Motorola ATRIX 4G will have to be updated for Full HD video capture and HDMI playback post-launch

The incredibly-spec'd Motorola ATRIX 4G (our hands-on here) for some reason might ship with "only" HD video capabilities - both capture, and playback via HDMI. According to Moto's dedicated website, 1080p Full HD video will be unlocked at a later time via a firmware update. Well, teething problems with a brand new chipset could be expected, so we are willing to cut Moto some slack here.

The LG Optimus 2X, however, running the same dual-core Tegra 2 chipset, already has samples showing its 1080p video capabilities. Not perfect in terms of exposure and color representation, but the quantity of video detail is just out there for a phone.


We guess this is all due to the power management issues present with Moto's Tegra 2 handsets - the ATRIX 4G, and the Motorola DROID BIONIC - that were exposed yesterday. Motorola has obviously committed to out the handset in a month's time anyway, probably due to contractual obligations, and deal with the glitches in the meantime. We know Full HD puts strain on the chipset when encoding and decoding, so we wouldn't like the phone melting on us due to the said power management issues.

Oh, what a world we live in, when trailblazing devices are out unfinished due to deadlines. It's a riot that we have to make do with 720p video capture and HDMI-out playback on our dual-core phones now, we have to tell you.

source: Motorola via Engadget