Philips Semiconductors Introduces Company's First Big Cats Videographics Controllers for the PC Market; New Family of 2D/3D Chips Targets Next Generation Multimedia PC Suppliers.SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 1997--Continuing its thrust as a leading supplier of multimedia technology for the PC, Philips Semiconductors announced today at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference The Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) is the annual software developer-oriented trade show and business conference where Microsoft elaborates on its hardware plans for Microsoft Windows-compatible PCs. (WinHEC), the first of its Big Cats(tm) family of videographics controllers (VGCs). The SAA (Systems Application Architecture) A set of interfaces designed to cross all IBM platforms from PC to mainframe. Introduced by IBM in 1987, SAA includes the Common User Access (CUA), the Common Programming Interface for Communications (CPI-C) and Common Communications 9725 2D and SAA 9726 3D VGCs will be available in Q3 97 to systems manufacturers and PC add-on suppliers requiring competitively-priced, high-performance VGCs for next-generation, multimedia PCs. The company also unveiled plans for the SAA 9727, a high-performance VGC VGC Very Good Condition VGC VG Cats (web comic) VGC Video Graphics Controller VGC Vintage Glider Club VGC Viscosity-Gravity Constant VGC Video Game Club VGC Video Game Central (website) supporting advanced 3D features, such as full triangle set-up engines at a rate of one million triangles per second, as well as MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group) An ISO/ITU standard for compressing digital video. Pronounced "em-peg," it is the universal standard for digital terrestrial, cable and satellite TV, DVDs and digital video recorders (DVRs). 2 video and MCA/AC-3 audio decoding for DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. playback. The SAA 9727 will be available in Q4 97. Additionally, Philips announced the availability of its Multimedia Center Applications Software Suite, fully optimized for Big Cats and other companion PC multimedia chips by providing easy-to-use, consumer-oriented multimedia functionality. The Multimedia Center Applications Suite combines components and utilities with advanced feature selections and display configurations. Transparent Internet software provides automatic updates of all Multimedia Center modules together with all driver components. "The Big Cats family represents a quantum leap forward in the videographics controllers market," said Lew Eggebrecht, chief architect for Philips Semiconductors' Multimedia PC Group. "The enhanced architecture is designed to provide PC OEMs and other strategic suppliers with the ideal combination of leading-edge PC graphics performance and flexibility -- with the performance and quality of consumer multimedia equipment, such as high-end TV and DVD." The PCI-based SAA 9725 and 9726 provide simultaneous capture, storage and delivery of TV and DVD data for multimedia applications, such as PC-entertainment, DVD playback, video capture/editing and videoconferencing. Big Cats can gluelessly connect to digital audio and video sources via the standard digital video D1/VMI bus. Maximum video and DVD quality is ensured through the incorporation of proprietary deinterlacing filtering technology in the video input stream. All Big Cats VGCs have a built-in TV encoder to provide simultaneous monitor and PAL/NTSC TV-output each with independent content. The TV output includes a three line flicker filter to deliver smoother displays, and the SAA 9726 additionally includes Macrovision 7 copy protection. The Big Cats VGCs operate in all Windows environments, including 95 and later as well as NT, utilizing DirectDraw and Direct 3D. The products implement 100 percent compatible VGA in hardware. The controllers support 2, 4, and 8 MB of up to 100 MHz SGRAM (Synchronous Graphics RAM) A type of dynamic RAM chip that is similar to the SDRAM technology, but includes enhanced graphics features for use with display adapters. , SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) A type of dynamic RAM (DRAM) memory chip that has been widely used since the late 1990s. SDRAM chips eliminated wait states by dividing the chip into two cell blocks and interleaving data between them. or EDO-RAM EDO-RAM Extended Data Out Random Access Memory and with the 220 MHz RAMDAC (Random Access Memory Digital to Analog Converter) The VGA controller chip that maintains the color palette and converts data from memory into analog signals for the monitor. RAMDAC - Random Access Memory Digital-to-Analog Converter , can support screen resolutions of up to 1600 x 1200 and pixel depths of up to 32-bits. The SAA 9727 will be available in both PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). and full-Advanced Graphics Port (AGP) support versions. The Big Cats architecture was announced late last year to address the needs of the growing multimedia business and consumer PC market. With these first new architecture products, Philips takes its place as a leader in the multimedia PC market and provides systems manufacturers with aggressively-priced, powerful multimedia VGC solutions. The SAA 9725 is priced at $25 and the SAA 9726 priced at $30 in quantities of 10,000. Philips Semiconductors, Inc., a subsidiary of Philips Electronics North America and an affiliate of Philips Electronics NV Philips Electronics NV in full Royal Philips Electronics NV Dutch Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV Major Dutch manufacturer of consumer electronics, household appliances, lightbulbs, and imaging equipment. , headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by regional customer applications labs. Additional information on Philips Semiconductors can be found on the home page at www.semiconductors.philips.com or by calling 1-800-447-1500 ext. 1371. CONTACT: Philips Semiconductors Jodi Guilbault, 408/991-2332 Jodi.Guilbault@sv.sc.philips.com or Miller/Shandwick Technologies Robin Foster, 415/962-9550 rfoster@miller.shandwick.com |
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