Diamond to Demo New Communications, DVD, 3D Gaming and Audio Acceleration
Products; Diamond Offers Attendees the Chance to Win the Ultimate PC
Every November, record numbers of computer-industry veterans travel to Comdex in Las Vegas to examine the latest innovations in personal computer technology. This year, Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:DIMD), a leader in Internet multimedia acceleration, will satisfy showgoers' curiosity with an incredible display of cutting-edge PC products in booth No. L202 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Leveraging the industry's latest technology advancements, Diamond's booth will feature its award-winning, high-speed modems, critically-acclaimed, high-performance graphics accelerators, 3D audio solutions and more. Additionally, Diamond Multimedia is showcasing next-generation products in the areas of 112 Kbps modems, SCSI host adapters, 3D gaming and DVD.
The Latest in Communications Hardware
Diamond Multimedia offers high-speed modems for business and home users.
SupraSonic II -- Specially designed for consumers, professional Internet users and SOHO users, Diamond Multimedia's new SupraSonic II(TM) modem, featuring Diamond's Shotgun(TM) technology, utilizes two ordinary phone lines for speeds up to 112 Kbps. In conjunction with Multichannel Plus Protocol (MP+), created by Ascend Communications, Inc., Diamond's Shotgun technology "bonds" together data streams from two independent modems for one faster connection speed. SupraSonic II also includes voice priority and bandwidth-on-demand. Voice priority monitors incoming and outgoing calls while users are surfing the Internet. When a voice is detected, one data line is dropped while the remaining line keeps the computer connected to the Internet. When the call is completed, the second line is again utilized for a faster Internet connection. Bandwidth-on-demand monitors Internet traffic and connects and disconnects the second phone line, depending on the amount of data sent and received. Diamond's new SupraSonic II modem will begin shipping in the first quarter of 1998 for an estimated retail price of $199.95.
Supra PC Card 56 -- Designed for PC and Macintosh users on the go, Diamond Multimedia's Supra PC Card 56 modem enables transmission speeds as high as 56 Kbps, provides an accelerated PCMCIA interface for data throughput rates of up to 224 Kbps, and conserves battery life through power efficient components. The company's Supra PC Card 56 for PCs is currently shipping with an estimated retail price of $169.95. Diamond's new Supra PC Card 56 for Macintosh plans to
ship in November, also with an estimated retail price of $169.95.
SupraMax 56 -- Diamond will showcase the newest addition to the company's award-winning 56 Kbps modem line with the SupraMax 56 internal controllerless faxmodem. Diamond's SupraMax 56 is designed from the ground up for 56 Kbps performance and utilizes the system CPU to deliver high-speed compression and easy software upgrades. Priced less than $100, the Diamond SupraMax 56 is planned for shipment in the first quarter of 1998.
Powerful SCSI Host Adapter Kits
Diamond Multimedia's award-winning FirePort line of SCSI host adapter kits accelerate PC desktop performance for business and SOHO users.
FirePort 80 LVD Ultra2 Host Adapter -- Designed to improve multimedia I/O performance for Windows(R) 95 and Windows(R) NT-based desktops, professional graphics and video workstations, entry-level servers and web servers, Diamond's FirePort 80 LVD (low voltage differential) delivers one of the first commercially available SCSI host adapter solutions that supports the newest Ultra2 SCSI (LVD-standard) hard drives in addition to legacy SE (single-ended)
UltraSCSI devices with transfer rates up to 80MB per second. Diamond's FirePort 80 LVD supports up to 30 devices using only one PCI slot (15 per channel) and allows extended device cabling distances of up to 12 meters. Diamond's FirePort 80 LVD, including software bundle, is scheduled to begin shipping to OEM customers in the fourth quarter of 1997 and to retail in the first quarter of 1998 for an estimated retail price of $399.95.
FirePort 40 Dual PCI Ultra/Ultra Wide SCSI Host Adapter -- Diamond's FirePort 40 Dual combines two 40 MB per second channels and UltraSCSI speed to meet the growing demands of multimedia and entry-level server applications. With its dual channel design, the FirePort 40 Dual allows slower speed devices like CD-ROMs and tape drives to be connected to one channel and high-speed devices such as Ultra Wide hard drives to be connected to the second channel for continuous operation at full speed without slowing down performance. Designed
for PC users operating a Pentium(R) or Pentium Pro system under Windows(R) 95 or Windows NT(R) 4.0, Diamond's FirePort 40 Dual can support up to 30 devices (15 per channel) using only one PCI slot and one IRQ for easy installation. Diamond's FirePort 40 Dual, including software bundle, is currently available for an estimated retail price of $299.95.
