Diamond Multimedia Named as a Microsoft Windows 98 Launch Partner
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 25, 1998--
Diamond's Award-Winning Graphics Accelerators, Sound Cards and
Modems Deliver the Ultimate Gaming and Internet Experience for
Windows 98 Users
Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:DIMD), a leader in
interactive multimedia acceleration, today announced the company's
participation in the Microsoft Windows 98 launch event.
As a Windows 98 launch partner, Diamond's high-performance
graphics and audio accelerators and modems, in combination with the
new Windows 98 technology, are recognized as providing a first-class
gaming and Internet experience for today's PC consumers.
With Diamond's premier products, users of Windows 98 will
experience the best hardware solutions that take advantage of several
advancements in the new Windows platform, including multiple display
support, Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) capability, modem channel
bonding and enhanced compatibility features. Further information on
Windows 98-compatible products from Diamond can be found on-line at
www.diamondmm.com/win98.
"Diamond Multimedia intends to design and deliver products
featuring the most advanced PC technologies for Windows users," said
Bill Schroeder, president and CEO of Diamond Multimedia. "By working
with Microsoft, Diamond's customers can continue to enjoy
state-of-the-art graphics acceleration, immersive 3D sound and higher
modem speeds with improved ease-of-use and functionality under the
Windows 98 platform."
"Diamond's world-wide brand recognition and PC subsystem
expertise, coupled with the advanced new features in Windows 98,
delivers a new level of exceptional gaming and Internet experience to
users of Windows 98," said Rob Bennett, group product manager at
Microsoft Corp. "We're pleased that Diamond Multimedia will be
participating in the Windows 98 launch event."
Diamond Accelerates New Windows 98 Features
Multiple display support, now embedded in the Windows 98
operating system, allows PC users to use multiple monitors with up to
nine graphics adapters in a single PC for graphic-intensive
applications such as desktop publishing, Web development, video
editing and computer gaming environments.
With Diamond's high-quality Windows 98-compatible graphics
accelerators, PC consumers are provided with both AGP and PCI-based
boards to fulfill the requirements for this exciting new feature.
The AGP interface specification, co-developed by Intel,
significantly increases the performance of memory-intensive, real-time
3D graphics on the PC by providing a direct connection between the
graphics subsystem and system memory. Windows 98 users now have native
AGP support and with Diamond Multimedia's AGP-based graphics
accelerator star line-up, PC users can take full advantage of all the
benefits AGP has to offer.
WHQL Approval
As part of the company's strategy to stay abreast of the latest
PC technologies, Diamond Multimedia submits new products to
Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) for compatibility
testing with Windows operating systems, including Windows 98.
Diamond's Stealth II S220, Stealth II G460, Viper V330, Fire GL
1000 Pro and Monster 3D II graphics accelerators, Monster Sound M80
and Monster Sound MX200 audio accelerators, and SupraSonic II and
SupraExpress 56 line of modems are included in Microsoft's Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL) of certified products to bring a realistic 3D
graphics, audio and Internet experience in the Windows 98 environment.
Diamond Products Power the Windows 98-Based PC
With Diamond's premier products, users of Windows 98 will
experience 2D/3D graphics and video, "true" positional 3D sound, and
enhanced Internet access solutions when using today's abundance of
texture-rich PC games and business applications.
Graphics Accelerators -- Diamond Multimedia's advanced graphics
accelerators feature powerful 2D and 3D processing and
high-performance video playback for PCs running Windows 98.
The Diamond Stealth II S220 accelerates the PC desktop for faster
performance in gaming software. Powered by Rendition's Verite(TM) 2100
chip, the Stealth II S220 is a 4MB, 64-bit integrated accelerator that
provides clearer, sharper images for optimum graphics at a U.S.
estimated retail price (ERP) of $99.95.
Diamond's new Stealth II G460 delivers true AGP 2X graphics
performance for mainstream Pentium(R) II-processor-based PC users and
features the Intel740 processor with 8MB of memory. The U.S. ERP for
the Stealth II G460 is $129.95 with a $30 introductory mail-in rebate
for a net price of $99.95.
The Viper V330 graphics accelerator is powered by the RIVA(TM)
128/128ZX 3D processor from NVIDIA Corp. and features 4MB or 8MB of
SGRAM. With Diamond-optimized drivers, the Viper V330 provides
unparalleled Direct 3D graphics performance and ICD support for
OpenGL(TM). The Viper V330 carries a U.S. ERP of $119.95 for the 4MB
configuration with a $20 mail-in rebate available to end users who
purchase the retail Viper V330, offering a net price of $99.95.
Diamond's Viper V330 8MB accelerator has an ERP of $129.95.
Diamond's Monster 3D II featuring the Voodoo2 chipset from 3Dfx
Interactive provides Windows 98-based PC gamers with an explosive 3D
gaming experience and is available in an 8MB or 12MB configuration.
With Diamond's MEGAMonster(TM) option, users can run two Monster 3D
IIs, either two 12MB boards or two 8MB boards, at the same time, to
double the 3D processing power.
