Some more info and I hope this is of interest
ATI'S NEW ALL-IN-WONDER(TM) GRAPHICS, VIDEO AND TV TUNER BOARD TO POWER SONY'S AGP-ENABLED SYSTEMS
ATI brings wonders of multiple functions
in one board to Sony's new systems
TORONTO, Sept. 19 /CNW/ - ATI Technologies Inc, (TSE:ATY) today announced
that the AGP version of its highly successful All-In-Wonder(TM) graphics
accelerator and TV tuner board has been selected by Sony Electronics for its
new VAIO(R) PCV-220 and PCV-240 tower computers, also announced today by Sony.
All-In-Wonder will be featured in the Sony PCV-220, with a 266 MHz
Pentium(R) II processor and 32MB of memory and the PCV-240, with a 300 MHz
Pentium II system and 64MB of memory. Both will feature ATI's 3D RAGE(TM) PRO
Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) chip with 4MB of SGRAM, and will deliver the
full benefit of the large and rich textures of AGP as well as arcade-quality
3D performance and high quality video acceleration. They will also feature
ATI's ImpacTV2 chip for out-to-TV display on large screen and conventional TV
sets.
The All-In-Wonder is the ultimate graphics card, one that provides all
the features and functions needed for PC gaming, creating 3D representations,
importing 3D Web content, using video on the PC, tuning in hundreds of
channels and capturing video clips. The All-In-Wonder provides 2D, 3D and
video acceleration, video capture, TV tuning and flicker-free TV-out.
``ATI's All-In-Wonder in the Sony PCV-220 and PCV 240 not only provides
all the key functions on a single board, it also reflects ATI's experience in
the AGP arena,'' said Tim Errington, senior vice president, Sony Information
Technologies of America (ITA), a divisional company of Sony Electronics.
``This will provide the end user with the true performance benefits of the AGP
specification.''
AGP - A new era dawns for texture-rich 3D
AGP will dramatically increase the amount of textures that can be
displayed on the screen as it allows for the use of main system memory for 3D,
rather than the limited memory of a graphics controller. ATI is the leading
shipper of AGP controllers and is the only vendor supporting the AGP 2X
specification that provides the full benefit of AGP. The result is unheard-of
levels of textures, opening the door to the richest and most exciting 3D
presentations and spreadsheets, detailed 3D Web content, data visualization
and professionally-designed images.
``Intelligent'' TV tuner turns TV into an interactive experience
The All-In-Wonder's intelligently TV tuning features video capture which
allows users to capture still photographs and video from TV, video recorders,
camcorders or video disks for use in presentations and multimedia projects
while the ability to record closed-captioning content has been enhanced to
include the capture of periodic images to create a print and visual record of
the program. The All-In-Wonder can alert the user when desired programs are on
and, when key words, called ``Hot Words'' are keyed in, the All-In-Wonder can
notify a user that a topic of interest is being broadcast.
Other features of the All-In-Wonder include Scheduled Viewing which turns
on desired programs automatically, Channel Surf which provides thumbnail
previews in multiple windows on the screen, zoom and even the ability to use
TV programs as video wall paper.
Advanced flicker control for big screen gaming and the shared cyber
adventure
ATI's ImpacTV2(TM) chip allows users to display on large screen TVs for
exciting gaming and sharing a cyber adventure experience on the Web. ImpacTV2
provides advanced flicker control for the highest quality TV display that is
easy to watch.
3D RAGE PRO - the leading 3D controller
3D RAGE PRO's host of leading 3D features, including a floating-point
set-up engine, 4K texture cache, bilinear and trilinear filtering,
Z-buffering, advanced edge anti-aliasing and special effects such as fog,
allows for the highest levels of realism. With the added large-texture
benefits provided by AGP technology, a visual experience equivalent to
workstation 3D is now possible on a PC.
