Here it is without tyhe effort!!!
S3 Sets the Course to bring DVD, DTV and DSS Video to the
Consumer PC
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Charting the course for video
on the PC, S3(R) Incorporated (Nasdaq: SIII) announced today an aggressive
roadmap aimed at enabling OEMs to deliver cinema-quality video on a PC
platform that incorporates DVD, DSS and/or DTV technologies. At a press
conference today at the Delancey Screening Room in San Francisco, S3 will
unveil a technology licensing partnership with Faroudja Laboratories, an S3/
Faroudja reference design board, a suite of third party DVD hardware reference
designs and full support for the new high-performance VIP video bus on all
future S3 products.
"As a leader in the PC marketplace, S3 is accepting the challenge of
delivering a cinema-quality video experience on the personal computer," said
Gary Johnson, S3's president and CEO. "By using our video technology and
working with industry leaders such as Faroudja, IBM, SGS-Thomson and Toshiba
-- S3 is seeking to drive the convergence of consumer electronics and the PC
by setting a new standard for video quality."
S3's Video Roadmap
* To provide a mainstream DVD solution today, S3 announced six new
PCI-based hardware reference designs from C-Cube Microsystems, Chromatic
Research, IBM, Luxsonor, SGS-Thomson and Toshiba. By utilizing S3's local
peripheral bus interface (LBP), these PCI-based hardware reference designs
will enable PC OEMs to deliver full-resolution (720x480), full-screen, motion
video at 30 frames-per-second. S3's LPB interface is a high-speed video port
that is designed to enable decompressed MPEG-2 data to bypass the PCI bus and
go directly into the graphics accelerator. This guarantees 30
frames-per-second performance and eliminates potential configuration problems
that can occur when multiple devices interact on the PCI bus.
* In addition to offering an LPB solution, S3 is implementing the VIP
1.10 bus, which has quickly emerged as the industry standard for transporting
digital video inside a PC. This provides OEMs with the flexibility to chose
from a single card (VIP) solution or two-card (LPB) solution. As a two card
approach, LPB is a uni-directional bus that enables decompressed video to be
transferred from the DVD decoder to the graphics accelerator. VIP allows for
an additional level of integration by enabling video to be passed both to and
from the graphics accelerator to a DVD decoder. This single card approach
reduces cost, reduces complexity and enables the OEM to free up one PCI slot.
* S3 obtained the exclusive rights to the compelling components of
Faroudja's state-of-the-art video technology. Faroudja Laboratories is known
worldwide for producing state-of-the-art video processing equipment for both
the professional broadcast and consumer markets. By integrating Faroudja's
state-of-the-art video technology into S3's multimedia accelerators, S3
intends to be the first company to solve the widely recognized technology
obstacle preventing a high-quality video experience on the PC. With
S3/Faroudja technology, S3 is working to deliver the first product to allow
DVD, cable, and DSS video made for interlaced TV monitors to also be displayed
-_ with higher than TV quality _- on non-interlaced PC monitors.
* S3 intends to introduce Faroudja technology into the PC market in two
phases. In phase one, S3 will provide a reference design board to enable OEMs
and add-in-card vendors to implement Faroudja technology on the PC using
Faroudja's current multi-chip solution.
The reference board is scheduled to be available in Q3 1997. In phase
two, S3 intends to deliver a further level of integration by integrating
Faroudja technology in a single-chip design. The fully-integrated part is
currently anticipated to be available in the first half of 1998.
* For more information on the S3/Faroudja announcement, refer to an
associated press release.
About S3 Incorporated
S3 Incorporated, founded in 1989 with headquarters in Santa Clara,
California, is the world's largest supplier of multimedia acceleration
hardware and its associated software.(1) S3 is committed to applying its
expertise in audio, video, graphics and platform acceleration to create
innovative and affordable products for the home, desktop and mobile markets.
