ATI Technologies 2400 - Firemv Tm Rohs, pcie User Manual

FireMV™ 2400

User’s Guide

ATI

P/N 137-50054-11

ii

Copyright © 2005, ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.

ATI, the ATI logo, and ATI product and product-feature names are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features, performance and specifications are subject
to change without notice. Product may not be exactly as shown in diagrams.

Reproduction of this manual, or parts thereof, in any form, without the express written permission of
ATI Technologies Inc. is strictly prohibited.

Disclaimer

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, ATI Technologies Inc.
assumes no liability with respect to the operation or use of ATI hardware, software or other products
and documentation described herein, for any act or omission of ATI concerning such products or this
documentation, for any interruption of service, loss or interruption of business, loss of anticipatory
profits, or for punitive, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing,
performance, or use of the ATI hardware, software, or other products and documentation provided
herein.

ATI Technologies Inc. reserves the right to make changes without further notice to a product or system
described herein to improve reliability, function or design. With respect to ATI products which this
document relates, ATI disclaims all express or implied warranties regarding such products, including
but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non­infringement.

iii

L

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

• Read Instructions - All the safety and operating instructions should

be read before the product is operated.

• Retain Instructions - The safety and operating instructions should

be retained for future reference.

• Heed Warnings - All warnings on the product and the operating

instructions should be adhered to.

• Compatibility - This option card is for use only with IBM AT or

compatible UL Listed personal computers that have Installation
Instructions detailing user installation of card cage accessories.

• Grounding - For continued protection against risk of electric shock

and fire, this accessory should be installed only in products equipped
with a three-wire grounding plug, a plug having a third (grounding)
pin. This plug will only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a
safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet,
contact your electrician to replace the obsolete outlet. Do not defeat
the safety purpose of the grounding-type plug.

• Secure Attachment

tightened as to provide continuous bonding between the option card
and the PC chassis.

• Lightning - For added protection for this product during a lightning

storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long periods of
time, unplug it from the wall outlet, and disconnect the antenna or
cable system. This will prevent damage to the product due to
lightning and power-line surges.

• Power Lines - An outside antenna system should not be located in

the vicinity of overhead power lines or other light or power circuits, or
where it can fall into such power lines or circuits.

• Antenna Installation - When installing an outside antenna system,

extreme care should be taken to keep from touching such power lines
or circuits, as contact with them may be fatal.

- All card securement pins shall be completely

Note: This graphics card is for use only with compatible UL Listed
personal computers that have Installation Instructions detailing user
installation of card cage accessories.

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Table of Contents

Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

System Requirements 2
Before You Begin 2

Record Your Serial and Part Numbers 3
Uninstall Previous Graphics Card Drivers 3

Installing Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Quick Installation 5
Detailed Installation 6

Connecting Your Monitors 8
Turning on the System 8
Display Configurations 9

v

Installing Software and Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

HydraVision™ Multi-monitor Management 11
Installing Drivers and Software in Windows® 11

Software Installation Prerequisites 11

Monitor Configuration 13

Display Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Accessing the CATALYST™ Software Suite 15
ATI Displays Tab 16
Dynamic Display Reassignment 17

ATI Color Tab 18

Hotkeys 21
ATI Options Tab 23
ATI Rotation Tab 24
ATI Overlay Tab 26

Theater Mode Options 28
ATI 3D Tab 29

Custom Properties Dialog 32
ATI VPU Recover Tab 34

Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Troubleshooting 37

Disclaimer 40
Operating Temperature Limitations 40

vi

Warranty Information 42

Hardware Warranty Service Statement 42
Warranty Service 42
Limitations 42

Additional Accessories 43
Compliance Information 43

FCC Compliance Information 43
Industry Canada Compliance Statement 44
CE Compliance Information 44
Informations de conformité de la CE 44
Electrical Safety 44
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE) Directive Compliance 45
VCCI Class B ITE Compliance Information 45
MIC Certification Information 45
BSMI Certification Information 46

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

3D 47
AGP 47
Frames Per Second 52
Gamma 52
GPU 52
HydraVision™ 53
HyperZ™ HD 53
Lighting 54
PCI Express™ (PCIe) 55
SmartShader™ HD 57
Vertex Shader 59
VGA Connector 59

CHAPTER 1:

Getting Started

Your ATI FireMV™ 2400 multi-view 2D workstation graphics card is
designed exclusively for the financial and corporate marketplaces. The

FireMV™ line has been engineered to deliver stability and reliability for a
wide range of professional operating environments. For mission-critical,
“always on” systems, FireMV™ graphics cards deliver uninterrupted
performance.

Look to the FireMV™ series to realize these core benefits:

• Reliability

1

• Stability

• Flexibility

• User-friendly software

• Direct user support

• Lower power consumption

• Space-efficient, low-profile design

• Product longevity

Features of your FireMV™ 2400 card include:

• Quad display through two VHDCI-to-dual DVI-I cables to support
both DVI and VGA displays.

• Low power consumption.

• Low-profile/half-length card for maximum flexibility.

2 System Requirements

System Requirements

Make sure you meet the following system requirements before installing
your FireMV™ 2400 card.

Hardware • Intel® Pentium® 4/Xeon®; AMD Athlon® 64/K7/XP or

compatible.

• 128 MB of system memory; 256 MB or more for best
performance.

• Motherboard with available X16 lane PCI Express™
slot and correct chipset driver or available PCI slot, as
appropriate.

• CD-ROM drive (required for installation software).

Operating
System

Monitor • High-resolution MultiSync or multi-frequency monitors

• Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 1 (or higher).

• Windows® XP Home or Pro with Service Pack 1 (or
higher).

or other VGA monitors.

• Digital flat-panel (DFP) displays or digital CRT
displays.

Display Modes

Resolutions are limited by the performance of the attached monitor(s).

• Maximum analog resolution = 2048 x 1536

• Maximum digital resolution = 1600 x 1200

Before You Begin

Before you begin installing your new graphics card, please do the
following.

Before You Begin 3

Record Your Serial and Part Numbers

The serial number and 102 part number printed on the graphics card are
required for registration. They are located on a sticker on the back of the
card.

X

Y

Write the numbers, shown in bold above, down before installing your new
ATI product.

Serial number (S/N)

102 part number (P/N)

Uninstall Previous Graphics Card Drivers

To ensure the successful installation of your new FireMV™ 2400 card, you
must uninstall the drivers for the existing graphics card before removing it
from your computer.

To uninstall previous drivers

With your current graphics card still in your computer:

1 Close all applications that are currently running.

2 Navigate to the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs.

3 Select your current graphics card drivers and select Add/Remove.

The wizard will help you remove your current display drivers.

Note: If the previously installed graphics card has any additional
software installed, it should also be removed at this point.

4 Turn off your system and remove the old graphics card.

4 Before You Begin

Quick Installation 5

CHAPTER 2:

Installing Hardware

This chapter will guide you through the physical installation of your new
graphics card.

Quick Installation

Experienced users and system administrators can follow these brief
instructions for installing the FireMV™ 2400 card in the shortest possible
time.

Detailed hardware and software installation instructions are given in the
next two sections.

To perform a quick installation

1 Uninstall the drivers and software for your old graphics card if you

have not already done so.

Note: If you are using a motherboard containing an on-board
graphics solution and do not intend to use it as part of a multiple­monitor setup, disable it.

2 Shut down and disconnect your computer system.

3 Remove any previously installed card.

4 Install your new FireMV™ 2400 card.

5 Reassemble and connect your computer system.

6 Install the FireMV™ 2400 drivers and configuration software from

the ATI Installation CD-ROM by doing one of the following:

• Run through the automatic

•

Start > Run > X:\SETUP.EXE (where X is the drive letter of

your CD-ROM drive).