It was also announced today that Sony has selected ATI's 3D RAGE
technology and All-In-Wonder for the Sony PCV-200, a 233 MHz Pentium II system
with 32MB of memory. The Sony PCV-200 All-In-Wonder will feature the 3D RAGE
II+ controller, 4MB of EDO DRAM and ImpacTV and will provide 2D, 3D and video
acceleration, video capture and TV tuning.
Corporate Profile
ATI Technologies Inc., one of only two major suppliers of 3D graphics and
multimedia technology in the world, designs, manufactures and markets
innovative and award-winning multimedia solutions and graphics components for
personal computers. The company is one of the world's leading suppliers of
video and 2D/3D graphics accelerators to OEM and retail customers. Founded in
1985, ATI employs more than 900 people at headquarters in Thornhill, Ontario,
with offices in the United States, Germany, France, the U.K., Ireland, Taiwan
and Japan. ATI is a public company whose shares trade on the Toronto Stock
Exchange.
About Sony
Based in San Jose, Calif., Sony ITA markets branded computer products,
including Sony VAIO(r) Notebook and Tower Computers, Trinitron(r) displays,
digital still cameras, and other multimedia products through distributors,
resellers and consumer retailers. For additional information about Sony VAIO
computer and peripheral products, call (800) 4-SONY-PC, or visit Sony's World
Wide Web site at sony.com. To order Sony VAIO computer and
peripheral products directly from Sony VAIO Direct(SM), call (888) 315-SONY.
For other ATI news releases visit our web site at atitech.com.
Copyright (c) ATI Technologies Inc., 1997. All company and/or product
names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
manufacturers. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject
to change without notice.
-0- 09/19/97
For further information: ATI Technologies Inc., Brian Hentschel, Media Relations, (905) 882-2600 (ext. 8130), bhentsch(at)atitech.ca, www.atitech.com; Sony Electronics, Lisa Young, (408) 955-5142, lisa_young(at)mail.sel.sony.com
here's some more on DVD involvement
Attention Business/Technology Editors:
ATI TECHNOLOGIES INC. LEADS THE DVD REVOLUTION FIRST COMPANY SHIPPING DVD SOFTWARE SOLUTION WITH HARDWARE-ASSISTED MOTION COMPENSATION TO MAJOR OEMs
ATI's software DVD solution provides lowest cost, highest quality DVD
systems on the market
TORONTO, Sept. 8 /CNW/ - ATI Technologies Inc. (TSE:ATY) today announced
that its hardware-assisted DVD solution, featuring the motion compensation
capabilities of its 3D RAGE PRO(TM) graphics accelerator chip, is the leading
solution on the market for makers of DVD-enabled systems. With ATI's motion
compensation, high quality DVD content can be played through a PC using
software, an extremely low cost solution that saves system makers the need to
incorporate expensive DVD hardware and opening the door for entry of PC-based
DVD systems into the mainstream marketplace.
The higher resolutions of PCs over TV sets results in higher quality
images than is possible with DVD video player/TV systems. Industry analyst
DataQuest predicted in a May, 1997 report that DVD PC drive systems will total
about 8 million in 1997, compared to about 1 million DVD video players. By the
end of 1998, the DVD PC drive market should swell to more than 24 million with
DVD video players at about 4 million.
ATI is the only graphics vendor in the marketplace currently shipping a
high quality DVD solution that enables DVD replay through the use of hardware-
assisting motion compensation and software and is expected to continue to lead
and dominate the PC DVD market.
Crucial to the ability to incorporate a software DVD solution into the PC
has been Intel's Pentium(R) II processor that provides the CPU power to handle
DVD data streams, and the development by such companies as Zoran Corporation
of the software needed for DVD decoding. ATI, with the 3D RAGE PRO's motion
compensation permitting full frame rates with the software solution, has
worked in close partnership with both Intel and Zoran for more than a year to
develop the world's best software DVD solution. A number of major computer
manufacturers are poised to announce DVD products that incorporate ATI's
software DVD technology, including Compaq Computer Corporation of Houston,
Texas.