The Monster 3D II comes with a hot software bundle featuring the
latest 3D games and has estimated U.S. retail prices (ERP) of $249.95
for the 8MB accelerator and $299.95 for the 12MB configuration.
Audio Accelerators -- Diamond's Monster Sound M80 and Monster
Sound MX200 raise the volume on PC gaming audio with 32-voice and
64-voice full hardware wavetable synthesizers, respectively, for
screaming positional 3D audio.
The Monster Sound series include enhanced acceleration for games
developed with Microsoft DirectSound/DirectSound 3D and Aureal's A3D
APIs for a powerful audio experience. The Monster Sound M80, featuring
2-speaker support, carries a U.S. ERP of $99.95 while the Monster
Sound MX200 has an U.S. ERP of $149.95 and offers quad-speaker
support.
Modems -- The SupraExpress(TM) 56 line of Windows 98 approved
modems consists of three models, the SupraExpress 56 internal
data/fax, SupraExpress 56 external data/fax and the SupraExpress 56
speakerphone model.
Designed for optimized 56K performance, the SupraExpress 56 line
features the new 56K ITU (V.90) standard for state-of-the-art
interoperability and wide-spread Internet Service Provider Support.
The U.S. ERP's for the SupraExpress 56 modems range from $99.95 to
$129.95.
Diamond's new SupraSonic II(R) dual-line modem utilizes two
analog phone lines to deliver Internet download speeds of up to
112Kbps. By integrating two powerful 56K modems on a single board,
Diamond Multimedia's award-winning engineering team created a powerful
modem that conserves system resources by using only one ISA slot and
one IRQ.
The SupraSonic II also has voice priority, a Shotgun feature that
allows the SupraSonic II to detect incoming and outgoing phone calls
and release the second phone line without interrupting an Internet
session. Shotgun bonds two modems together to work intelligently over
two ordinary analog phone lines resulting in Internet connection
speeds of up to 112Kbps. Both the SupraSonic II product and the line
of SupraExpress 56 modems include Shotgun technology for Windows. The
SupraSonic II has an ERP of $199.95.
About Diamond Multimedia
Diamond Multimedia is driving the interactive multimedia market
by providing advanced solutions for home, business and professional
desktop computer users, enabling them to create, access and experience
compelling new media content from their desktops and through the
Internet.
Diamond accelerates multimedia from the Internet to the hard
drive with products that include the Stealth and Viper(R) series of
media accelerators, the Monster series of entertainment 3D and sound
accelerators, the Fire series of professional 3D and SCSI
accelerators, and the Supra(R) series of modems. Diamond also markets
DVD and video phone kits. Diamond's common stock is traded on the
NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol DIMD, and its web site address is
www.diamondmm.com.
*T
How to Contact Diamond Multimedia
There are many ways to reach Diamond for sales support, technical
assistance, driver updates and general information:
Internet Web Site: diamondmm.com
Diamond Multimedia's Headquarters and Multimedia Division:
408/325-7000; Fax: 408/325-7070
Communications Division (Supra brand modems) Main Phone Number:
360/604-1400; Fax: 360/604-1401
European Division (Germany): +49/8151-266-0; (UK): +44/1189-444400;
(France) +33/1-55381600
Korean Office (Seoul): +82/2-551-2700; Fax: +82/2-551-2710
Japanese Office (Tokyo): +81/3-5695-8401; Fax: +81/3-5695-8403
ASEAN Office (Singapore): +65/353-9511; Fax: +65/353-9510
Hong Kong Office: +852/2375-9023; Fax: +852/2375-9021
Australian Office (Sydney): +61/2-9460-2355; Fax +61/2-9460-2360
Swedish Office: +46/417-40060; Fax +46/417-40054
Product Support (Voice), United States: 541/967-2450; Europe
(Germany) +49/8151-266-330; Europe (UK) +44/1189-444444; TDD/TTY
Support 541/967-2451
Product Support (Fax), United States: 541/967-2401; Europe
(Germany) +49/8151-266-331; Europe (UK): +44/1189-444445;
(France) +33/-47561139
Pre-sales Information: 800/68-5846
Investor Relations: 408/25-7476; 888/74-3463 (U.S. and Canada)
24-Hour Fax-On-Demand Service: 800/80-0030
FTP site: ftp.diamondmm.com
BBS: 541/67-2444 (to 33.6 Kbps); Europe (Germany) BBS at
49/151-266333 (to 28.8 Kbps) or +49/151-266334 (ISDN); Europe
(UK) at +44/189-444415 (to 33.6 Kbps)
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Note to Editors: Monster 3D and Supra are either trademarks or
registered trademarks of Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. Monster is a
registered trademark of Monster Cable. Viper is a registered trademark
of Directed Electronics Inc. Used under License. All other trademarks
referenced are the service mark, trademark or registered trademark of
their respective manufacturers. This announcement relates to products
whose introductions are in North America. The product name, contents,
prices and availability may differ elsewhere in the world according to
local factors and requirements.
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters
set forth in this press release, such as statements relating to the
Company's ability to successfully exploit technolo |
