Diamond Multimedia Provides a Breadth of Graphics Solutions to
Support Intel's AGP Technology for OEMs, System Integrators
and Retail Customers
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 1998--Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: DIMD
- news), a leader in interactive multimedia acceleration, today reaffirmed its commitment to develop graphics
acceleration solutions that support Intel Corporation [Nasdaq:INTC - news]'s AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
technology.
Diamond announced plans last week to develop products based on the Intel740 AGP 2X graphics controller.
That announcement, in addition to the company's production of several first-generation AGP products,
demonstrates Diamond Multimedia's strong commitment to AGP, both now and in the future. Diamond
Multimedia will launch a website later this month at www.diamondmm.com/agp devoted to educating customers
about the benefits of AGP in achieving superior graphics solutions for the PC.
''Diamond Multimedia has made a name for itself as a leader in the PC graphics and multimedia industry,'' said
David Watkins, vice president and general manager of the multimedia division at Diamond Multimedia. ''This was
achieved by recognizing the benefits of new graphics technologies like AGP and incorporating them into the
release of stable, solidly-engineered products.''
''AGP has had a significant adoption rate among OEM and system integration customers, and our AGP products
have proven to be excellent sellers in these channels,'' said Scott Holt, senior vice president of worldwide sales at
Diamond Multimedia. ''We believe there will be a swift shift from the PCI bus to AGP among consumers who
want to take full advantage of performance enhancements to 2D, 3D and video playback provided by AGP
upgrades. Therefore, Diamond will offer retail AGP graphics solutions to the consumer market in the coming
weeks.''
Diamond Multimedia's AGP Products
''Diamond Multimedia has several AGP 1X products and was among the first companies to provide support for
AGP. Diamond's announcement today supporting our AGP 2X Intel740 graphics controller proves that we are
committed to the support and development of AGP solutions,'' said Scott Vouri, vice president and general
manager of Diamond Multimedia's graphics business unit.
Diamond currently offers three first-generation AGP graphics accelerators. The Fire GL 1000 Pro is designed for
professional 2D and 3D graphics performance in the Windows(R) NT and 95 operating systems. The Fire GL
1000 Pro features 3Dlabs' Permedia(R) 2 graphics engine, a 230 MHz RAMDAC and is available with 4MB or
8MB of 100 MHz SGRAM. The Viper V330, powered by NVIDIA Corp.'s RIVA 128(TM) media controller,
is a true 128-bit multimedia accelerator designed to provide consumers with uncompromised 2D, 3D and
MPEG-1 video playback.
The Viper V330 ships with 4MB of 100MHz SGRAM and a 230MHz RAMDAC. The recently announced
Stealth 3D 4000, featuring S3 Inc [Nasdaq:SIII - news].'s ViRGE/GX-2 64-bit media controller, offers the
graphics performance of AGP to resellers and system integrators at an aggressive price. The Stealth 3D 4000 is
available in 2MB or 4MB SGRAM configurations. Diamond Multimedia customers currently purchasing the AGP
versions of the Fire GL 1000 Pro, Viper V330 and Stealth 3D 4000 include Dell Computer Corp.
[Nasdaq:DELL - news], NEC Computer Systems Division, Micron Electronics, Inc., Quantex Microsystems,
ASI Corp., Mini-Micro Supply, Proteva Computers and SED International, Inc. Diamond Multimedia is also
developing AGP graphics solutions for the retail market with shipments to begin in the first quarter of 1998.
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.
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) +33-1-47561157 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 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)
+33-1-47561139 Pre-sales Information: 1-800-468-5846 Investor Relations: 408-325-7476; 1-888-474-3463
(U.S. and Canada) 24-Hour Fax-On-Demand Service: 1-800-380-0030 FTP site: ftp.diamondmm.com BBS:
541-967-2444 (to 33.6 Kbps) or 408-383-0551 (ISDN); Europe
(Germany) BBS at +49-8151-266333 (to 28.8 Kbps) or +49-8151-266334 (ISDN); Europe (UK) at
+44-1189-444415 (to 33.6 Kbps)
Note to Editors: Monster 3D and Supra are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Diamond Multimedia
Systems, Inc. Monster(R) is a registered trademark of Monster Cable. Viper(R) 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 the United States of 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 technological and market developments, the timing and
success of new product introductions by the Company and its competitors, and the Company's ability to invest in
new technologies and to enhance its existing systems are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and
uncertainties, including the impact of competitive products and pricing and alternative technological advances, the
timely and successful development and market acceptance of new products and upgrades to existing products,
and other risks as detailed from time to time in Diamond Multimedia's SEC filings, including its most recent Forms
10-K and 10-Q.
Contact:
Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.
Mary Medeiros, 408/325-7350
maryme@diamondmm.com
or
Bob Nelson, 408/325-7419
bobn@diamondmm.com |
