STB Systems products receive Microsoft WHQL certification.RICHARDSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 1997-- ``Windows Hardware Qualification Labs'' approval ensures full compatibility with Windows-based products STB See set-top box. STB - set-top box Systems Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :STBI) has earned the Microsoft Corp. ``Windows Hardware Qualification Labs'' (WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) A Microsoft facility that provides testing services for hardware and drivers for compliance with its operating systems. WHQL administers various logos that compliant vendors may reprint on their packages. ) certification for four of its most popular graphics and video accelerator A hardware component on a display adapter that speeds up full-motion video. The primary video accelerator functions are color space conversion, which converts YUV to RGB, hardware scaling, which is used to enlarge the image to full screen and double buffering which moves the frames into products. WHQL certification indicates that the product is fully Windows- compatible, and allows STB Systems to affix affix v. 1) to attach something to real estate in a permanent way, including planting trees and shrubs, constructing a building, or adding to existing improvements. the ``Designed for Windows 95'' logo to the approved STB products. ``WHQL certification represents another major achievement for STB products,'' said Richard Cooke, director of engineering at STB Systems. ``The Microsoft WHQL logo on an STB product tells both our 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 customers and those consumers who buy our products at the retail level that this STB accelerator is certified by Microsoft as fully Windows-compatible.'' These certifications represent a completion of STB's goal of providing ``GDI-free'' drivers for its multimedia accelerators. GDI (Graphics Device Interface) The traditional programming interface (API) for output in Windows. When an application needs to display or print, it makes a call to a GDI function and sends it the parameters for the object that must be created. hooking became an issue for STB when Microsoft handed down notice that it would no longer certify video cards that use GDI hooking. GDI hooking is a commonly used method of increasing the performance of a video accelerator, wherein the video accelerator bypasses the operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. and addresses an application directly. Where GDI bypass may provide a slight increase in speed, a number of compatibility problems may result. STB's newest multimedia accelerator, the NITRO 3D, received full WHQL certification for its hardware and related software drivers before it was officially released to the marketplace on March 24. Three other key STB products, the PowerGraph 64 Video, the PowerGraph 64 3D and the Velocity 3D, have also been awarded Microsoft WHQL certification. ``WHQL certification is not only very important to our OEM customer base because it helps make it possible for their system to receive similar certification, but end users should also demand this certification since it stands as a symbol of driver stability, compatibility and legitimate performance optimizations as verified by Microsoft,'' added Gary Kellar, director of video products at STB Systems. Microsoft created the Windows Hardware Qualification Labs to ensure that approved hardware and related software drivers are fully compatible with the Windows operating system. Upon testing and certification of a product, Microsoft approves the addition of a software stamp which allows the Windows operating system to recognize the product as WHQL-certified. The product's manufacturer may then print the Microsoft logo on the product packaging to highlight this important Windows Hardware Qualification Labs certification. The NITRO 3D utilizes today's most advanced 3-D technologies -- including flat and Gouraud shadings, texture mapping In computer graphics, the application of a type of surface to a 3D image. A texture can be uniform, such as a brick wall, or irregular, such as wood grain or marble. The common method is to create a 2D bitmapped image of the texture, called a "texture map," which is then "wrapped around" , MIP mapping and sophisticated buffering, shading and filtering methods -- to deliver a truly amazing level of on-screen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. 3-D realism. With this new WHQL certification, consumers can now enjoy the powerful graphics and video performance of the NITRO 3D with the confidence that this STB product is fully Windows-compatible. Simply the Best! STB Systems designs, manufactures and sells video graphics accelerators and other multimedia subsystem products for use primarily in desktop personal computers. STB has established a history of designing award-winning graphics controllers and writing specialized video drivers that provide maximum software performance and compatibility. STB is the second-largest supplier of video graphic adapters worldwide, as ranked by International Data Corp. (IDC), and is registered as ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. 9002-compliant. Founded in 1981 and having headquarters in Richardson, STB Systems also has facilities in Houston and El Paso, Texas; Eugene, Ore.; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Juarez, Mexico; London; Paris; and Munich, Germany. CONTACT: STB Systems Inc., Richardson Brian Burke, 972/234-8750, ext. 2113 bburke@stb.com |
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