ATIS ETUP utility; or

6 Detailed Installation

Detailed Installation

The following instructions will take you step by step through the
installation of your new FireMV™ 2400.

FireMV™ 2400 Installation Diagram

X

Y

Z

[

\

]

PCIe Interface Connector

PCIe Card

PCIe Interface Connection

Insertion Point for PCIe Card

PCI Interface Connector

PCI Card

Detailed Installation 7

^

_

PCI Interface Connection

Insertion Point for PCI Card

1 Turn off the computer, monitor, and other peripheral devices.

2 Unplug the computer’s power cord and disconnect all cables from the

back of your computer.

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WARNING - Wait approximately 20 seconds after unplugging the

power cord before disconnecting a peripheral or removing a
component from the motherboard to avoid possible damage to the
motherboard.

3 Remove the computer cover.

If necessary, consult your computer’s manual for help in removing
the cover.

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WARNING - Remember to discharge your body’s static electricity by

touching the power supply or the metal surface of the computer
chassis.

4 Unscrew or unfasten and remove any existing graphics card from

your computer.

Note: If your computer has an on-board graphics capability, you may
need to disable it on the motherboard. For more information, see your
computer documentation.

5 Locate the appropriate slot and, if necessary, remove the metal back-

plate cover.

6 Align your ATI graphics card with the slot and press it in firmly until

the card is fully seated.

7 Screw in or fasten the graphics card securely and replace the

computer cover.

8 Reconnect any cables you have disconnected and plug in the

computer’s power cord.

9 Turn on the monitor and then your computer.

8 Detailed Installation

Connecting Your Monitors

Your FireMV™ 2400 card is designed for use with a pair of VHDCI cables,
which each provide support for two monitors using two DVI-I connectors.

X

Y

Z

[

Note: The VHDCI cable has two connections: a primary and a
secondary. If you are using a single display, make sure you connect it
to the primary connection. A single display will not function properly
if it is connected to the secondary connection.

Primary DVI-I Connector to VHDCI A.

Secondary DVI-I Connector to VHDCI A.

Primary DVI-I Connector to VHDCI B.

Secondary DVI-I Connector to VHDCI B.

Turning on the System

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WARNING - Turn on your monitor before you turn on your

computer. Failure to do so could damage your monitor.

If you have properly installed your graphics card, operating system
messages will appear once the boot procedure is finished.

Detailed Installation 9

Your monitor will be running in a basic video mode. Higher refresh rates
are not available at this stage of the installation. Once you have installed the
FireMV™ 2400 drivers and software, you can use the Display Properties
control panel to adjust the video settings and configure multiple monitors.

Display Configurations

The FireMV™ 2400 graphics card provides quad display functionality
through two VHDCI-to-dual-DVI-I-connector cables.

Any combination of four digital flat panels and CRT displays (using VGA­to-DVI-I adaptors) is supported, provided that when a single monitor is
connected to a cable, the primary connector is used.

10 Detailed Installation

HydraVision™ Multi-monitor Management 11

CHAPTER 3:

Installing Software and Drivers

This chapter will guide you through the installation of the drivers and
software associated with your FireMV™ 2400 graphics card.

HydraVision™ Multi-monitor
Management

The HydraVision™ multi-monitor and desktop management software will
install automatically with the Express driver installation of the ATISETUP
utility.

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For more information consult the HydraVision™ user’s guide included on
the ATI Installation CD-ROM.

If you do not want to install HydraVision™, select the Custom driver
installation and clear the HydraVision™ check box.

Installing Drivers and Software in
Windows®

You will need to install the FireMV™ 2400 drivers and software in the
following cases:

• After you have installed the card in your system.

• After you have reinstalled or upgraded your operating system.

This procedure applies to Windows® XP and Windows® 2000.

Software Installation Prerequisites

To install or remove the drivers, you must have administrator rights or be
logged on as a user with administrator rights.

Your operating system must be installed and running before you can install
the FireMV™ 2400 drivers. You must also have Service Pack 1 (or higher)
for Windows® XP.

12 Installing Drivers and Software in Windows®

Make sure your monitor cable is properly attached before you begin.

Note: The installation dialog will display in English if your operating
system’s language is not supported.

To install ATI drivers and software

1 Start your system. When the Found New Hardware Wizard comes

up, click
you to restart your computer, click

Cancel. When the System Settings Change window asks

No.

2 Run the ATISET UP utility. The ATISETU P utility will start

automatically if you insert the ATI Installation CD-ROM into your
CD-ROM drive after the operating system has started. If your CD­ROM auto-run is not enabled or the
automatically:

ATISETUP utility does not start

a) Click the
b) Click
c) Select

Start button in the task bar.

Run.

SETUP.EXE from the root directory of the ATI

Installation CD-ROM.

d) Click

OK.

3 Click Install under Software Install.

4 Click Next.

5 Click Yes to the license agreement. ATI Easy Install will start the

Installation Wizard.

6 Follow the wizard’s on-screen instructions to complete the

installation.

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The Express installation option is recommended. The HydraVision™
multi-monitor and desktop management software will automatically
be installed, along with the ATI driver, by selecting this option. Not all
software components are installed using the Express installation.
Custom installation allows you to select individual software
components for installation.

7 When the Setup complete message appears, select Yes, I want to

restart my computer now

and click Finish.

Monitor Configuration 13

Monitor Configuration

Once the drivers and software have been installed, you can configure your
monitor.

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To configure your primary display

Warning - Choosing a refresh rate unsupported by your monitor may

damage your monitor. Consult your monitor’s documentation if
necessary.

1 Navigate to the Control Panel and choose Display, or right-click on

the desktop and choose Properties.

2 Choose the Settings tab and select the screen resolution and color

depth that best suit your requirements and your monitor’s
performance.

3 Click Advanced and select the Monitor tab.

4 Choose a refresh rate from the drop-down list.

5 Click OK to return to the desktop.

To set up a multi-monitor display

1 From the Start menu click Control Panel, then Display. Click the

Settings tab to access the basic multi-monitor configuration settings.

Note: ATI software provides many additional configuration features
that can be accessed by clicking the

Display Properties > Settings tab.

Advanced button from the

2 Select the Monitor icon identified by the number 2.

3 Click Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor.

4 Set the Screen Resolution and Color Quality as appropriate for the

second monitor. Click

• Refer to your Windows® online help and documentation for
further information on using the

Apply or OK to apply these new values.

Settings tab.

5 Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each additional monitor beyond 2.

Note: When you use multiple monitors with your FireMV™ 2400
card, one monitor will always be Primary. Any additional monitors
will be designated as Secondary.

14 Monitor Configuration

Reinstalling Drivers

You can install new drivers or reinstall existing drivers if there was a
Windows® conflict.

Reinstall the drivers at any time using the ATI SET UP utility located on the
ATI Installation CD-ROM. The ATISETUP utility will start automatically
if you insert the ATI Installation CD-ROM into your optical drive after the
operating system has started.

To manually reinstall drivers

If your CD-ROM auto-run is not enabled and the ATISETUP utility does
not start automatically, follow these steps.

1 In the Windows® task bar, click Start.

2 From the Start menu, select Run.

3 Browse to SETUP.EXE on the root directory of the ATI Installation

CD-ROM.

4 Click OK.

CHAPTER 4:

Display Properties

This chapter describes how to use the advanced display, multiple-monitor,
and 3D graphics features in ATI’s Display Properties options.

Accessing the CATALYST™ Software Suite

The CATALYST™ Software Suite installs the ATI display tabs into the
Windows®

Advanced button located on the Settings tab.

Display Properties dialog. They are accessed through the

15

To access the
navigate through Windows®
menu.

