The eight-channel audio codec will enable higher-level audio applications and lead the PC industry into next-generation sound quality. The company launched its six-channel AC’97 audio codec last year.

Samples of the new chip are available now and mass production is scheduled for October. A number of Taiwan’s motherboard manufacturers will showcase their products equipped with the Realtek ALC850 at Computex 2003, which will be held from September 22-26.

Read more: Digitimes.

This is probably silly but hearing the name AC'97 doesn't exactly bring the idea of "next generation" to my mind. In the computer world something developed in 1997 is absolutely ancient.