STMICROELECTRONICS ANNOUNCES NEXT GEN KYRO II 3D GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR.STMicroelectronics has unveiled its next generation KYRO II 3D 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. . Powered by PowerVR Tile Based Rendering (TBR TBR Tennessee Board of Regents TBR Technology Business Research TBR To Be Read TBR Travel Business Roundtable TBR To Be Resolved TBR To Be Reviewed TBR Technical Basis for Regulation TBR To Be Recorded TBR Total Business Return TBR To Be Revised ) technology, KYRO II demonstrates clear performance leadership when compared with other products in its class on popular games and industry benchmarks. KYRO II is ST's second generation 3D 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 derived from the partnership between ST and Imagination Technologies designed to combine Imagination's acclaimed TBR technology with ST's world-class digital video know-how, process technology expertise and manufacturing capability. KYRO II delivers an unprecedented combination of frame rate performance and image quality, thanks to an architecture that makes extremely efficient use of the available memory bandwidth Memory bandwidth is the rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by a processor. Memory bandwidth is usually expressed in units of bytes/second, though this can vary for systems with natural data sizes that are not a multiple of the commonly used and incorporates a host of sophisticated features that support user demand for ever-increasing scene complexity. TBR technology typically requires less than one third of the memory bandwidth required by conventional 3D accelerators, which allows content developers to focus on realistic environments rather than having to resort to programming tricks to reduce scene complexity and image quality, which are required to improve frame rate with traditional 3D accelerators. Tile Based Rendering takes a different algorithmic approach to 3D, aiming to eliminate redundant processing and avoid memory bottlenecks. By doing only what is absolutely necessary, and by keeping as much 3D processing as possible on-chip, TBR allows maximum performance to be extracted from the available memory bandwidth, enabling KYRO II to not only deliver class-leading performance today, but also to keep pace with users' escalating demands for higher visual quality. To enable games and other 3D titles to run with unrivaled image quality as well as at leading-edge frame rates, KYRO II supports highly efficient Full Scene Anti-Aliasing, Internal True Color (1) Specifically, refers to 16,777,216 colors (24-bit color). See high color. (2) Generically, refers to photo-realistic color (typically requires 24-bit color as a minimum). , and Environmental and Dot3 Bump mapping. With an exclusive feature set including support for 8-layer multi-texturing, Z32, and ConstantStencil, KYRO II delivers performance and image quality that sets new standards in PC games. KYRO II also includes a fast 128-bit 2D engine, hardware video playback and 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. decode assistance, 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. Bus Master Interface, a 128-bit SGRAM/SDRAM interface with up to 64 Mbyte support, and integrated Palette DAC See D/A converter and discretionary access control. DAC - Digital to Analog Converter . A video input port allows connection to a wide range of video source and capture peripherals, while a digital video output port provides glueless connection to flat panel displays and TV encoders. "Users are clamoring for a graphics solution with excellent image quality and a complete modern feature set at a reasonable cost," said Tim Chambers, Vice President and General Manager of ST's Graphics Products Division. The KYRO technology intrinsically provides these benefits, due to its high performance and low-cost frame-store technology. Developers can finally create rich environments at high frames, as KYRO's Tile Based Rendering approach takes care of increased scene complexity. "The power and clarity of image provided by Kyro II is simply excellent. Our new Rune-Halls of Valhalla expansion looks incredible on these cards, whether in 16 or 32-bit. The price of the cards is equally excellent, offering gamers on a budget another choice to get the best bang for their buck," said Tim Gerritsen, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of game developer Human Head Studios. |
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