Display Properties dialog, right-click on the desktop or

Control Panel, which is located in the Start

Windows® Display Properties Settings Tab

16

ATI Displays Tab

The ATI Displays tab provides control over multiple-monitor features.
Here you can enable/disable display devices and swap the assignment of
Primary and Secondary displays.

The Displays Tab

ATI Displays Tab

Scheme Displays the drop-down list of available display-device

configurations that have previously been created. New
configurations can be entered here and then saved using
the Save button.

Hotkey Associates a hotkey with a scheme. To input the hotkey,

highlight the field and press the appropriate key
combination on your keyboard.

ATI Displays Tab

17

Display
Configuration
button

Save button Saves display-device configuration schemes.

Delete button Deletes display-device configuration schemes.

Display buttons Enables or disables a display device; they also indicate

These are the buttons that contain the name of the
devices that can be connected to your graphics card.
Clicking on any of these buttons opens further options to
refine your display on that device.

Only the type of devices supported by your graphic card
will be displayed as valid options.

If the text on the button is greyed out, that device is not
currently connected to your graphics card.

whether a device is enabled or disabled.

To enable or disable a display

If the enable/disable button is green, it indicates the device is enabled. If it
is red, it indicates the device is disabled. If the button is greyed out, the
device is not an option. For example, if there is only one monitor
connected, all buttons will be grey.

1 Click the enable/disable button for the display device you

want to enable/disable.

2 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

To save a display-device scheme

Display-device selections can be saved as a scheme for quick recall.

1 Click the enable/disable button for the display devices you

want to have active.

2 Type a name into the Scheme drop-down list field.

3 Click Save to save the scheme.

Dynamic Display Reassignment

You can change the assignment of your Primary and Secondary display on
the fly, without rebooting. If you have more than one display device
available and have the proper adapters or connectors, you can plug it in to
your FireMV™ 2400 graphics card in order to view or extend your desktop
display to that device.

18 ATI Color Tab

Note: Before you can change the assignment of the Primary display,
at least one Secondary display and the Extended Desktop mode must
be enabled. Extended Desktop mode is enabled through the
Windows®
information, consult your Windows®

To assign your Primary monitor

Display Property dialog, under Settings. For more

documentation.

1 Click the buttons to assign the Primary monitor:

• Clicking the button will reassign the Primary and Secondary

monitors. Clicking the button creates a clone or mirror image

of the Primary display onto the Secondary display.

2 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

ATI Color Tab

The ATI Color tab allows you to configure Gamma, Brightness, and
Contrast color settings for both your desktop and full screen 3D
environments. You can also save settings to a color profile for easy recall.
In addition, you can assign unique hotkey combinations that allow you to
adjust Gamma, Brightness, and Contrast color settings within your full­screen 3D applications.

ATI Color Tab 19

The Color Tab

ATI Color Tab

Desktop radio
button

Full Screen 3D
radio button

Profiles for Indicates whether the profiles in the drop-down list are for

Profiles drop­down list

Save button Saves your current color settings to a Desktop or Full

Select Desktop to configure your desktop color settings.

Select Full Screen 3D to configure the color settings for
your 3D applications. Note that the configured settings will
only be apparent within a full-screen 3D application
environment.

your Desktop or a full-screen 3D environment.

Lists all of the Desktop or Full Screen 3D profiles that you
have saved. Selecting a profile from the list loads those
custom color settings for the relevant environment. To
create a new profile, simply type in a name and click Save.

Screen 3D profile, using the name you specified in the list
box. To restore these settings later, simply select the
Profile name from the list and click Apply or OK.

20 ATI Color Tab

ATI Color Tab

Delete button Deletes the profile that is selected in the Profiles list box.

All Colors
checkbox

Red, Green, and
Blue radio
buttons

Gamma slider Increases or decreases the gamma correction of your

Brightness slider Increases or decreases the color brightness of your

Contrast slide Increases or decreases the color contrast of your Desktop

Reset buttons Restores an individual slider setting to its default value.

Adjusts the Gamma, Brightness or Contrast for Red,
Green, and Blue simultaneously. Note that any individual
color settings in effect are lost if All Colors is selected; the
color settings revert back to the last-known All Colors
settings.

Selects the active color component (Red, Green, or Blue)
whose values will be adjusted by the Gamma, Brightness,
and Contrast sliders. Note that any individual color settings
made are lost if you subsequently select All Colors.

Desktop or full-screen 3D application. Changing the
gamma alters the curvature of the color curve.

Desktop or full-screen 3D application. Changing the
brightness adjusts the vertical position of the color curve.

or full-screen 3D application. Changing the contrast
adjusts the slope of the color curve.

Click Apply or OK to save.

Color preview
box

Hotkeys button Opens the Color Hotkeys Settings dialog. There you can

Defaults button Restores all of the color settings to the default values.

Color Curve box The color curve indicates mathematically how the

The color image indicates visually how the Gamma,
Brightness and Contrast sliders affect the final color
settings of your display device. In Desktop mode, clicking
on this with your mouse pointer will change the image.

assign hotkeys for adjusting your color settings within a
full-screen 3D application environment. To activate this
button, you must select the Full Screen 3D radio button.

Click Apply or OK to save.

Gamma, Brightness and Contrast sliders affect the final
color settings of your display device.

To create a Desktop or Full Screen 3D profile

1 Choose either the Desktop or Full Screen 3D radio button, as

desired.

ATI Color Tab 21

2 Adjust the Gamma, Brightness, and Contrast sliders to the desired

settings, either individually or using the

All Colors checkbox.

3 Type a profile name in the Profile list box.

4 Click Save.

To apply the settings for a specific Desktop profile

1 Choose the Desktop radio button.

2 Select the profile name from the drop-down list box.

3 Click Apply or OK.

To apply the settings for a Full Screen 3D profile

1 Choose the Full Screen 3D radio button.

2 Select the profile name from the drop-down list box.

3 Click Apply or OK.

4 Start your 3D application in full-screen mode.

Hotkeys

Some 3D applications automatically load their own color settings rather
than those set through the ATI Color tab. To use custom settings, you can
preconfigure hotkey combinations to either adjust the individual color
properties or apply profiles you have created, once the 3D application is
running.

22 ATI Color Tab

The Color Hotkeys Settings dialog

To access the Color Hotkeys Settings dialog

1 Select the Full Screen 3D radio button.

2 Click the Hotkeys button to access the Color Hotkeys Settings

dialog.

Note: For the steps used to assign hot keys, refer to the Color
Hotkeys Settings section.

The easiest way to apply your own color settings from within a full screen
3D application is to create a Full Screen 3D profile and save it, assign
hotkeys for the “Load Current Profile” action through the Hotkeys dialog,
make sure that the profile you prefer is selected from the drop-down list
box, and click
trigger the profile.

Some 3D applications allow you to switch easily between full-screen mode
and windowed mode and do not load their own color settings. In windowed
mode, you can make slider adjustments or select a different profile on the
Color tab, then switch back to full-screen mode to see the effects
immediately.

OK. Once inside the 3D application, use the hotkeys to

ATI Options Tab 23

ATI Options Tab

The ATI Options tab provides detailed driver information and access to
your graphics card’s version information and specifications.

The Options Tab

ATI Options Tab

Version
Information

Details button Gives access to the Details tab, which lists the card’s

WMV
Acceleration

Reactivate all
warning
messages

Shows the driver build version.

hardware details and driver information.

When enabled, improves the performance of .WMV format
video files.

Reactivates any disabled graphics warning messages.