The company's vision for the future is to also bring a rich, consumer
electronics-type experience to PC users -- integrating the best available
consumer multimedia technologies into the mainstream PC platform.
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth
in this press release, such as statements relating to the company's ability to
drive technological developments, the timing of scheduled product
introductions, and the ability of the company to successfully integrate new
technologies, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risk and
uncertainties, including the impact of competitive products and pricing and of
alternative technological advances, the timely and successful development,
both alone and with the company's development partners, of new products and
upgrades to existing products, market acceptance of the company's new
products, and other risks detailed from time to time in S3's SEC reports.
S3 is a registered trademark of S3 Incorporated. The S3 corporate logo is a
trademark of S3 Incorporated. Other marks referenced herein are the property
of their respective owners.
S3: Sight. Sound. Speed.
Bringing High-Quality Digital Video to the PC
Widespread Industry Support for S3's Video Roadmap
C-Cube Microsystems
"C-Cube has worked closely with S3 to create optimal solutions for
high-quality DVD playback on the PC," said Clint Chao, director of product
marketing, PC Products, C-Cube Microsystems. "Based on S3's family of
integrated multimedia accelerators and C-Cube's line of DVD playback engines,
these reference designs provide a level of quality that meets the expectations
of consumers willing to pay more for DVD-based PCs."
Chromatic Research
"The combination of an Mpact media processor and S3 graphics accelerator
provides PCs with home theater-quality DVD quality," said Siva Kumar, vice
president, marketing, Chromatic Research. "This quality is made possible by
combining S3 video scaling with Mpact DVD features such as AVsync audio/video
synchronization technology, real-time color processing for brightness and
color control, and no-compromise implementations of MPEG-2 video and Dolby
Digital audio decoding."
IBM Digital Video Products
"The promise of DVD is higher levels of video quality and viewer-selected
presentation choices that are unknown in the current analog TV world," said
Don Leake, manager of marketing and sales support, IBM Digital Video Products.
"Meeting these expectations, the combination of S3's video and graphics
accelerators with IBM's DVD reference design provides the level of performance
and quality that consumers are demanding for next-generation digital video
playback."
LuxSonor
"As a leader in single-chip DVD solutions, LuxSonor has worked closely
with S3 to create a full-featured, low-cost DVD playback implementation on the
PC," said Raul Diaz, director of marketing, LuxSonor, Inc. "S3's advanced
video support in its graphics accelerators and LuxSonor's integrated PC DVD
decoder with MPEG2, Dolby AC-3, and CSS Copy Protection combine to produce
consumer-quality digital video and audio performance on a PC."
SGS-THOMSON
"SGS-THOMSON has worked closely with S3 to create no-compromise solutions
for high-quality DVD playback on the PC," said Chris Mulvanny, director of
Computer Business Unit at SGS-THOMSON, United States. "These complete
hardware and software solutions confirm our joint commitment to offer the most
compelling yet cost-effective PC-DVD solutions to the consumer."
"SGS-THOMSON has worked hard with S3 and other industry leaders to develop
VIP as an open PC video interface standard," said Chris Lam, market
development specialist at SGS-THOMSON. "We have seen a lot of momentum in VIP
lately. S3's inclusion of VIP in all its future products is yet another
confirmation of VIP's industry acceptance."
Toshiba America Electronic Components
"Toshiba is a pioneer in DVD technology and continues to drive the
market," said Daniel Lee, DVD program manager for Toshiba America Electronic
Components, Inc. "Toshiba's DVD expertise combined with S3's multimedia
acceleration technology enables true DVD playback on the PC."
NOTE: 1 Source: Mercury Research (Scottsdale, AZ)
SOURCE S3 Inc.
CONTACT: Press, Paul Crossley, 408-588-8664, or Pcross@S3.com, or
Investors, Sandy O'Halloran, 408-588-8000, ext. 3994, or
SandyOH@S3.com, both of S3, or S3 Website Location,
s3.com |
