Kapow! SoC it to them

29 Aug 2012

The latest generation of system-on-a-chip (SoC) thin clients delivers high-definition multimedia performance and low power consumption, writes Simon Richards, managing director of thin client manufacturer IGEL Technology.

Today, we are witnessing the arrival of a new class of thin client that will make virtual desktop computing the first choice for many organisations. The introduction of system-on-a-chip (SoC) thin clients is revolutionising the industry, allowing organisations to deploy virtual desktops with high definition multimedia performance and low power consumption at an all-time low cost.

[Editor’s note: System-on-a-chip technology combines all the necessary components of a system in an integrated circuit on a single chip.]

Substantial developments in chip integration means the industry is able to reduce manufacturing and operating costs, whilst building smaller systems with improved performance; and this revolutionary step is changing the future for desktop computing.

These latest thin clients use SoC platforms, such as those based on Texas Instruments 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor. The SoC also typically integrates a digital signal processor (DSP), in order to accelerate protocols such as Microsoft RemoteFX and Citrix HDX. As a result, the latest SoC thin clients deliver multimedia performance comparable to that of PCs or current top-of-the-range thin client models. Examples of this high performance includes the capability to display full-screen HD video as well as render complex graphical content, such as Windows Aero effects and animated PowerPoint presentations, as well as rich media by means of Flash Player.

In addition, by leveraging the high performance and energy efficiency of the ARM processing core, the devices have incredibly low power consumption, in the region of just 7 watts (W) in idle mode and less than 1W in sleep mode. These power consumption levels are half that of traditional thin clients with the equivalent capability and 77 percent less than desktop PCs, offering substantial saving opportunities for businesses with large-scale deployments. Add to this display resolutions of up to 1920 x 1200 and dual-view options and the latest SoC devices are certainly attractive for many different business and industry environments.

However, as with all new technological developments, buyers should be wary of being attracted to a new technology, only to find themselves locked into a single environment, such as Citrix or Microsoft. One of the guiding principles of IGEL has always been to build open, universal desktop devices that allow the customer the choice and flexibility to change their IT environment as they see fit. As a result, we have worked hard to ensure our first SoC devices follow these same principles to support a great variety of applications. At this time, these include the transmission protocols Microsoft RDP including RemoteFX, Citrix ICA including HDX, and VMware View by means of RDP or PCoIP. In addition, a local Firefox browser, a Java runtime environment as well as a PDF reader and a local media player are all integrated in the Linux-based device firmware of our SoC thin clients.

There can be no doubt that the introduction of SoC thin clients will be good for customers and as a result, good for the industry. Over time, we expect to see the reduction of desktop costs for the customer.