24 ATI Rotation Tab

ATI Options Tab

Enable ATI
taskbar icon
application

Show ATI icon on
taskbar

Disable quick
resolution feature

Reduce DVI
frequency on
high-resolution

Alternate DVI
operational mode

Enables/disables the ATI taskbar applications and
removes the ATI icon from your system tray.

Removes/replaces the ATI icon from the system tray
without disabling the ATI icon applications.

The quick resolution feature is accessible by left-clicking
the ATI icon in the system tray. Checking this option
disables this feature.

Resolves display corruption or no image at high
resolutions (for example 1280x1024 @75Hz) using a
digital DVI display. This setting has no effect when using a
DVI-I-to-VGA adapter.

Use this option if you are experiencing display corruption
on your DVI flat panel display.

ATI Rotation Tab

Use the Rotation tab to rotate the image on any of your displays up to 180
degrees. This feature may be useful when using a flat panel display that can
be physically rotated to different positions.

ATI Rotation Tab 25

The ATI Rotation Tab

ATI Rotation Tab

Rotation buttons Rotates the display by the preset amount.

Configure
Hotkeys drop­down list

Hotkey field Associates a hotkey with a rotation. To input the hotkey,

Lists the rotation actions with which you can associate a
hotkey.

The options are:

• Standard Landscape (0°).

• Rotate 90° Right.

• Rotate 180°.

• Rotate 90° Left.

• Toggle between 0° and 90° Right.

• Toggle between 0° and 180°.

• Toggle between 0° and 90° Left.

click on the field and press the appropriate key
combination on your keyboard.

Save button Saves a hotkey setting.

Defaults Restores the default hotkey settings.

26 ATI Overlay Tab

To rotate a single display

1 Select one of the four rotation settings by clicking the appropriate

button.

2 Click OK or Apply.

To rotate multiple displays

1 Select the Settings tab in the Windows® Display Properties

dialog.

2 Select the display to which you want to apply the rotation.

3 Click the Advanced button and select the Rotation tab.

4 Select one of the four rotation settings by clicking the appropriate

button.

5 Click OK or Apply.

ATI Overlay Tab

The ATI Overlay tab allows you to configure the brightness, contrast,
saturation, hue, and gamma properties of your video overlay.

Video overlay allows for the viewing of video on your PC. This feature is
available only through the Primary video display. The video overlay
controls are automatically activated during playback of any video file type
that supports overlay adjustments.

Move the sliders to the right to increase the values of the various options,
and to the left to decrease them.

Click the

Defaults button to reset the values to their default settings.

ATI Overlay Tab 27

The ATI Overlay Tab

ATI Overlay Tab

Brightness Adjusts the brightness of the video image.

Contrast Adjusts the contrast in the video image.

Saturation Adjusts the vividness of the color. Sliding it all the way to

the left removes all color and produces a black and white
picture.

Hue Adjusts the pureness or tint of the red, green, and blue

components of the color.

Gamma Adjusts the overall intensity of the video image.

Theater mode
options

Accesses Theater Mode overlay settings.These settings
only apply to video content when viewed in dual-controller
Clone mode. For more information, see the Theatre Mode
Settings section.

Defaults button Resets the Overlay settings to default values.

28 ATI Overlay Tab

Theater Mode Options

Theater Mode Options are available when your ATI graphics card has dual
controllers to support Primary and Secondary (Clone) displays.

You can access Theater Mode Options if more than one display is
connected.

Note: These settings apply to video content viewed when you are in
dual-controller Clone mode, and not single-display or extended
desktop configurations.

Theater Mode Options Dialog

Theater Mode Options

Standard Video content is displayed on your Primary display only.

Theater Mode Video content is displayed on your Primary and Secondary

displays. Video content is displayed on your Secondary
display(s) is always in full screen mode. Note: your
computer must be set for 16-bit color depth or higher to
use this mode.

ATI 3D Tab 29

Theater Mode Options

Same on all Video content is displayed on your Primary and Secondary

display in exactly the same manner. For example, all
displays will show video output in full screen mode.

Theater Mode
Settings

Same as source
video

Full Screen Video The source video is scaled so that your display is showing

4:3 (Standard TV) Select this option if the aspect ratio of the display device

16:9
(Widescreen)

These settings are available when Theater Mode is
selected.

The aspect ratio of the source video is maintained for full
screen display. Note: that this option may result in black
bars on either the horizontal or vertical sides of the video
display.

full screen. Note: if the source video contains horizontal
black bars, as do some DVD movies, the full screen video
will also contain black bars.

showing full screen video has the standard 4:3 aspect
ratio (standard TVs and monitors).

Select this option if the aspect ratio of the display device is
showing full screen video has a 16:9 aspect ratio
(widescreen HDTVs).

ATI 3D Tab

This tab allows you to fine-tune settings for both Direct 3D® and
OpenGL® applications. It displays existing settings and allows you to
create unique application profiles.

30 ATI 3D Tab

ATI 3D Tab

ATI 3D Ta b

3D Settings for
radio buttons

Performance/Quality
slider

Use Custom Settings
checkbox

Custom button Opens the Custom Properties dialog. Using

Selects either Direct 3D® or OpenGL® as the
format to be altered in the workspace.

Controls the overall performance/image quality of
your graphic application. Moving the slider to the
left will maximize application performance, while
moving the slider to the right will maximize image
quality.

When Use Custom Settings is checked, the
Performance/Quality slider is disabled and the
Custom button is enabled. Using custom settings
is recommended for advanced users only.

custom settings is recommended for advanced
users only. For more information, refer to the
Custom Properties Dialog section.

ATI 3D Tab 31

ATI 3D Ta b

Current Settings Shows the current settings for either Direct 3D®

or OpenGL®, whichever is selected.

Profiles for Allows you to save a unique profile of the custom

settings you have selected. Once you have
completed making your custom settings, click OK
in the Custom Properties dialog. Enter a name in
Current Profile and click the Save button.

Saved profiles are selected from the Current
Profile drop-down window.

To delete a profile, select it from the Current
Profile drop-down window and press the Delete
button.

Compatibility Settings
button

Defaults Resets to the dialog’s default values.

Accesses advanced settings that may solve
compatibility issues for a few specific Direct 3D®
or OpenGL® applications, whichever is selected.
For more information, refer to the Compatibility
Dialog section.

32 ATI 3D Tab

Custom Properties Dialog

Custom Properties Dialog

Custom Properties Dialog: OpenGL® or Direct 3D®

SMOOTHVISION™
Anti-Aliasing slider

SMOOTHVISION™ (Anti-Aliasing) improves image
quality by removing jagged edges from 3D images,
resulting in smoother, more natural-looking objects. Anti­Aliasing can be applied using different sample patterns
and sample points such as 2X or 4X. Moving this slider
to the right increases sampling to provide the most
realistic 3D image.

Select the Application Preference checkbox for high­quality images, with a negligible reduction in the
application’s performance.

Deselect the Application Preference checkbox to
customize the anti-aliasing.

Custom Properties Dialog: OpenGL® or Direct 3D®

ATI 3D Tab 33

SMOOTHVISION™
Anisotropic
Filtering slider

Texture Preference
slider

Anisotropic filtering uses a texture filtering technique
that blends multiple texture samples together. The
number of samples taken when anisotropic filtering is
performed can vary. By moving this slider to the right, as
the number of samples taken increases, the quality of
the final image increases significantly. 16X provides
extremely detailed, crisp-looking images as a result of
the largest number of texture samples possible.

Selecting the Application Preference checkbox will
result in high-quality images, with a negligible reduction
in the application’s performance.

Select the Application Preference checkbox for high­quality images, with a negligible reduction in the
application’s performance.

Deselect the Application Preference checkbox to
customize the anisotropic filtering.