Red-Hot Multimedia Hardware
Diamond Multimedia offers industry-leading DVD, 3D gaming accelerators and positional 3D audio accelerators for Windows 95 users.
Next-Generation DVD -- Diamond Multimedia will display the first technical demonstration of the company's next-generation DVD solution.
Next-Generation Monster 3D -- Giving new meaning to arcade-quality 3D gameplay, Diamond will unveil a demonstration of the next addition to its best-seller Monster 3D game accelerator product line. showgoers can check out the technology demonstration of Diamond's next-generation Monster 3D with a stunning display of fast-action PC games. Diamond's new Monster 3D is scheduled to hit retail stores in mid-to-late first quarter of 1998.
Monster Sound -- Diamond Multimedia's critically-acclaimed Windows 95 PCI-based audio accelerator, with enhanced support for Microsoft DirectX API game titles, greatly improves PC sound capability. Featuring the same 3D audio technology developed for NASA 3D sound simulators and theme park rides, Monster Sound will have gamers looking over their shoulders for unseen enemies, dodging from helicopters above and leaning into racetrack turns when playing their
favorite PC games. Monster Sound features true multi-stream positional 3D audio (A3D) and quad-speaker output for the ultimate in CD-quality interactive 3D sound. For older DOS titles, Monster Sound co-exists with a PC's legacy-based audio components. Monster Sound, including a deluxe software bundle, is available now for an estimated retail price of $149.95. A $50 mail-in rebate for new Monster Sound customers is available through the end of 1997.
State-of-the-Art Graphics Accelerators
Diamond Multimedia provides cutting-edge graphics accelerators for
business/SOHO, home and professional PC users.
Viper(R) model V330 -- Diamond Multimedia's new Viper model V330 media accelerator is a true 128-bit solution for accelerating 2D/3D graphics and MPEG-1 digital video playback. Powered by the RIVA 128(TM) chipset from NVIDIA Corp. and 4MB of SGRAM, Diamond's Viper is capable of displaying resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 and color depths up to 32-bit true color. A 230MHz RAMDAC provides flicker-free refresh rates of up to 200Hz. The new Viper features optimized drivers for running in Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 environments with
planned support for Windows 98. This new accelerator is a high-quality 3D performer with a rich 3D feature set for use with software titles developed under the Direct3D application programming interface (API).
With features like TV-out capability and TV-tuner and DVD (PCI) upgradability, the Viper provides an integrated multimedia subsystem for powering a variety of PC graphics. Diamond's Viper model V330, including software bundle, is currently shipping for an estimated retail price of $199.95. Recent awards include the "Choice" award from Computer Gaming World. Additionally, the new Viper powered the systems from Micron Electronics and Falcon Northwest which received PC Magazine's "Editors' Choice" and Computer Gaming World's "Choice"
awards, respectively.
Stealth II model S220 -- The Stealth II model S220 is Diamond Multimedia's solution for price-conscious PC gamers looking for great 3D gaming, fast 2D performance and advanced, full-screen MPEG-1 playback. Featuring the V2100 chipset from Rendition, Inc., the Diamond Stealth II offers a rich 3D feature set for advanced game performance using Microsoft's Direct3D API, as well as Rendition's RRedline and Speedy 3D APIs. The Stealth II's 4MB of 100MHz SGRAM
combined with a powerful 170MHz RAMDAC provides resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 at 256 colors and refresh rates of up to 120Hz.
With upgrade options for either a TV tuner or DVD (PCI) decoder, the Stealth II model S220 includes a CD sampler featuring hot 3D gaming titles. The Stealth II is currently shipping for an estimated retail price of $119.95. A $20 mail-in rebate is available now until March 31, 1998 for new Stealth II customers, resulting in a net price after rebate of just $99.95. The Diamond Stealth II recently received the "Choice" award from Computer Gaming World and was selected as the graphics component in Computer Gaming World's "Lean Machine."
Fire GL 1000 Pro -- Designed for advanced 2D/3D performance for business multimedia presentations, CAD/CAM, web authoring, VRML and digital content creation, the Fire GL 1000 Pro is a PCI-based professional graphics accelerator powered by the next-generation PERMEDIA(R) 2 chipset from 3Dlabs, Inc. The Diamond Fire GL 1000 Pro is optimized for Windows NT and 95 platforms and accelerates 3D performance for all applications based on OpenGL, Direct3D and HEIDI APIs. The Diamond Fire GL 1000 Pro delivers resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 in 16-bit colors, supports a 3D display through an integrated StereoGraphics connector and is DVD (PCI) upgradeable. Ideal for the NT workstations and shipping with a rich 3D presentation software bundle, the Fire GL 1000 Pro is now available for an estimated retail price of $249.95. |
