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Technology Stocks : MetaCreations (MCRE) - Detailed Goo in a Soapy Dream -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CatLady who wrote (632)	5/20/1998 4:30:00 PM
From: shahn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 846

MCRE in cloud-cukoo land again, from the press-release about infi-3d today (and last weeks intel/metastream announcement): >MetaCreations' MetaStream technology is also expected to be of >significant interest to game developers, accelerating work >with complex 3-D models. Given that gamers scream for the fastest graphics, what planet are MCRE living on? They dont support ANY 3d accelator chips that gamers depend on. This was discussed before on this thread but after last week the battlelines are clearer now: intel, wants to see more and more CPU usage so pushes (half-heartedly because of the intel 740 chip) the thesis that one doesnt need separate 3d accelerator chips, can do it all with software. MCRE have been suckered into this position Of course, intel has nothing to loose if it can persuade suckers like MCRE to buy this (under incorrect justification 'no standard hardware' -- even the latest imac from apple uses standard 3d cards same as wintel machines, in their case ati rage I think) On the other side of the battle lines: the rest of the world. Its standard now for add-on cards or even motherboards to use 3d accelarator. Intel hates this because it reduces the role of the CPU. Infact those chips are now getting as complex as the CPU. Sure theres no standard so one uses drivers. But the expertise of those graphics companies is nontrivial. Their results at the moment far better by an order of magnitude than anything that can be done with software at the same speed. Plus, one needs a 2d accelator chip anyway and no plans to do THAT in software. So on may as well 2d/3d. So Metastream is in my opinion going to be a big flop. Intel isnt a serious player on this front for developers to take seriously. If anything, its a naked 'big gorilla' move which wont win their respect. Sure, compression is needed but serious players like SIII with their new savage 3d chip already has 6:1 compression algorithms which will be take more seriously given their market share. Also VRML exists and other compression techniques for graphics and 3d exist. Why is anyone going to take MCRE seriously given no support for the 3d hardware on most machines being shipped this fall? Neko, many of us holding MCRE long term averaged down when it was 7. Its easy to predict a jump to 10 on some nice announcement. But holding on to and going up from 10 is less clear IMO, though I'm still holding long. Shahn