Choose between high quality or high performance
textures for your application. Moving the slider to the
right delivers the highest quality experience. Moving the
slider to the left emphasizes a high-performance
solution while still providing good visuals.

Mipmap Detail
Level slider

Wait for Vertical
sync slider

TRUFORM™ slider TRUFORM™ is a technology developed by ATI that

Choose the texture quality of the mipmaps the
application will use. Mipmaps are a collection of different
sized textures of the same image. As the user moves
closer to a 3D object the image quality should increase,
requiring a higher quality texture of the same image. The
base mipmap is the highest quality texture, and all
subsequent mipmaps are smaller sized textures of the
same image. Moving the slider to the right selects a
higher quality base mipmap, delivering the highest
quality application experience. Moving the slider to the
left selects a lower quality mipmap, delivering the
highest application performance.

Controls whether the Vertical sync is always on, always
off, or controlled by the application.

enables higher-order surface rendering through
traditional triangle rendering APIs. It improves the
sillouhettes and lighting of objects.

34 ATI VPU Recover Tab

Custom Properties Dialog: SMARTSHADER™ Effects

SMARTSHADER™
Effects drop-down
list

Defaults button Restores the default settings.

SMARTSHADER™ applies preset pixel effects on
OpenGL® or Direct 3D® applications. Choose the
desired effect and click OK.

ATI VPU Recover Tab

Hardware crashes may occur when a hardware device and the
corresponding software device driver are no longer able to communicate
with each other. VPU Recover enables the ATI display driver to detect
when the graphics card is no longer able to respond to display driver
commands. When this situation arises, the display driver will reset the
graphics card. Depending on the current state of the system when VPU
Recover is activated, applications that are running may be able to fully
recover from this reset. In other cases, running applications may be closed,
and the user will be returned to the Windows® desktop.

ATI VPU Recover Tab 35

The ATI VPU Recover Tab

ATI VPU Recover Tab

Enable VPU Recover
checkbox

Prepare an Error Report
checkbox

Enables VPU Recover.

When VPU Recover is activated a dialog will
prompt you to submit an automatically generated
error report to ATI. This error report will help ATI
to determine the cause of the problem and help
create more stable drivers. To disable this feature,
deselect the Prepare an Error Report checkbox.

36 ATI VPU Recover Tab

Troubleshooting 37

CHAPTER 5:

Reference

This chapter offers troubleshooting tips and provides customer-care,
warranty, and compliance information.

Troubleshooting

The following troubleshooting tips may help if you experience problems.
ATI’s documentation contains helpful installation/configuration tips and
other valuable feature information. Please contact your dealer for more
advanced troubleshooting information.

General Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Solution

Computer Does
Not Boot-Up
Properly

• Verify that the installation instructions were properly
followed.

• Check that the card is properly installed in your
system and connected to your monitor.

• If you have problems during start-up, restart your
computer in Safe Mode.
While starting Windows® XP, press and hold F8 until
you see the Windows® Advanced Options Menu. Use
the arrow keys to select Safe Mode, and press Enter.

• Check the system configuration utility of your
operating system for the interrupt assignments.

• Contact ATI’s Customer Care or your local technical
support.

38 Troubleshooting

General Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Solution

No Display • Check that the card is seated properly in its expansion

slot.

• Ensure that the monitor cable is securely fastened to
the card.

• Make sure that the monitor and computer are plugged
in and receiving power.

• If necessary, disable any built-in graphics capabilities
on your mother board. For more information, consult
your computer’s manual or manufacturer. (Note: some
manufacturers do not allow the built-in graphics to be
disabled or to become the secondary display.)

• Make sure that you selected the appropriate monitor
when you installed your enhanced driver.

Screen Defects
Appear

Off-Center
Screen Image,
Odd Colors or No
Picture

• Check if your monitor supports the resolution,
horizontal (kHz) and vertical (Hz) refresh rates as
required by the graphics card.

• Check your current resolution, refresh rate, and color
depth settings in the Settings and Monitor tabs in
your Display Properties dialog.

Warning! Ensure that both video card and monitor
support resolution and refresh rates you select.
Incompatible resolution/refresh rate selection may result in
monitor damage. Refer to your monitor's documentation
for recommended resolutions and refresh rates.

• Try adjusting the brightness, sharpness, contrast, and
color balance controls of your monitor.

• Try adjusting the centering and positioning controls of
your monitor to position the picture on the screen

• Set the monitor's RGB inputs (and sync switches, if
this option is available) to 75 Ohms, with the sync set
to external.

• Digital Flat Panel (DFP) monitor users: refer to your
monitor's documentation for the appropriate cable and
connector to plug into the DVI-I connector on the
graphics card.

Operating
System Warns
that Video Card
Isn’t Properly
Configured

• Check the driver installation and make sure that all
software is correctly loaded corresponding to your
operating system and applications.

• Re-install the ATI drivers for your FireMV™ 2400 card.

Customer Care 39

Customer Care

If you require further assistance with your product, the following Customer
Care options are available to you:

Service Access Additional Info

Online

Telephone
US & Canada

Telephone
Europe

Telephone
Argentina

ati.com/firemv-support

1-866-284-2093 • English: 5:30AM - 7:00PM

[phone] • English: 10:30 - 00:00 GMT

+0800-333-5277 • Portuguese/Spanish: 7:00AM

• Always available.

• Complimentary.

EST

• Monday to Friday

• Complimentary for registered
users.

• Toll-free.

• French/German: 10:30 - 19:00
GMT

• Portuguese/Spanish: 12:00 ­20:30 GMT

• Monday to Friday

• Complimentary for registered
users.

• International and local toll
charges to Germany will
apply.

- 3:30PM EST

• English: 7:00AM - 7:00PM

• Monday to Friday

• Toll-free

Telephone
Brazil

Telephone
Mexico

+0800-891-9068 • Portuguese/Spanish: 7:00AM

- 3:30PM EST

• English: 7:00AM - 7:00PM

• Monday to Friday

• Toll-free

+001800-514-3276 • Portuguese/Spanish: 7:00AM

- 3:30PM EST

• English: 7:00AM - 7:00PM

• Monday to Friday

• Toll-free

40 Operating Temperature Limitations

Service Access Additional Info

Telephone
Other Latin
American
Countries

Mail ATI TECHNOLOGIES INC.

[phone] • Portuguese/Spanish: 7:00AM

- 3:30PM EST

• English: 7:00AM - 7:00PM

• Monday to Friday

• Complimentary

• International and local toll
charges to Canada will apply.

• Complimentary.

Attention: Customer Care
1 Commerce Valley Drive East
Markham, Ontario
Canada L3T 7X6

Disclaimer

ATI Customer Care will work to resolve your issue and help you to get your
product up and running. If your issue is not resolved, our technicians will
determine whether the difficulty you are experiencing is the result of the
product, whether your product contains a defect, and whether your product
should be returned to ATI for warranty service.

• ATI Customer Care is unable to assist with refunds, returns, or
exchange-specific inquiries. If resolving the problem being
experienced is critical to your decision to keep the product, it is your
responsibility to ensure that you know and are within the period of
time your reseller will allow for refunds, returns, or exchange.

• ATI is not responsible for any expense incurred accessing Customer
Care. It is expected that customers will review the expense
associated with the available support options and will choose the
method that best meets their needs and budget.

• ATI Customer Care reserves the right to limit support options for
products that are not registered or are at End of Life.

