Press Release
- 2004
Turn any PC into a High End TV and Personal Video Recorder With
ATI’s Revolutionary Video Processor
THEATER™ 550 PRO delivers unmatched video quality on the PC
Tuesday September
14, 2004
MARKHAM, ON – Multimedia personal computers take a giant leap forward
today, finally reaching the video quality levels associated with
high-end $2000 consumer televisions. ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX:
ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT) is proud to announce and ship the THEATER™ 550
PRO video processor that delivers superb TV reception and Personal
Video Recording (PVR) functionality for PCs through products such
as add-in PC cards, motherboard-down solutions and notebook computers.
THEATER 550 PRO continues the THEATER™ family tradition
of industry-leading video reception achieved by ATI’s consumer
Digital TV division. THEATER 550 PRO integrates five discrete
functions into one powerful chip to create a “PVR-on-a-chip” that
revolutionizes video quality for PCs, allows for the creation
of new small form factor computers and reduces production costs.
Products featuring THEATER 550 PRO will be created by leading
PC manufacturers including Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd., Info-Tek
Corp., Micro-Star International Co., Ltd, Sapphire Technology
Limited, Tul Corporation and YUAN High-Tech Development Co. Ltd.
“With the introduction of THEATER 550 PRO, ATI has leveraged
its success in the consumer DTV markets to effectively change
the landscape of the PC by enabling a new level of video experience,” said
Rick Bergman, Senior Vice President Marketing and General Manager,
Desktop, ATI Technologies Inc. “THEATER 550 PRO sets a
high bar for a new level of video quality standards that leads
the way for PC manufacturers to create the Home Theater PC that
surpasses most dedicated consumer electronic solutions in the
market today. With solid Digital TV research and development
combined with the innovative chip design of the THEATER 550 PRO,
ATI is firmly set to lead the PC video revolution.”
- THEATER 550 PRO integrates:
- Next Generation 12-bit Video Decoder that features 3D Comb Filtering for NTSC and PAL and 5-line 2D Comb Filtering that delivers absolutely unrivaled video quality;
- Next Generation Hardware Video and Audio Encoder with new features such as Advanced Noise Reduction;
- PCI Express X1 and PCI interface on a single device to allow PC companies the ultimate flexibility in form factor designs;
- Digital IF Demodulation that improves video quality and reduces the overall solution cost by eliminating the need for expensive tuners; and,
- Worldwide multi-standard Audio Decoder.
Consumers will benefit from the THEATER 550 PRO in a variety
of ways including Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition.
When combined with computers based on Windows XP Media Center
Edition, THEATER 550 PRO delivers a PC that rivals the best television
sets and consumer PVRs.
“Microsoft is thrilled with the work ATI has done to develop
and deliver exceptional video quality for Windows XP Media Center
Edition PCs,” said Kevin Unangst, director of Windows consumer
marketing for Microsoft Corp.’s Windows division. “ATI’s
video processor complements Microsoft’s innovative Windows
XP Media Center Edition technology to provide customers with
an unmatched entertainment experience.”
THEATER 550 PRO also supports ATI’s own award winning
Multimedia Center™, Cyberlink’s PowerCinema and Intervideo’s
WinDVRTM and Home Theater. ATI will continue to support other
third party applications based on customer requirements.
- Notebook original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Acer and original
design manufacturers (ODM) including Compal Electronics Inc.,
Quanta Corporation, and Wistron Corp will also feature THEATER
550 PRO in their upcoming products. The THEATER 550 PRO also
revolutionizes how TV on the PC is delivered by offering unique
design features that were simply not previously possible. When
building a home theater or mobile notebook PVR PC, THEATER 550
PRO offers many benefits:
-
Low power consumption coupled with no need for heatsink or cooling
fan that’s well designed for low noise environments;
and,
- Small PC form factor integration is possible with THEATER 550
PRO as it takes less space than competitive solutions.
The THEATER 550 PRO is currently sampling and is ramping to
production. Products featuring THEATER 550 PRO will be available
from ATI and other manufacturers later this year.
“Customers demand the best visual quality for their consumer
electronic devices and industry leader ATI has produced THEATER
550 PRO to meet that request,” said Calvin Wu, CEO of MSI
Computer Corp., a subsidiary of Micro-Star International Co.,
Ltd. “Together, MSI and ATI can create a new class of high
quality digital video consumer electronics.”
“Our PowerColor products will take on a whole new view
with the addition of THEATER 550 PRO,” said Ted Chen, CEO,
Tul Corporation. “ATI’s amazing new video processor
will allow Tul to provide more innovative solutions for consumers.”
The THEATER 550 PRO integrates a flexible worldwide front-end
analog 12-bit video decoder with a high-quality digital audio/video
MPEG encoder to meet the needs of the fast emerging multimedia
consumer PC market. THEATER 550 PRO delivers excellent quality
at low video display bit-rates -- most noticeable in scene changes
where other solutions will show ‘blockiness’ for
a second or so after a scene change. THEATER 550 PRO features
noise reduction for crisp clear image quality and adjustable
noise reduction that intelligently detects noise and algorithmically
removes it from video. The result is more efficient video compression.
In addition, THEATER 550 PRO offers excellent audio quality for
stereo separation and attention to even the faintest sound details
in the video.
Copyright 2004 ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. ATI and ATI product and product feature names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.
About ATI Technologies
ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the design and
manufacture of innovative 3D graphics and digital media silicon
solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985, ATI is the world’s
foremost visual processor unit (GPU) provider and is dedicated
to deliver leading-edge performance solutions for the full range
of PC and Mac desktop and notebook platforms, workstation, set-top
and digital television, game console and handheld markets. With
2003 revenues in excess of US $1.3 billion, ATI has more than
2,700 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia. ATI common
shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange
(ATY).
Contact Information
For media or industry analyst support, visit our Web site at
http://www.ati.com .
Other ATI Contacts:
Trevor Campbell, Director, Porter Novelli Canada, at (416) 422-7202
or trevor.campbell@porternovelli.com
For media inquiries:
John Swinimer, Public Manager Consumer Products Division, (905)
882-2600, Ext. 8456 or swinimer@ati.com
For investor relations support, please contact:
Janet Craig, Director, Investor Relations, ATI Technologies Inc.,
at (905) 882-2600, Ext. 2631 or janet@ati.com
