Matrox announces optimized support of Windows NT 4.0 delivering top speed
and productivity for high- performance users
Las Vegas, NV Always the leader in providing optimized
support for the latest operating systems, Matrox is pleased to announce it now
offers full-featured Windows NT 4.0 drivers for the Matrox series of
high-performance graphics accelerators. Support for up to four monitors,
resolutions as high as 1800 x 1440, OpenGL and Direct Draw hardware
acceleration, as well as upcoming drivers for 3D StudioMAX and AutoCAD, make
Matrox's graphics accelerators the ideal solution for business, 3D design and
high-performance users under Windows NT 4.0.
Matrox series of
graphics accelerators - the experts' choice for Windows NT
- As the graphics board of choice in professional NT systems from key system
manufacturers like IBM, Dell, Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Motorola and Digital, the
Matrox Millennium is the most reliable high performance graphics accelerator for
the professional market. Windows NT 4.0 is a graphically demanding operating
system under which a majority of applications require support for high
resolution displays at high refresh rates and high color depths. The Matrox
Millennium's powerful design, based on dual-ported Window RAM technology,
delivers consistently high performance for all data-intensive Windows
operations, including professional Windows, multimedia and 3D design
applications. Comparatively, the Matrox Mystique's ultra-high performance in
8-bit and 16-bit colors, video and texture-mapped 3D make it the ideal solution
for mainstream business, consumer CAD, low resolution AutoCAD and multimedia
applications under Windows NT 4.0.
"In the coming months, Matrox sees a growing movement in the
professional graphics market towards Microsoft Windows NT 4.0," says Dan
Wood, Senior Product Manager at Matrox Graphics. "These users expect highly
optimized performance for their graphically intensive operations, as well as
stable, industry approved drivers and upgadability to avoid obsolescence. With
its optimized feature set, extensive driver support, high speed RAMDAC and
powerful dual ported memory, the Matrox Millennium is positioned to meet and
even surpass these expectations."
The Matrox Millennium offers the
best level of performance for all demanding applications as well as a variety of
productivity-enhancing features and ultra-high resolutions for professional
users. It also provides support for multiple monitors, letting users spread
their desktop across four monitors to display multiple applications on a single
desktop of up to 3200 x 2400 resolution. The Millennium is fully expandable to 8
MB of dual-ported Window RAM allowing users to achieve maximal display quality.
In addition, the Matrox Millennium PowerDoc Edition, specifically designed for
Document Imaging users, currently supports resolutions up to 1800 x 1440 @ 70Hz
refresh. The 4MB Matrox Millennium is available at an estimated street price of
$269.
The Matrox Mystique is a high-performance 64-bit graphics
accelerator using powerful single-ported SGRAM memory and Matrox's MGA-1064SG
processor with integrated 2D, video and 3D texture mapping acceleration.
Offering resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 @ 85Hz refresh, the Mystique is available
in 2MB and 4MB configurations starting at an estimated street price of $179.
Business
productivity features - Matrox is the first graphics vendor to offer a range
of advanced productivity features under Windows NT 4.0 via the MGA PowerDesk
display control panel. These features include a hardware zoom, customized
display settings and configuration, hotkeys and more. A new version of the
drivers (rev. 3.0), to be released in December 1996, will offer a broad range of
new features, including virtual desktop settings of up to 2048 x 1536, letting
the user display multiple pages or applications on the desktop. The Desktop
Navigator is designed to provide easy access to frequently used functions,
including Zoom, PanLock and CenterWindow. The DeskNav also includes a desktop
preview window which allows the user, when using a virtual desktop, to locate
elements of the desktop which might be located outside of the viewing area, and
to reposition them dynamically. Finally, the MGA Monitor Property Sheet includes
an easy interface to select the appropriate monitor by manufacturer and model.
This graphical interface offers a selection of over 250 monitors with timings
set to the manufacturers' specifications rather than simply by frequency. An
Advanced setting also enables the user to manually customize the maximum
horizontal and vertical scan rates for further display optimization.
3D Design, with OpenGL / HEIDI, and AutoCAD support
- The Matrox Millennium's powerful 3D rendering engine offers a variety of
3D functions such as Gouraud-shading, z-buffering and double-buffering for
OpenGL users, delivering new levels of 3D performance through Microsoft's "mini-client
driver" (mcd) interface under Windows NT 4.0. In addition, as of December
1996, Matrox will provide support for the HEIDI applications programmers'
interface (API), which will let 3D Studio MAX designers access the Millennium's
3D hardware acceleration for the first time, allowing them to manipulate solid
3D objects at least twice as fast as than with software rendering.
Matrox also continues to provide a superior solution for CAD users
with the Matrox Millennium by releasing a set of powerful Display-List Drivers
for AutoCAD release 13 under Windows NT 4.0 for accelerated redraw and regens,
delivering superior performance for CAD users. These specialized drivers,
scheduled for release in December, also offer a set of productivity features
including Bird's Eye and Spy Glass views as well as hardware pan and zoom.
Matrox is also dedicated to providing support for Direct3D under Windows NT 4.0
with Millennium and Mystique when the API is released in Q1 '97, delivering
powerful game and mainstream 3D performance.
Video acceleration
with Microsoft's Direct Draw and Active Movie - Matrox's support of Active
Movie through the Direct Draw interface under Windows NT 4.0 allows Millennium
and Mystique users to access the cards' hardware digital video capability. This
will provide smooth playback of MPEG clips at high resolutions by taking
advantage of the boards' color-space conversion and scaling capabilities. Future
support in March 1997 of the Matrox Rainbow Runner multimedia add-ons under
Windows NT 4.0 will allow Mystique users to perform live video capture, hardware
MPEG decoding and video out to television at an exceptional price / performance.
Matrox Graphics Inc. - A tradition of excellence - A
Montreal-based graphics chip designer and board manufacturer, Matrox Graphics
Inc. is a leader in the graphics industry. In 1993, Matrox introduced the MGA
Series, the first 64-bit graphics engine in the PC market. Matrox has since
been internationally recognized for the MGA Series' high performance and
advanced productivity features with over 130 awards. With two decades of
expertise, Matrox continues to stay ahead of its competitors by providing
leading edge solutions at the best price/performance.
Matrox's Windows NT markets and product
offerings |
Application area |
Requirements |
Board type |
Windows NT 4.0 Power User |
No compromise performance at high resolutions, refresh rates
and color depths |
Millennium 4MB or 8MB |
Desk Top Publishing |
· 1280 x 1024 or 1600 x 1200 in true color ·
High refresh rates · Productivity features |
Millennium 4MB or 8MB |
AutoCAD |
· 1280 x 1024 or 1600 x 1200 resolutions ·
Specialized Display-List drivers |
Millennium 4MB or 8MB |
3D Design / Engineering |
· 3D rendering in high resolutions · Open GL and HEIDI
support |
Millennium 4MB or 8MB |
DIP |
· 1600 x 1200 @ 85Hz or · 1800 x 1440 @ 76Hz·
Multiple-screen support |
Millennium or PowerDoc 2MB or 4MB |
Mainstream business |
· 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024 in 8- or 16-bit ·
Productivity features |
Mystique 2MB |
Multimedia / Games |
· Direct X support · Hardware accelerated video
and 3D · Multimedia add-ons with Active Movie support |
Mystique 2MB |
Low Resolution AutoCAD / Consumer CAD |
· Resolutions up to 1024 x 768 in 8 or 16-bit ·
Display List drivers for AutoCAD |
Mystique 4MB | November 14, 1996 |