Operating Temperature Limitations

Ambient Conditions

1 Ambient Temperature

The thermal management device of the Fire MV video card should be
able to maintain the case temperature of the video card components
within the specified rated temperatures. This requires that the system
air mover in an ATX system be capable of maintaining the local

Operating Temperature Limitations 41

intake air at the top and at the inlet to the heat-sinks of the video card
at 55°C or lower. Also, the back side of the card should not have a
local ambient temperature of more than 45°C in the 5mm adjacent air
layer. This must be ensured even when the inlet air to the chassis is at
35°C. Ideally the difference between the inlet temperature to the
chassis and the inlet temperature to the thermal management device
should be no more than 10°C. Furthermore, the system must deliver
an approaching air velocity to each heat sink in the card of 75 to 100
Linear feet per minute (LFM). The air velocity is measured in
distance of 0.1 inch away from the heat sink front row of fins.

2 Temperature Gradient

The video card and its thermal management device should be able to
operate at a temperature/time gradient of 15°C/h in its surrounding
ambient.

3 Humidity

The video card and its thermal management device should be able to
operate in a RH (relative humidity) range of 10% to 80% without
condensation.

4 Storage and Non-Operating Conditions

The video card and its thermal management device should be stored
or maintained in non-operating conditions in a RH range of 5% to
90% without condensation and an ambient temperature range of ­40°C to 60°C.

5 Minimizing Thermal Effects of Other Add-in Cards

To further ensure that the ambient temperature surrounding the
graphics card is below 55°C, with a maximum input temperature of
35°C, the heat produced by other add-in cards in the system should be
as far removed as possible. Hence it is recommended that any unused
empty slots be between the graphics card and the add-in cards. In
addition, the add-in cards should be placed in such order that the card
closest to the graphics card is the one that produces the least amount
of heat. An example would be a modem or network card first,
followed by a sound card, then a tuner card or another Fire MV card.

42 Warranty Information

Warranty Information

Hardware Warranty Service Statement

ATI Technologies Inc. warrants to the original purchaser of the hardware that the product is in good
working condition, according to its specifications at the time of shipment, for a period of three years from
the date of original purchase.

Should the product, in ATI’s opinion, malfunction within the warranty period, ATI will, at its discretion,
repair or replace the product upon receipt with an equivalent. Any replaced parts become the property
of ATI. This warranty does not apply to the software component of the installation, usage not in
accordance with product specifications and instructions, natural or personal disaster, or unauthorized
alterations, repairs, or modifications.

Proof of purchase may be required, if doubt exists regarding warranty eligibility. Late model products are
assumed to be under warranty. ATI accepts originals, photocopies and faxes as proof of purchase when
required

Warranty Service

For warranty service instructions visit:

ati.com/online/warranty or contact one of our Customer Service Representatives using one of the
aforementioned means.

• Before shipping any unit for repair, obtain an RMA number for warranty service.

• When shipping your product, pack it securely, show the RMA and serial number of the product
on the outside, and ship prepaid and insured.

• ATI will not be held liable for damage or loss to the product in shipment.

• Standard warranty service consists of repair upon receipt.

• ATI reserves the right to replace the product with a serviced product at their sole discretion at
any time.

• You are responsible for the cost of shipping the product to ATI. ATI plays the cost of returning
the product to you.

Products which are repaired under warranty are guaranteed for the remainder of the original warranty
period. Repairing or exchanging a product does not start a new warranty period. If, at the time of repair,
a product is already “out of warranty” or within the last 90 days of the warranty period, ATI will guarantee
the repair for the full 90 days. All other terms and conditions of the original warranty apply.

Limitations

• This warranty is valid only if the online Product Warranty Registration form at:
ati.com/online/registration
is successfully submitted within 30 days of purchase of said product.

• All warranties for this product, expressed or implied, will expire three (3) years* from date of
original purchase.

• All accompanying cables and accessories are warranted for 90 days.

• No warranties for this product, expressed or implied, shall extend to any person who purchases
the product in a used condition.

• The liability of ATI in respect of any defective product will be limited to the repair or replacement
of such product. ATI may use new or equivalent-to-new replacement parts. Defective product
will be sent in for repair or replacement only. ATI makes no other representations or warranties
as to fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability or otherwise in respect of the product. No
other representations, warranties or conditions, shall be implied by statute or otherwise. In no

Additional Accessories 43

event shall ATI be responsible or liable for any damages, including but not limited to the loss of
revenue or profit, arising:

• From the use of the product, as a result of any event, circumstance, action or abuse beyond the
control of ATI; whether such damages be direct, indirect, consequential, special or otherwise
and whether such damages are incurred by the person to whom this warranty extends or a third
party

• From the loss of use of the product, as a result of any event, circumstance, action or abuse
beyond the control of ATI; whether such damages be direct, indirect, consequential, special or
otherwise and whether such damages are incurred by the person to whom this warranty extends
or a third party.

• Unauthorized repairs to an ATI board level product will void the warranty offered by ATI
Technologies. ATI reserves the right to refuse to service any product which has been altered,
modified, or repaired by non-ATI service personnel.

Additional Accessories

Additional and replacement cables, installation CD-ROMs, manuals, and
other accessories for ATI products can be purchased from the online ATI
store at:

ati.com/online/accessories

Compliance Information

This section details the compliance information for this product.

FCC Compliance Information

This FireMV™ product complies with FCC Rules part 15. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions

• This device may not cause harmful interference.

• This device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant
to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturer's instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in
a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try
to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.

44 Compliance Information

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is
required to ensure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modifications to
this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user's authority to operate this equipment.

Industry Canada Compliance Statement

ICES-003 This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numérique de la Classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

For further compliance information:

ATI Research Inc.
4 Mount Royal Ave.
Marlborough, MA
01752-1976
USA
508-303-3900

CE Compliance Information

EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and amendments 91/263/EEC, 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC, Class B Digital
Device EN 55022:2003/CISPR 22 Class B, Limits and Methods of Measurement of Radio Interference
Characteristics Information Technology Equipment.

EN 55024:1998/CISPR 24:1997 +A1:2001 +A2:2003, Immunity of Information Technology Equipment
(ITE), including EN 61000-4-2, EN 61000-4-3, EN 61000-4-4, EN 61000-4-5, EN 61000-4-6

Informations de conformité de la CE

Directive EMC 89/336/CEE et amendements 92/31/CEE et 93/68/CEE, pour dispositif numérique de
Classe B.

EN 55022:2003/CISPR 22:1997, - Classe B - Limites et méthodes de mesure des caractéristiques
d'interférences radiophoniques, Matériel des technologies de l'information.

EN 55024:1998/CISPR 24:1997 +A1:2001 +A2:2003, Norme sur l'immunité de matériel des
technologies de l'information, et comprenant EN 61000-4-2, EN 61000-4-3, EN 61000-4-4, EN 61000­4-5, EN 61000-4-6

Electrical Safety

73/23/EEC - The Low Voltage Directive

IEC 60950-1:2001, IEC 60950:1999, 3rd Edition - Safety of Information Technology Equipment

BS EN60950-1:2002, BS EN60950:2000, 3rd Edition UL 60950-1:2003, UL 60950:2000, 3rd Edition
CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1:2002, CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 60950-00, 3rd Edition (2000)

To meet UL safety requirements, the computer’s maximum room temperature should not exceed 40º C.

Compliance Information 45

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE) Directive Compliance

This product was manufactured by ATI Technologies Inc.

VCCI Class B ITE Compliance Information

MIC Certification Information

“Class B” Equipment (Household purpose info/telecommunications
equipment)

46 Compliance Information

As this equipment has undergone EMC registration for household purpose,
this product can be used in any area including residential area.

BSMI Certification Information

Glossary

2D

Acronym for “two dimensional,” a term applied to computer graphics that
are “flat.” Typical desktop applications such as word processors,
spreadsheet programs, or other programs that manipulate print or simple
graphics (such as pictures or line art) are generally considered to be
operating within a 2D environment, even when they include simple three
dimensional elements, such as buttons.

