Next-gen Thunderbolt capable of 120Gbps for 8K displays

A new generation of Thunderbolt interconnect technology is coming, with Intel promising data speeds up to 120Gbit/sec when it ships. The next-generation Thunderbolt tech doesn't have an official name yet, but we will be surprised if it turns out to be anything other than Thunderbolt 5. Full details have yet to be disclosed, …

[Steve Button]

What the fuck is a meter?

Isn't this a UK site?

I'm pretty sure on the Reg Scale, a meter is a thing for measuring stuff. Like volts and amps.

Checks URL... hang on, when did it change to .com?

[Gordon 10]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

Its 100 centimetres. HTH

I believe the El Reg unit of length is actually the linguine.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

I think you're wrong about the linguine, the proper unit of length is a ratio of london double deckers from nose to toe (or was it whales?) against olympic-sized swimming pool, bottom-up. Only natural...

[Totally not a Cylon]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

meter is the American English spelling of metre.

Like many differences in spelling the Americans preserved the old way of spelling when the Brits went a bit 'frenchyfied' in spelling.

[RobThBay]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

The Yanks also have their own spelling for litre. "Liter"

[Androgynous Cupboard]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

If it stops then from using a fl.oz or “cup” they can spell it however they like.

[Norman Nescio]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

Like many differences in spelling the Americans preserved the old way of spelling when the Brits went a bit 'frenchyfied' in spelling.

Actually, much American spelling originates with the choices made by Noah Webster, following his own personal thinking about the role of language and its orthography. Other people have attempted to reform English spelling: George Bernard Shaw being one of the more notable ones (Shavian alphabet), but Webster in large part succeeded.

I can strongly recommend reading the poem The Chaos to illustrate the inconsistencies of English spelling.

Written Korean (Hangul) is a good example of a language moving to phonemic orthography. It took a while, and I suspect the wide distribution of English and the tendency of languages that are in use to evolve means that English is unlikely ever to be globally consistent, unless it becomes a 'dead' language, like Latin, or possibly Sanskrit (both languages are used, but do not have speakers who have it as their first language (aka mother tongue). Languages that are not even used are not dead, but extinct).

[that one in the corner]

Phonemic spelling of English

wood be a larf - or a laff? - cood

I reed it in the barf - or baff?

Nevvuh moynd, so laang as we cun still say hairlair to a playt of ghoti anne chips in Ingerlund.

[that one in the corner]

The Chaos

The full text of The Chaos can be read at http://ncf.idallen.com/english.html (and no doubt other places as well)- I especially like that page's comment that "You can hear some of it pronounced MOSTLY correctly in videos here" (added emphasis is mine).

[Steve Graham]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

It's alleged that, from nationalistic motives, Webster wanted American and British English to diverge, and sometimes invented spellings just to be different.

[that one in the corner]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

But the French invented the metre - there never was "an old way of spelling" it as "meter"!

[Basmman63]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

This. Americans tend to spell things as they sound. Makes a lot of sense, in most cases.

[Neil Barnes]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

Checks URL... hang on, when did it change to .com?

Right after you type '.co.uk' and hit return, apparently...

[JDX]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

At the top of the comments page is a "send corrections" link, which is the correct way to report errata. Rather than making profane comments.

Means we don't end up with a long comment thread about something which has already been fixed.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What the fuck is a meter?

a meter is something that metes, qed ;)

[Solviva]

Superset of USB 4 v2, so is this USB 4 v2+ or USB 4 v3 or USB 4 v2.1 or USB 4 v2 v2 or USB 4 v2 superduperness?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes.

[Michael Wojcik]

USB 4 v2 unnecessariness?

[Stuart Halliday]

I'm just waiting for the 1st customer who tries linking 2x 1M cables together and expecting it to work!

[JDX]

10 bit colour

I'm aware this is useful at the processing level (although I thought most GPUs worked in floating point colour values these days) but why does a display need it? Even on high-end displays can you tell the difference by eye between two RGB888 values? What's the use-case?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: 10 bit colour

It's most noticeable in broad gradients rather than sharper colour transitions, but yes, most people can actually see the janky blockyness at 8-bit colour. If you're doing professional graphic arts of some kind, this will be a big issue.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: 10 bit colour

the display needs it, because markets need it (read: 'to envigorate sale, blah blah blah).. Market need it, because growth needs it. Growth needs it, because bank accounts need it. Note: I never even mentioned the 'customers need it'.

In short, you're asking the wrong question. Or rather, you're asking a perfectly logical, sensible question, which makes it the wrong question.

[Michael Wojcik]

Re: 10 bit colour

Eh, well, that's my feeling about 8K and even 4K. Actually, even HD, for television; for computing these days I exclusively use laptops with their built-in screens. (I lost interest in multiple displays long ago.) But apparently I'm in the minority.

[IGotOut]

Re: 10 bit colour

Its like saying why by the likes of a Dell Ultra sharp, rather than a cheap Samsung, after all they are the same resolution..

If you're working with colour, you do notice the difference.

Its a thing for .0005% of end users, but those really appreciate it.