DOS Days

Old PC Computing Resource

"The Lightspeed 128 posted the highest PC WorldBench graphics score of any board we've tested. But to find out how much data it could really handle, we played multiple video clips simultaneously, and saw little degradation in video performance."
PC World, August 1996

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Richardson, Texas (July 19, 1996) -- STB Systems, Inc.® (NASDAQ-STBI), a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of graphics and multimedia adapters, has announced that its POWERGRAPH 64 3D and LIGHTSPEED 128 accelerators will provide full support for the Microsoft® Direct3D hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for the Windows® 95 operating system.

STB is a pioneering force in the development of 3D computer graphics, and by fully supporting Microsoft's Direct3D, STB enables POWERGRAPH 64 3D and LIGHTSPEED 128 users to enjoy today's most vivid and realistic three-dimensional graphic performance. Direct3D is designed to be the industry-standard HAL for the development of 3D software titles, opening the door to a new wave of 3D games, multimedia and business applications.

Built on the processing power of S3's new ViRGE chip, the POWERGRAPH 64 3D multimedia accelerator delivers breathtakingly realistic 3D graphics performance. The STB POWERGRAPH 64 3D utilizes the industry's most advanced shading, perspective-corrected texture mapping and double-buffering 3D technologies.

The LIGHTSPEED 128 accelerator delivers no-compromise graphics with sufficient bandwidth to support full-motion video playback for today's most challenging graphics applications. The LIGHTSPEED 128 delivers 128-bit graphics power with multiple accelerated video windows with as little as 2.25MB of memory.

"These two new STB accelerators represent the cutting edge in 3D and video performance," says Gary Kellar, STB's Director of Product Marketing. "By providing Direct3D support, we give our customers access to the full range of 3D games, Web browsers and other advanced graphics applications."

In addition to providing optimum display performance for Direct3D-based applications such as 3D Web browsers, presentation arts and modeling packages, the POWERGRAPH 64 3D and the LIGHTSPEED 128 fully support Microsoft's DirectX environment for 2D primitives (DirectDraw), 3D primitives (Direct3D), live video and MPEG video (DirectVideo) Active Movie.

The POWERGRAPH 64 3D is available with 1MB (expandable to 2MB) of EDO DRAM, and supports non-interlaced resolutions up to 1280x1024 with 256 colors (2 MB) and refresh rates to 160Hz. This accelerator works with any SVGA multiple-frequency monitor and provides VESA DDC-2B support for plug-and-play convenience. STB's POWERGRAPH 64 3D is shipped with STB VISION, a powerful suite of drivers and Windows 95 performance-enhancing utility tools.

STB's LIGHTSPEED 128 can be configured with up to 2.25MB of MOSYS Multibank DRAM video memory in support of multiple accelerated video windows in resolutions to 1280x1024x256 or 800x600x16.7M colors. The LIGHTSPEED 128 provides plug-and-play support for Windows 95 and other high-end graphics applications. The LIGHTSPEED 128 is also shipped with STB VISION."
STB Systems Press Office, 19th July 1996

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Richardson, TX -- (June 3, 1996)--STB Systems, Inc.® (NASDAQ: STBI) will roll out a trio of impressive new video and multimedia cards at Spring COMDEX in Chicago, June 3-6.

These powerful new adapters from STB--the LIGHTSPEED 128® Windows® and multimedia accelerator, the TV PCI® television tuner, and the POWERGRAPH 64 3D® multimedia accelerator--represent a next-generation leap forward in PC graphics performance.

"The industry knows STB as a pioneering source for innovative graphics and video solutions," says STB Systems Vice President of Sales and Marketing J. Shane Long. "With these new products, STB continues our record of producing graphics adapters that deliver feature-rich performance."

Three New Winners

The LIGHTSPEED 128 Windows and multimedia accelerator combines a true 128-bit graphics engine with advanced Multibank MDRAM memory technology to give PC users the ultimate in graphics performance for today's most demanding graphics and video applications.

The LIGHTSPEED 128 is available with 2.25MB of Multibank MDRAM and is equipped with a Digital Video Engine for enhanced playback of multimedia video files and multiple accelerated video windows.

The LIGHTSPEED 128 is the first accelerator to use Multibank MDRAM - a new memory technology developed by MoSys ä Corporation to provide much faster data transfer for video applications.

"One look at the speed of these on-screen images is enough to prove that the LIGHTSPEED 128 delivers today's most impressive graphics performance," commented Long. "And at a street price of around $250, the LIGHTSPEED 128 also brings high performance multimedia graphics to the market at a price many consumers will find attractive."

The new STB TV PCI television tuner is a universally compatible PCI tuner that turns most multimedia PCs into a cable ready television. The TV PCI tuner allows live-action television input from cable or VHF/UHF reception to be displayed directly on a standard PC monitor.

TV PCI supports the new Intel® Intercast® technology that provides a link between television and the Internet. STB's TV PCI tuner is also the industry's first full-featured TV tuner with a target price of less than $100 to the consumer. The card also features Plug-n-Play ease of installation and software that provides users with an on-screen remote control or a Windows tab-dialogue box for advanced television control functions.

STB's new POWERGRAPH 64 3D multimedia accelerator brings exciting new levels of 3D performance to the now-emerging wave of 3D Windows games, live-action video and other high-end graphics applications. Built around S3's new ViRGE chip, the POWERGRAPH 64 3D employs some of the industry's most advanced shading, perspective-corrected texture mapping and double-buffering 3D technologies.

See For Yourself

The estimated retail prices of these products are: LIGHTSPEED 128, $249; TV PCI $99; POWERGRAPH 64 3D, $179. STB products are incorporated as a standard feature in some of today's most popular personal computers. STB products are available worldwide from leading computer products retailers. LIGHTSPEED 128, TV PCI, and POWERGRAPH 64 3D will be displayed at STB's booth #M4513 at COMDEX in Chicago."
STB Systems Press Office, 3rd June 1996