3D

Acronym for “three dimensional,” referring to computer graphics that
appear to have volume and depth. Various modeling processes take the
representation of a three dimensional object provided by the computer
program and render it by using various lighting components, applying
textures, and setting layers of transparency or opacity as required in order
to produce a realistic representation of a three-dimensional object on a two­dimensional display.

47

AGP

The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) is a slot on the computer
motherboard designed specifically for 3D graphics cards. AGP runs 3D
images much more smoothly and quickly than was previously possible with
PCI video cards; AGP runs at several times the bus speed of PCI and
employs sideband addressing, so multiple data transfers between the
graphics processor and the computer can take place concurrently. AGP is
currently being phased out in favour of PCI Express™ (PCIe) on PC
systems.

Alpha Blending

Alpha blending is used in 3D graphics to create transparent or opaque
effects for surfaces such as glass and water. Alpha is a transparency value,
so the lower the value, the more transparent the image looks. It is also used
in animations to produce such things as fading effects, where one image
gradually fades into another.

48

Anisotropic Filtering

A technique that preserves the surface details of an object as it recedes into
the distance by utilizing and blending together the object’s texture maps.
This makes 3D objects appear more realistic as the detail of their surface
texture is retained in a smooth, seamless fashion on the sections that move
or fade away into the background.

Anti-aliasing

A method that smooths out the jagged edges of a curved object. A black
curved line on a white background displayed on a computer screen will
have some jaggedness along its edges due to the inherent limitations of
using discrete pixels to display the image. Anti-aliasing smooths out this
jaggedness by filling in the white spaces between the jagged edges with
varying shades of grey.

Aspect Ratio

The proportions of a display are expressed as a ratio of its width and height.
Common ratios include 4:3 for TVs and CRTs, 5:4 for LCDs, and 16:9 for
widescreen displays.

Back Buffer

A type of offscreen memory used to provide smooth video and 2D graphics
acceleration. This technique uses two frame buffers, so the process is often
referred to as “double-buffering.” While the contents of one buffer are
displayed, a second buffer, called the “back” buffer, holds the frame being
worked on. In this way, users will only see complete, smooth frames
displayed onscreen.

Bilinear Filtering

This filtering method reduces the blockiness caused when zooming into a
3D surface that is at a right angle to the viewer. A newspaper photo
examined closely enough will show that the picture is made up of tiny dots.
If the photo was enlarged it would start to look “blocky” and less distinct.
This is also a problem for computer-generated images, especially for
surface details.

49

Bit Depth

Refers to the number of data bits required to store color information about
a pixel. Larger bit depth means a greater range of color information is
capable of being encoded into each pixel. For example, 1 binary bit of
memory can only encode to either “0” or “1.” So a graphical bit depth of 1
means that the display can only show two colors, the black and white of a
monochrome display. Four-bit color depth is capable of displaying 16
colors because there are only 16 different combinations of 4 bits (“0000”,
“0001”, “0010”... to “1111”). Sixteen-bit color is capable of reproducing
65,536 colors, 24-bit color can display up to 16,777,216 individual colors,
and 30-bit color can display up to one billion individual colors.

Bitmap

A bitmap is a graphic or character representation composed of individual
pixels, arranged horizontally in rows. A monochrome bitmap uses one bit
per pixel (bpp). Color bitmaps may use up to 32bpp, depending on the color
depth selected.

Brightness

The amount of white or black that is applied to all colors onscreen. By
making the screen “brighter” you are adding more white to it. This should
not be confused with luminosity, which measures the actual light level
emitted from the computer display.

Buffer

A name referring to portions of on-board video memory. One large buffer
is always used to display images to the screen; this is the “display buffer.”
The rest of offscreen memory is typically used by applications as back
buffers, z-buffers, and texture buffers.

Color Component

Three color components—Red, Green, and Blue—combine in various
intensities to determine the color of each pixel on the screen. The values of
each color component are graphically represented by a corresponding color
curve.

50

Color Correction

Correct discrepancies between the real color value and the way a screen
displays it. Color discrepancies can be caused by a variety of sources,
including the lighting conditions in the work area and gradual shifts in color
over time on monitors or flat panel displays.

Color Curve

A color curve represents all possible intensity values (from 0 to 255) for a
color component (Red, Green or Blue). For each color curve, the horizontal
axis represents the input value (the color value a program wants to display),
while the vertical axis represents the output value (the color value that the
display driver will write to the screen). A value of 0 (in the lower left
corner) represents the complete absence of that particular color, while a
value of 255 (in the upper right corner) represents the “full” strength for
that color.

Control Point

A control point is a user-created point on the color curve. Users can change
the color of the screen by moving the control points with a mouse.

CRT

Acronym for “cathode ray tube”, which is the main component of computer
monitors and TVs. Color CRTs use three separate electron beams fired
through a shadow mask and onto the back of the glass screen. The electron
beams activate separate red, green, and blue values in various strengths in
order to produce a colored image.

Direct 3D®

Part of Microsoft®’s DirectX API designed for rendering 3D graphics on
Windows® systems. It provides software developers with low-level access
to functions on graphics cards, providing the type of performance
necessary for intensive 3D applications such as games.

51

Dithering

A computer graphics technique that takes advantage of the human eye’s
tendency to mix two colors that are adjacent to each other to produce
smooth boundary transitions. Dithering adds intermediate color values
between two or more boundaries, producing smoother, more natural look
to 2D images or 3D objects.

Dot pitch

Dot pitch specifies the sharpness of a monitor’s display. It is measured in
millimeters (mm) and is the distance between the individual phosphor sub­pixels in a CRT display or cells of the same color within an LCD display.
The smaller the number, the sharper the image. The most common dot
pitches for monitors range from .24 mm to .31 mm. Also, if a monitor with
a .24 mm dot pitch is set to its highest possible resolution, the pixel size will
equal the dot pitch. If the monitor is set to lower resolutions, the pixels will
be comprised of multiple dots.

DVI

Acronym for “Digital Video Interface,” a standard video connection used
on many current computer displays. There are three types of DVI
connections: DVI-A (analog), DVI-D (digital), and DVI-I (integrated,
capable of either analog or digital). It supports high-bandwidth video
signals over 160 Hz, so it is most often used for high-resolution displays.

Flat Shading

A lighting technique that shades each polygon of a 3D object based on
where the source of the light is and the angle of the polygon in relation to
it. It enables relatively fast rendering of 3D objects, although it can make
those objects appear “faceted” as each visible polygon is set to a particular
color value, and consequently does not produce as realistic an effect as
obtained when using Gouraud shading.

Fog

Term used to describe the blending of an object using a fixed color as
objects are made to appear more distant from the viewer.

52

Frame Buffer

The portion of the memory buffer on the graphics card used to store the
image being displayed. All rendering processes have been accomplished by
this stage and this buffer contains only a one-to-one relationship of the data
to be relayed to the display.

Frames Per Second

In terms of 3D graphics, refers to the rate at which the graphic processor
can render new screens per second. Higher rates equals better, more
naturalistic performance for such things as games set in a 3D environment.
Sometimes abbreviated to “fps.”

Gamma

Sometimes confused with brightness, gamma actually refers to the
correction that is applied to any display device in order to produce more
gradual increases or decreases in the perceived brightness for that device.
A change in gamma produces a non-linear change in the color curve,
ensuring that perceived changes in color and intensity are consistently
applied.

Gouraud Shading

A shading method used to produce a smooth lighting effect across a 3D
object. A specific color is used at each vertex of a triangle or polygon and
interpolated across the entire face.

GPU

GPU is an acronym for “Graphics Processing Unit. The GPU powers the
operations of a graphics card including support for 2D/3D and video.

