ThunderBird PCI Spreads its Wings at COMDEX
Two New Versions of 3D Audio Chip Target Low-Cost Multimedia PC Market
Feature-Drenched High-End PC Audio Applications
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 1998--VLSI Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:VLSI - news) is hatching two new members of the ThunderBird PCI(tm) audio IC family at this year's COMDEX trade show. The ThunderBird SD(tm) audio accelerator chip brings stunning 3D audio processing to low-cost multimedia PCs through a smaller footprint, carefully edited feature set and a lower OEM selling price. The ThunderBird Q3D(tm) audio accelerator soars to the high end of PC audio as the first independent audio accelerator offering EAX standards compatibility and stereo-to-quad conversion from PC software, music CD, DVD and MIDI signal sources. The new products join the ThunderBird 128(tm) audio accelerator IC introduced earlier this year. The ThunderBird Q3D(tm) is making its consumer product debut in the Aztech PCI 368DSP PC sound card introduced this week here at COMDEX.
Neil Shea, vice president of VLSI's Internet and Secure Products Division said: ''ThunderBird is now a full-blown product line, with new versions of the architecture for both the high and low ends of the market debuting at COMDEX. The ThunderBird Q3D chip packs new features that will delight hardcore PC gamers and multimedia extremists. The ThunderBird SD will make high-quality positional 3D audio a standard element of sub-$1000 multimedia home PCs. Our ability to quickly spin new products is also a tribute to the power and flexibility of VLSI's ThunderBird Actimedia(tm) DSP-based architecture and QSound's leadership in developing 3D technology.''
David Gallagher, president and chairman of QSound Labs, development partner for the ThunderBird product line said: ''The ThunderBird architecture is a perfect platform for QSound's audio processing technology. We've been able to quickly add support for the latest PC audio standards and extend ThunderBird functionality with new algorithms for stereo-to-quad conversion and Dolby Digital audio support that outperforms conventional DVD home theater sound.''
ThunderBird SD: 3D Audio for the People
The ThunderBird SD chip meets demands for a low cost solution to bring advanced 3D audio to low-cost home PCs. This addresses one of the most notorious pitfalls of the sub-$1000 PC segment -- disappointing performance when processing the entertainment and multimedia applications that consumers bought the machine to run in the first place. The chip achieves cost reductions by trimming the number of available concurrently processed audio data, but still exceeds the performance of the vast majority of higher-priced competitive chips.
One of the side benefits of ThunderBird SD-equipped PCs will be noticeably higher graphics performance. The ThunderBird SD chip relieves the CPU of audio processing workload. While audio processing may seem at first a low-impact data function, demands imposed by simultaneous processing of multiple audio streams, applying 3D positional cues and wavetable synthesis can significantly burden even the fastest microprocessors.
Despite its design-to-price objectives, the ThunderBird SD is compatible with the latest PC game and multimedia software and provides traditional ThunderBird features such as full-compatibility with previous generation ''SoundBlaster'' audio, multichannel CD-quality audio output and uncanny positional 3D audio effects through a pair of loudspeakers or headphones.
ThunderBird Q3D: An El Nino of Audio Processing Features
The ThunderBird Q3D chip arrives first to market as the first independent solution for the new EAX audio standard, expected to be implemented on over 50 best selling game titles by the end of this year. Positioned for success at the high-end of the PC audio market, the ThunderBird Q3D accelerator chip crosses the line from must-have PC gamer peripheral to PC DVD/multimedia/digital TV/home theatre silver bullet. The chip can handle content encoded with currently deployed PC audio standards -- DirectSound, DirectSound 3D, EAX, A3D and ''SoundBlaster compatibility.'' The chip converts these into an unrivalled selection of output modes-stereo speaker, stereo headphones and quad.
The chip can also process stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 digital audio from DVD and digital TV sources, moving the PC in the direction of consumer digital video delivery vehicle. Published evaluations of ThunderBird Q3D's QSurround(tm) 2 speaker virtual Dolby Digital(tm) 5.1 for ''home theater'' rate it highly. In addition, the chip can generate four-channel playback from conventional stereo CDs and MIDI sources. The chip implements QSound's QInteractive 3D(tm), QSound multi-speaker system (QMSS(tm)), and QSurround(tm) algorithms.
Pricing and Availability
The ThunderBird SD and ThunderBird Q3D chips are currently sampling to customers, with production ramp scheduled for early Q1 1999. VLSI currently quotes benchmark OEM quantity pricing of the ThunderBird SD chip at USD $5.85 and the ThunderBird Q3D chip at USD $8.90. For more information, readers should contact VLSI's Greg McCarthy, greg.mccarthy@vlsi.com or QSound's Christine Anderson, cca@qsound.com.
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