3Dlabs Wildcat II 5110 Used by BBC R&D for Cutting-Edge Virtual Production.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 20, 2001 The Wildcat II 5110 With Genlock Feature Plays an Active Role in the Development of New Techniques Within the Field of Virtual Production 3Dlabs(R), (Nasdaq:TDDD TDDD Test-Driven Database Design (software development) ), the Workstation Graphics Authority, today announced that the Wildcat(TM) II 5110 professional graphics card with Genlock and Multiview capabilities is being used by the British Broadcasting Corporation's Research and Development (BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. R&D) Department to explore new ways of creating advanced, easy to use, lower-cost virtual production studios. The Wildcat II 5110 provides the 3D graphics power to compute and render high-fidelity, 3D synthetic images at broadcast-standard refresh rates. The card's genlock capability enables the synthetic image generation to be locked to the camera's 50 or 60Hz refresh rate to eliminate visual artifacts artifacts see specimen artifacts. and image tearing. The Wildcat II 5110's multiview capability further extends this to enable two or more cards installed to be synchronized for added realism or to provide dedicated channels for high-performance stereo image generation. "Our goal is to develop advanced Virtual Production solutions which are cheaper and easier for program makers to use than existing alternatives," said Dr. Graham Thomas Graham Thomas FRSA has been a leading UK and international advertising man, working for much of his career with Saatchi & Saatchi. He was Vice Chairman of the UK agency during the late 1980s and then worked as Regional Director in Asia/Pacific where he was awarded Ad Ages's , project manager, BBC R&D Department. "Moving to a PC-based system will inevitably reduce costs, and the Wildcat II 5110 can effectively compete against traditional Video Processing Video processing techniques are used in video codecs, video players and other devices. For example—commonly only design and video processing is different in TV sets of different manufactures. hardware for performance, features and quality." Jerry Peterson, executive vice president and general manager of 3Dlabs Wildcat division, commented, "The BBC R&D department is continuously working on innovative technology, which has resulted in products such as retro-reflective background cloth, depth-of-field defocusing and advanced camera position measurement. These developments along with the use of the powerful Wildcat II 5110 will help enhance the realism and push the boundaries of 3D Virtual Production." Technical Background More information can be found by visiting http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd. About BBC R&D division The BBC's Research & Development Department undertakes strategic research and development to ensure that emerging technical standards and frequency plans meet the BBC's needs to best satisfy its viewers and listeners, and to provide leadership in formulating technology options for the future. The Department is responsible for delivering a broad programme of R&D, within specified topic areas, commissioned by BBC customers. The programme includes collaborative projects with other broadcasters, universities and commercial organisations. These often arise through European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community , UK Government or European Broadcasting Union “EBU” redirects here. For other uses, see EBU (disambiguation). The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; French: L'Union Européenne de Radio-Télévision ("UER") initiatives. Projects undertaken impinge upon all technical aspects of broadcasting, including: signal orientation; video, audio and data systems; digital signal processing See DSP. Digital Signal Processing - (DSP) Computer manipulation of analog signals (commonly sound or image) which have been converted to digital form (sampled). , manipulation and compression; optical and electromagnetic transmission, broadcasting and recording; spectrum management and broadcast service planning; antennas and radio wave propagation. About 3Dlabs 3Dlabs is the workstation graphics authority, supplying graphics accelerator solutions for professionals in Computer Aided Design (application) Computer Aided Design - (CAD) The part of CAE concerning the drawing or physical layout steps of engineering design. Often found in the phrase "CAD/CAM" for ".. manufacturing". (CAD), Digital Content Creation The development of newsworthy, educational and entertainment material for distribution over the Internet or other electronic media. See DAMS. (DCC (1) (Direct Cable Connection) A Windows 95/98 feature that allows PCs to be cabled together for data transfer. DCC actually sets up a network connection between the two machines. ), and visual simulation markets. 3Dlabs shipped more 3D workstation-class graphics controllers in 2000 than any other company. Its award-winning Oxygen and Wildcat graphics are available in the industry's top OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and workstations, to the channel through an international distributor/reseller network, and directly to end-users at 3Dlabs' online store. For more information on 3Dlabs, visit www.3dlabs.com. Forward Looking Statements Various matters set forth in this press release, such as statements relating to the availability, cost, and market position of the Wildcat II 5110, and the availability of software compatibility within the BBC R&D systems are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, the ability of 3Dlabs and its manufacturing partners to deliver Wildcat graphics accelerators in a commercially-viable manner; the impact and pricing of competitive products; and other risks detailed from time-to-time in 3Dlabs' SEC reports. 3Dlabs, Oxygen and Wildcat are trademarks or registered trademarks of 3Dlabs Ltd., 3Dlabs Inc. Ltd., or 3Dlabs Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are acknowledged and recognized. EDITORS' NOTE: View a complete BBC Case Study including photographs on the 3Dlabs website at http://www.3dlabs.com/article/success/bbc.htm. |
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