Press Release
- Archives 2000
ATI further
supports Linux by offering graphics accelerated video playback
ATI issues
software development kit to support Linux video applications
using iDCT and Motion Compensation with ATI RAGE 128™
and RAGE 128 PRO™ family of graphics accelerators
February
21, 2000
Toronto,
Ontario - ATI Technologies Inc. (TSE:ATY, NASDAQ:ATYT) announced
today the development of the ATI VHA (Video Hardware Acceleration)
Software Development Kit for the Linux operating system.
The ATI Linux VHA Kit will add hardware support for high quality
video such as MPEG-2 to Linux. It provides a software interface
between the iDCT and motion compensation video acceleration
of the ATI RAGE 128™-based accelerators, and MPEG-2 and DVD
video playback formats. Supported products include RAGE 128
and RAGE 128 PRO™ chips and boards such as the RAGE FURY PRO™,
All-in-Wonder 128™ and Xpert 2000™.
This announcement also confirms ATI's pursuit to become the
Linux community's Number One graphics vendor. It builds on the
company's earlier announcement of official support for the Linux
OS, and release of development information for ATI's products.
With release of the VHA Software Development Kit for MPEG-2
and DVD playback, ATI now offers the industry's most complete
and robust product support for the Linux operating system. Initiatives
are underway for Linux development in ATI's set-top products.
"We are working closely with ATI on ATI's VHA Software Development
Kit to incorporate high-quality MPEG playback into our games
using SMPEG, Loki's open source MPEG playback library," said
Scott Draeker, President, Loki Entertainment Software. "Soon
SMPEG and ATI hardware will allow Linux users, for the first
time, to enjoy the exceptional visual quality and performance
of hardware accelerated MPEG, including DVD playback, with third
party drivers."
ATI offers the highest quality and most complete video decoding
technology available today, setting the benchmark in MPEG-2
playback with full-frame, full-screen video for a true multimedia
experience. Linux community support for ATI's popular All-in-Wonder
products, which offer video capture, TV tuner, 2D and 3D graphics
capabilities, already exist or are well-advanced in development.
As ATI is the world's largest graphics vendor, introduction
of the ATI VHA Software Development Kit is expected to act as
a major spur to the further development of the Linux OS.
"ATI is committed to the advancement of Linux, and offering
high quality video playback is the next major step forward,"
said Henry Quan, vice president of corporate marketing, ATI.
"We are enabling the Linux community to take advantage of our
industry-leading video playback technology, which is the key
missing link in developing full multimedia support for ATI."
The ATI VHA Software Development Kit will be available for use
by recognized software developers from March 2000 onwards through
the ATI Registered Developer Program, and comprises an MPEG-2
accelerated driver and sample code for MPEG-2 playback. Although
the sample code will be released open source, the MPEG-2 driver
will be released in binary format in order to maintain DVD security.
"With the release of the VHA Software Development Kit for MPEG-2
and DVD playback, ATI now offers one of the industry's most
complete and robust multimedia solutions for the Linux operating
system," said Paul McNamara, director of the enterprise business
unit, Red Hat, Inc.
ATI is working with major industry players to provide the Linux
community with a complete DVD and video solution based on the
RAGE 128 and RAGE 128 PRO product family. The addition of video
capture and TV-out features will complete the multimedia solution.
"Open Source has proven to be the right solution for many key
players in the software industry", says Dirk Hohndel, Vice President
of The XFree86 Project. "ATI's support for Open Source developers
is something we are grateful for. In providing documented interfaces
to advanced hardware features ATI allows the Open Source community
to take advantage of the capabilities of its latest graphics
boards."
"ATI is a leading supplier of computer multimedia technology.
We are pleased that they are taking a leadership position with
Linux and helping to open new areas for Linux such as DVD playback.
We look forward to cooperating with ATI on the first complete
Linux multimedia solution for the ATI Rage 128 and Rage 128
Pro," said Craig Oda, VP Strategic Alliances, TurboLinux. "This
is a significant milestone for the Linux community and for TurboLinux."
Further information on ATI's support for Linux can be found
on ATI's website at
/developer/linux.html
The ATI RAGE 128 PRO: stunning graphics and best of class
multimedia performance
The ATI RAGE family of chips is spear-headed by the RAGE 128
PRO, which combines architectural enhancements with a higher
clock frequency to achieve a 50% improvement in 3D performance
over the ATI RAGE 128. It is the first chip in the industry
to integrate a DVI-compliant TMDS transmitter for digital flat
panel monitor support.
The RAGE 128 PRO is fully optimized to operate in 32-bit true
color, and with virtually no performance degradation compared
to 16-bit color rendering. Featuring the industry's only integrated
iDCT and Motion Compensation circuitry, the RAGE 128 PRO can
decode DVD with an absolute minimum of CPU usage.
About the ATI RAGE 128: industry-leading performance for
the mainstream market
The ATI RAGE 128 graphics chip boasts an extensive range of
features, including comprehensive DirectX support and a full
OpenGL ICD driver. The RAGE 128 also delivers the best DVD and
video in the industry, producing the highest quality DVD/MPEG2
images available for high-performance PCs, outperforming even
expensive DVD hardware solutions. ATI's RAGE 128-based chips
have the power to handle today's increasingly graphics-intensive
business, consumer and entertainment applications and development
tools.
Copyright
© ATI Technologies Inc., 2000. All company and/or product
names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
manufacturers. Features, pricing, availability and specifications
are subject to change without notice.
Company Profiles
ATI Technologies Inc., the world's
largest supplier of 3D graphics and multimedia technology,
designs, manufactures and markets innovative and award-winning
multimedia solutions and graphics components for the personal
computer, set-top box and consumer electronics appliance markets.
An ISO 9002 company, ATI is the world's leading supplier of
video and 2D/3D graphics accelerators to OEM and retail customers.
Founded in 1985, ATI employs more than 1,700 people at headquarters
in Thornhill, Ontario, and in offices in the United States,
Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Barbados, Malaysia,
Japan and Hong Kong. ATI is a public company whose shares
trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.
Contact Information
For other ATI news releases visit our web site
at www.ati.com.