``Software DVD is the champion technology that OEM's have been looking
for to penetrate the home entertainment marketplace. With software and our 3D
RAGE PRO chip, OEM's can include a high quality DVD solution that takes
advantage of the inherent benefits of the PC over the consumer DVD video
player, and do it virtually free-of-charge,'' said Henry Quan, Vice President
of Corporate Marketing at ATI. ``Together we will help this market grow
tremendously and the features that 3D RAGE PRO offers now will become standard
for DVD in the future.''
ATI's 3D RAGE PRO chip off-loads demand on the Pentium II processor
The 3D RAGE PRO chip off-loads much of the computational workload from
the Pentium II, the best processor for optimal DVD performance, and with
motion compensation, provides the full frame rates needed for high quality
DVD/MPEG-2 playback. Without motion compensation, competing hardware solutions
cannot provide full frame rate replay, resulting in jumpy images when action
on the screen involves rapid movement.
``The emergence of high-performance processors coupled with new DVD-aware
graphics accelerators will enable high-quality software-based DVD playback
solutions. This lower cost approach to DVD is very attractive to OEMs'', said
Dean McCarron, Principal at Mercury Research.''
3D RAGE PRO provides a host of critical DVD features
In addition to the 3D RAGE PRO's enhanced motion compensation technology,
3D RAGE PRO provides such DVD-related features as ATI's industry-leading video
acceleration, a 4-tap horizontal and 2-tap vertical high quality video scaler
for true color video display, a de-interlacing filter, video on graphics
overlay, multistream video, color-space conversion, scatter-gather bus-master
and planar YUV mode.
Home theater systems and big screen movies with ImpacTV2(TM)
For display on large screen TV sets, ATI also offers the ImpacTV2(TM)
chip for high quality NTSC and PAL TV-out. The flicker-free display on the TV
provided by the ImpacTV2 chip will allow computer makers to offer PC DVD
systems that can easily and inexpensively serve as excellent home theater
systems. ImpacTV2 also provides support for Macrovision 7 copy protection to
allow display of protected DVD content on a TV set.
3D RAGE PRO the leading AGP solution
The 3D RAGE PRO chip is also the leading contender for AGP systems, the
only such chip currently on the market to provide support for the full AGP 2X,
133 MHz solution, featuring Side Band Addressing (SBA) pipe lining. While
ATI's 3D RAGE PRO supports all levels of AGP implementation from Frame, the
lowest level, to 1X through to 2X with SBA, only the higher end approach will
provide the full benefit of AGP by displaying all the massive textures of AGP
content on the screen.
3D PAGE PRO chip provides all the 3D a gamer could want, and more
The 3D RAGE PRO chip represents a three-fold increase in performance
compared to the last generation controller. With bilinear filtering for high
quality texture mapping, edge anti-aliasing for smooth diagonal lines, fog
textures and specular highlights for ultra-realistic lighting effects, 3D RAGE
PRO is also the ideal controller for the gamer community.
Price, availability, future products
3D RAGE PRO is now shipping and is priced at $30 to $36 for 10,000 unit
quantities. ATI is also developing a DVD hardware strategy which will be
announced later this fall.
Corporate Profile
ATI Technologies Inc., one of only two major suppliers of 3D graphics and
multimedia technology in the world, designs, manufactures and markets
innovative and award-winning multimedia solutions and graphics components for
personal computers. The company is one of the world's leading suppliers of
video and 2D/3D graphics accelerators to OEM and retail customers. Founded in
1985, ATI employs more than 900 people at headquarters in Thornhill, Ontario,
with offices in the United States, Germany, France, the U.K., Ireland, Taiwan
and Japan. ATI is a public company whose shares trade on the Toronto Stock
Exchange.
For other ATI news releases visit our web site at atitech.com.
Copyright (R) ATI Technologies Inc., 1997. All company and/or product
names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
manufacturers. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject
to change without notice.
-0- 09/08/97
For further information: ATI Technologies Inc., Brian Hentschel, Media Relations, (905) 882-2600 (ext. 8130), bhentsch(at)atitech.ca, www.atitech.com
Tom A. |
