Chips & Technologies releases a low power (notebook) LCD graphics display driver. The chip uses embedded DRAM technology, courtesy of Samsung. Can you say laptop DVD?
biz.yahoo.com
Chips and Technologies Introduces HiQVideo Flat Panel Accelerator
with Integrated Memory
First Member of Embedded Memory Product Family Targets Value and Mainstream Notebook
Computer Niches
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 2, 1997--Chips and Technologies, Inc., the world's number-one supplier of
flat panel graphics accelerators and controllers, today announced a new family of video/graphic accelerators with integrated
high-performance memory.
Targeted at the mainstream notebook PC market, the new HiQVideo(TM) 69000 is a single-chip solution that incorporates
2MB of proprietary synchronous graphics RAM (SGRAM) with a proven 64-bit video graphics accelerator core. The new
chip is manufactured by Samsung Semiconductor, the world's number one supplier of memory products.
The HiQVideo 69000 dramatically reduces power consumption, increases graphics and video acceleration performance, and
provides notebook computer OEMs with new ways to differentiate their products in a competitive marketplace.
``The HiQVideo 69000 not only extends a notebook's battery life, but it also provides exciting full-screen, full-motion video
display capabilities that help differentiate our customers' value and mainstream notebooks from competitive products,'' said Ali
Syed, product marketing manager for embedded memory products at Chips and Technologies. ``As an extension of the
market-leading HiQVideo product family, the 69000 is footprint and software compatible with our other HiQVideo
controllers and accelerators, enabling a single OEM footprint or notebook design to support multiple levels of functionality.''
Market Segmentation
The notebook computer market is typically divided into several price segments: performance (more than $3500), mainstream
($2000-$3500), and value (less than $2000).
The first version of the 69000 HiQVideo accelerator targets value and mainstream segments. Later versions will include
multimedia enhancements, making them ideal for performance platforms that consume low amounts of power. The 69000 is
fully compliant with Microsoft's PC97 operating system specification.
Chips and Technologies provides a simple upgrade path to new HiQVideo products. All HiQVideo products share the same
footprint and are software compatible. This enables personal computer OEMs to easily differentiate their notebook offerings
for different market segments. Using a single notebook design, OEMs can utilize both performance and value/mainstream
HiQVideo products, with or without integrated memory.
Low Power Consumption and High-End Multimedia Capabilities for Notebook Computers
The 69000 HiQVideo accelerator with integrated memory dramatically reduces the power consumption of portable computer
systems. Integrating up to five different chips into a single IC, the 69000 consumes just 350-650mW during operation.
The HiQVideo 69000 graphics engine integrates advanced graphics and video display capabilities normally found in very
high-end multimedia systems. These include HiQColor(TM) for STN panels, support for high resolution/color modes
combined with real-time video acceleration, 16:9 aspect ratio support for a variety of panels and platforms including the new
ultra-portables, vertical and horizontal bilinear interpolation of video, and a unique flicker reduction process for television
display.
Chips and Technologies designed the 69000 to support high performance graphics and video acceleration for all supported
display modes, display types, and color modes. It provides the same high level of performance in 8, 16, or 24-bpp color
modes while displaying up to 16.7 million colors. The 69000 supports display resolutions up to 1600x1200 with refresh rates
up to 85 Hz.
The 69000 converts digital YUV input to RGB color space and continuously scales data with horizontal and vertical
interpolation and double-buffering. This delivers high-quality, full-screen, full- motion video, and enables applications such as
videoconferencing to run smoothly. A PC Card Zoom Video Port allows full-frame rate video capture from a variety of
sources, including broadcast television.
The 69000 integrates HiQColor based on Chips and Technologies' proprietary TMED(TM) (Temporal Modulated Energy
Distribution) that enables low-cost STN Panels to achieve TFT-like quality. This unique process allows the display of 16.7
million true colors on passive STN (super-twisted nematic) panels without using Frame Rate Control (FRC) or dithering.
TMED eliminates all of the flaws normally associated with dithering and FRC, enabling display quality and color fidelity for
STN panels.
TV flicker reduction is achieved through on-chip digital filters that average adjacent vertical lines on the display. The
combination of both vertical and horizontal interpolation makes graphics and text appear ``smooth'' on a television. The
television output circuitry supports both NTSC and PAL standard formats appropriately for both television formats and LCD
panels.
Leveraging Samsung's MDL Architecture and Sub-Micron Process Technology
The new HiQVideo 69000 product family utilizes several state-of-the-art technologies developed by Samsung, including the
Merged DRAM and Logic (MDL90) ASIC architecture and 0.35-micron, multi-layer ASIC process technology.
Samsung's MDL architecture enables Chips and Technologies' designers to integrate up to 3MB of enhanced, proprietary,
high-speed SGRAM-like memory into flat panel multimedia accelerators. Chips and Technologies also benefits from access to
Samsung's established submicron manufacturing capacity. Samsung continues to follow its ASIC process road map with plans
to reach a 0.25 micron geometry by 1998 and 0.18 by 1999.
Pricing and Availability
Select OEM notebook customers are currently evaluating the HiQVideo 69000 accelerators, which are expected to begin
shipping later this year. Pricing is $42.00 in 10,000 unit quantities in a 256-pin Ball Grid Array (BGA).
About Chips and Technologies
Chips and Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHPS) develops semiconductor and software solutions for leading manufacturers of
personal computers. These unique, highly integrated solutions provide enhanced graphics, full-motion video, and other
advanced display capabilities for both notebook and desktop computers. Chips and Technologies is widely recognized as the
world's number one supplier of flat panel video graphics controllers and accelerators to the portable computer market. Chips
and Technologies can be reached on the World Wide Web at chips.com .
This press release contains forward looking statements, which are generally preceded by words such as ``expects,''
``anticipates,'' or ``intends.'' Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including competitive conditions, the timing
of product development, conditions in the personal computer marketplace, and other risks described in detail in the
Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Note to Editors: All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners.
Contact:
Chips and Technologies
Lisa Lawrence, 408/434-0600
lisal@chips.com
or
MQPR
Matthew Quint, 510/548-8985
mattq@chips.com |
