Rendition's New V2100 Accelerator Brings Dramatic 3D Performance to Mainstream Systems; Selected by Diamond Multimedia for Stealth II Graphics Accelerator.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1997-- Rendition, Inc., a leading developer and supplier of high performance graphics processors, today announced the V2100, the newest member of the V2000 family of integrated 2D/3D graphics and video accelerators. Rendition also announced that the V2100 has been selected by Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. for its new Stealth II, model S220, graphics accelerator A display adapter that performs a specialized set of graphics functions to render an image on screen. Today, all display adapters provide basic rendering functions in hardware, but many have graphics processing units (GPUs) that are sophisticated computers. . The PCI-based Stealth II, incorporating the V2100, will begin shipping later this month for an estimated retail price of $119.95 (including a game sampler CD). Rendition V2100 With its single-chip design and support for the Intel Advanced Graphics Port (AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) A high-speed 32-bit port from Intel for attaching a display adapter to a PC. It provides a direct connection between the card and memory, and only one AGP slot is on the motherboard. ) standard, the V2100 addresses the price and performance requirements of the mainstream graphics market, offering amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. 3D realism, superior 2D and outstanding video quality for improved gameplay and immersive multimedia applications. It is ideally suited for both business and consumer applications, with implementations ranging from motherboards to low cost add-in cards. With a measured 3D WinBench '97 score of over 185, and an outstanding fill rate of 40 million high-quality pixels per second, the V2100 delivers the fastest performance of any product in its price range. Until now, such performance has only been available from 3D-only add-in cards selling for over $250. "As 3D graphics move into the mainstream consumer and business computing markets, high performance, low cost solutions such as the V2100 will be an important market enabler," said Mike Boich, president of Rendition. "The V2100 truly changes the paradigm for suppliers of mainstream add-in cards or motherboards. They no longer have to choose between affordable graphics controllers that deliver poor performance and few features and full-featured controllers that are not affordable in the mainstream segments. The V2100 should be ideal for the fastest growing segment of the PC market -- that for systems selling for $1200 - $1500 and below." Diamond's Stealth II Diamond's new Stealth II, model S220, graphics accelerator is intended for PC users who want to experience realistic 3D images with today's hottest computer games as well as high-powered 2D graphics and video. "Consumers today will not compromise product performance or features, even as they shop for the best price point," said Dave Watkins, vice president and general manager of the multimedia division of Diamond Multimedia. "By basing the Stealth II on the V2100, we are able to meet both expectations in a single, compelling product that offers advanced 3D gaming plus high-quality 2D graphics and video, for a very affordable price." "This design win with Diamond is a significant endorsement of our newly introduced V2000 family of accelerators," added Boich. "In addition to enabling higher performance, lower priced PC systems, products based on the V2100, such as Diamond's Stealth II, will also encourage the development of new 3D games and business applications." The Verite vé·ri·té n. Cinéma vérité. Architecture The V2100 is part of the V2000 family of integrated 3D, 2D and video accelerators. The V2200 was announced and began shipping in August of this year. The V2100 is the second member of the family and has been optimized for add-in card, motherboard and system companies who need to offer consumers a lower cost solution. Like the V2200, the V2100 is based on Rendition's innovative and highly acclaimed Verite architecture. The Verite architecture combines a highly flexible, programmable RISC RISC in full Reduced Instruction Set Computing Computer architecture that uses a limited number of instructions. RISC became popular in microprocessors in the 1980s. engine and dedicated, fixed-function accelerator functions to achieve an unprecedented level of performance. The RISC engine performs complete high-quality triangle set up, freeing the system processor to perform geometry transformations, lighting and application calculations. The RISC also helps with video functions, simplifying 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). video playback and video conferencing See videoconferencing. (communications) video conferencing - A discussion between two or more groups of people who are in different places but can see and hear each other using electronic communications. applications. The V2100 includes a pixel drawing engine that performs high- speed per-pixel drawing operations including texel filtering, pixel blending, z-buffering, fog blending, dithering Simulating more colors and shades in a palette. In a monochrome system that displays or prints only black and white, shades of grays can be simulated by creating varying patterns of black dots. This is how halftones are created in a monochrome printer. and specular highlighting. The pixel engine can be controlled by either the RISC processor RISC processor [Reduced Instruction Set Computer], computer arithmetic-logic unit that uses a minimal instruction set, emphasizing the instructions used most often and optimizing them for the fastest possible execution. or the triangle engine, and can render a bilinear-filtered, z-buffered, fogged and blended pixel with both diffused and specular spec·u·lar adj. Of, resembling, or produced by a mirror or speculum. spec  u·lar·ly adv.Adj. 1. shading in a single cycle. The pixel engine also handles the conversion from YUV The color encoding system used for analog television worldwide (NTSC, PAL and SECAM). The YUV color space (color model) differs from RGB, which is what the camera captures and what humans view. color space A system for describing color numerically. Also known as a "color model," the most widely used color spaces are RGB for scanners and displays, CMYK for color printing and YUV for video and TV. to RGB color Typically refers to 24-bit color. See color palette, 24-bit color, 16-bit color and 8-bit color. space for video. A new triangle engine in the V2100 off-loads triangle launching, freeing the RISC engine to set up more asynchronously, rendering any triangle shape or line. This dramatically improves chip performance and balances overall system throughput. This full-featured architecture is connected to a high speed SGRAM-based memory sub-system in order to deliver optimal performance. The V2100 supports multiple APIs at full performance including Direct3D, OpenGL and the Rendition-native APIs RRedline and Speedy3D. The V2100 is compatible with the over 100 Rendition Ready software titles currently on the market, bringing the power of this advanced design to users of these titles. Pricing and Availability The V2100 accelerator is available immediately for evaluation in a 256 PBGA PBGA Plastic Ball Grid Array package. In Q1 1998, the V2100 will be available in a cost-effective 208 pin package in large quantities. The V2100 will be priced under $20 for high volume motherboard applications by mid-1998. Interested parties should contact the company at 415/335-5900 or visit the company on the World Wide Web at http://www.rendition.com . About Rendition, Inc. Rendition, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is a fabless semiconductor manufacturer focused on high- performance, low-cost 3D, 2D graphics and video processors for personal computers. Founded in 1993, the company's products enable entertainment and multimedia users to enjoy the next generation of 2D, 3D, and video playback on their PC. The company's Verite 1000 2D/3D processor has already received numerous industry accolades, including Editors' Choice awards from both PC Magazine and PC Games magazine The term Games magazine could refer to:
CONTACT: A&R Partners Lisa Auslen, 415/363-0982 Ext. 220 lisa_auslen@arpartners.com Elizabeth Conrady, 415/363-0982 Ext. 217 elizabeth_conrady@arpartners.com |
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