can expect even more cores on next-generation Ryzen CPUs. AMD recently launched their Ryzen 9 3950X processor, featuring 16 cores, which became an instant hit with entire inventories being cleared away minutes after availability.
There are a lot of interesting details that Mark has mentioned in the interview in particular to the next-generation technologies that would be featured on their processor lineup ranging from Ryzen and EPYC CPUs. The most significant detail and the one I would start this article is with the fact that AMD isn't stopping at just 16 cores. According to AMD, there are now many applications that can scale across multiple cores and threads. The addition of cores is entirely relative to the number of applications that can take advantage of those cores so as long as this balance exists, there would not be a saturation point of cores on next-generation CPUs, whether these be mainstream or the HPC server parts.
I still don't think they will increase core counts for Zen 3. But it's clear that we will see at least a 24-core Ryzen soon.
It makes sense. If an application or game can utilize 2 or 4 cores, I wouldn't think that it could utilize 16, 32, or 64 cores. But with applications and games using 8 or 16 cores, scaling up to use 32+ cores is less of a stretch because there is already significant parallelism. On the gaming front, no less than 8 "real" cores will be used by the next-gen consoles (possibly with background tasks handled by a separate processor). Open world type games with lots of NPCs could take advantage of high core counts.
16 cores is "mainstream" and will become more common after a year or two of price drops. 8 cores is legitimately mainstream and will be coming to AMD's Zen 2 laptop APUs. 6-core CPUs will start to get pushed out of the lineup or become very cheap (such as an Athlon-branded Zen 2 APU).
Ryzen 4000 (Zen 3) on AM4
AMD Ryzen 4000 CPUs With 7nm+ Zen 3 Cores & X670 Flagship AM4 Platform Arriving End of 2020
* It looks like Zen 3 will be the last generation on AM4, then Zen 4 will move to AM5, adding support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.
* Since it's a little over 12 months between each release, you could see Zen 3 in Q4 2020 and Zen 4 in Q1 2022.
* Rumors about Zen 3 performance range from +8% IPC and +200 MHz to over 15% IPC increase and higher core counts. A core count increase (e.g. 12 cores per chiplet or more chiplets) seems unlikely to me, but "7nm+" might make it possible (20% greater transistor density).
Things to watch out for in January:
* 64-core Threadripper 3990X
* Possible 48-core Threadripper 3980X, which AMD may have decided is not worth releasing. You are probably either good with 32 cores or want as many as possible.
* Possible 8-channel memory for Threadripper
* Zen 2 APUs with up to 8 cores
* Use of either Vega or Navi graphics for the Zen 2 APUs
* Any improvements to media decoding? Such as AV1 or 8K. Is it called Video Core Next, Radeon Multimedia Engine, or both?
* LPDDR4X support?
* Possible successor to the fanless A6-9220C, with at least the +52% higher IPC of Zen.
* Possibly more details about ray tracing for the next-gen consoles.
