ATX motherboard manages multimedia
Oct. 09, 1998 (Electronic Engineering Times - CMP via COMTEX) --
Somerset, N.J. - Proside Corp. has rolled out an ATX-format motherboard
for heavy-duty multimedia applications. Based on the Mpact 2 multimedia
processor from Chromatic Research (Sunnyvale, Calif.), which can
perform 6 billion operations/second, the motherboard can handle
accelerated 2-D and 3-D graphics, DVD playback functions, DVD-to-TV
operations and digital Dolby AC-3 audio.
The motherboard is one of the first multimedia boards to incorporate
very long-instruction-word and single-instruction, multiple-data
technology, said Kevin Tanigawa, the company's manager of electronics.
By taking over multimedia-processing tasks, it "conserves precious
resources on the main CPU," he said. "For example, in a typical
multimedia application such as 3-D rendering or MIDI playback, a PC
equipped [with the board] will consume 20 to 50 percent fewer
resources, freeing the PC's main processor to perform other tasks." The
ATX board also "eliminates the need for multiple graphics and sound
cards," he said.
The motherboard features a 600-MHz Rambus memory interface. Priced at
$449, it's available now.
Call (732) 271-7395
www.mpactworld.com
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