HDCP

HDCP is an acronym for “High-Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection.” It is
a form of digital rights management designed to protect copyright of
signals being transported across DVI or HDMI™ connections. Several
international regulatory bodies have recommended its incorporation into
high-definition display and playback devices.

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Hue

Refers to a specific color within the visible spectrum of light, defined by its
dominant wavelength. A light wave with a central tendency within the
range of 565-590 nm is visible as yellow. In the standard RGB color space
used by most computer displays, hue refers to a coordinate of the color as
described by its red, green, and blue values, minus any additional
brightness or saturation values for that color.

HydraVision™

HydraVision™ is ATI’s multi-monitor management software, enabling
users to manage the display of multiple windows and applications across
two or more adjacent monitors. It also includes a range of productivity
features designed to effectively manage applications in this environment.

HyperZ™ HD

HyperZ™ HD includes a number of different technologies aimed at
optimizing memory-bandwidth efficiency, particularly with respect to Z­buffer operations. The Z-Buffer, sometimes also called the Depth Buffer,
stores information used to determine the placement of objects in a 3D
environment with respect to the viewpoint of the observer. Reading and
updating this buffer typically consumes more memory than any other part
of the 3D rendering process, making it a major performance bottleneck.
HyperZ™ HD technology reduces the memory bandwidth consumed by
the Z-Buffer, thereby increasing performance while also making the 3D
environment more realistic.

Keyframe Interpolation

This feature is also known as “morphing.” In an animation, a start and end
point are picked as the key frames. In a 3D rendering, the start point could
have a character with a neutral expression, and the end point could have
that same character smiling. Additional frames are interpolated (inserted)
between the two keyframes in order that “morphs” (transforms) the image
so that there is a smooth transition between the key frames.

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KTX Buffer Region Extension

This OpenGL® programming term refers to a feature that rapidly updates
portions of the display of 3D modelling applications that change very
quickly, or have been moved or occluded. It does this by optimizing the
storage of buffer regions in the graphics card’s memory buffer. Other
applications are typically not adversely affected when this is enabled.

Lighting

In 3D computer graphics, refers to aspects and quality of the virtual light
source being used to make an object visible. Lighting can strongly affect
the “mood” of a scene. For example, a “harsh” light could be a bare
lightbulb that is glaringly bright on the objects closest to it while casting
strong shadows in the background. A “softer” light would be more diffuse
and not cast shadows, such as you would get outdoors on a typical overcast
day.

Mipmapping

The most memory-intensive aspect of 3D graphics are the textures that give
an object its realism (like wood, marble, leather, and cloth). Because
objects in real life become less detailed as they move farther away from the
viewer, 3D programmers simulate this by using less detailed, lower
resolution texture maps on distant objects. These texture maps are merely
scaled down versions of the main texture map used when the object is up
close, and they use less memory.

Offscreen Memory

An area of memory used to preload images so that they can be quickly
drawn to the screen. Offscreen memory refers to all of the remaining video
memory not taken up by the front buffer, which holds the contents of the
display screen currently visible.

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OpenGL®

Short for “Open Graphics Library,” this is an industry standard for cross­platform 3D graphics development. It consists of a large number of
functions that can be called upon in various programs, such as games,
CAD, and virtual-reality systems, to produce complex 3D objects from
simpler, more “primitive” building blocks. Implementations currently exist
under Windows®, Mac OS® X, and various forms of Unix, including
Linux®.

PCI

Acronym for “Peripheral Component Interconnect”, which is the
specification for a type of computer bus used for attaching computer
peripherals to a computer’s motherboard. PCI encompasses both integrated
motherboard components (such as built-in graphical processors) and
peripherals that fit into an expansion card slot, such as a separate graphics
card. PCI replaced the older ISA and VESA bus standards, and was itself
superseded by the AGP standard for the main graphics card bus.

PCI Express™ (PCIe)

The successor standard to the PCI and AGP bus standards, with a
significantly faster serial communications system, further opening up
bandwidth for more communications between such peripherals as graphics
cards and the computer’s CPU. PCIe cards can come in several physical
configurations, the fastest currently being X16, which is typically used for
graphic cards, and X1, typically used for other peripherals, such as separate
multimedia cards.

Pipeline

In relation to computer graphic processors, refers to the number of separate
arithmetic units available for rendering the output on a display. In general,
more pipelines available on a graphical processor means there are more 3D
rendering capabilities available, increasing overall 3D performance.

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Pixel

All computer images are made up of tiny dots. Each individual dot is called
a pixel, a word created from the term “picture element.” A pixel is the
smallest indivisible unit of a digital image and can be only a single color.
The size of the pixel depends on how the display resolution has been set.
The smallest size a pixel can be is determined by the display’s dot pitch,
which is measured in millimeters (mm).

Refresh Rate

Also referred to as “vertical refresh rate.” This is the rate at which a monitor
or television can redraw the screen from top to bottom. NTSC television
systems have a refresh rate of approximately 60 Hz whereas computer
displays typically have refresh rates of 75 Hz or more. At refresh rates of
70 Hz and lower, screen flicker is often noticeable.

Rendering

Rendering refers to the final drawing stages where the 2D image that
appears on a display is derived from its 3D descriptions. What appears on
the display may look three dimensional, but it is really just a 2D grid of
pixels designed to appear that way.

Resolution

The resolution of any display is the number of pixels that can be depicted
on screen as specified by the number of horizontal rows against the number
of vertical columns. The default VGA resolution of many video cards is
capable of displaying 640 rows of pixels by 480 columns. The typical
resolution of current displays is set to higher values, such as 1024x768
(XGA), 1280x1024 (SXGA), or 1600x1200 (UXGA).

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Saturation

Refers to the intensity of a specific hue (color). A highly saturated hue is
vivid and intense, whereas a less saturated hue appears more grey. A
completely unsaturated color is grey. In terms of the RGB color model, a
fully saturated color exists when you have 100% brightness in one of the
three channels (say, red) and 0% in the two others (green and blue).
Conversely, a fully desaturated color is one where all of the color values are
the same. Saturation can therefore be thought of as the relative difference
between the values of the channels.

Shadow Mask

In CRT monitors, the shadow mask is a metal plate full of tiny holes that is
attached to the inside of the glass screen. It focuses the beams from the
electron guns at the back of the CRT. The distance between these holes is
called the dot pitch.

SmartShader™ HD

SmartShader™ HD contains advanced vertex and pixel-shading
capabilities. A shader is a small program that runs on the GPU and
describes how an image should be rendered. Vertex shaders manipulate the
individual polygons that make up 3D objects, and pixel shaders operate on
the individual pixels that fill in these polygons to create a visible image.
SmartShader™ HD is designed to alleviate the resource constraints of
earlier shader hardware, paving the way for more complex, detailed, and
realistic shader effects in applications requiring high-performance 3D
rendering.

SmoothVision™ HD

SmoothVision™ HD incorporates improved anti-aliasing, anisotropic
filtering and 3Dc™ compression features designed to further enhance
image quality. Anti-aliasing performance is improved, providing better
overall detail and image quality. The enhanced anisotropic filtering ensures
sharper and clearer pictures at higher frame rates, and the new 3Dc™
compression technology makes it possible to display higher polygon counts
for 3D rendered objects.

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Specular Highlight

The bright, usually small, intense light reflected from a 3D surface with a
high refraction value. From the intensity and spread of this highlight users
can differentiate between a “hard,” smooth surface, such as metal or
porcelain, or a “soft,” textured surface, such as fabric or skin.

Texel

Short for “texture element,” the 3D equivalent of a pixel, describing the
base unit of the surface of a 3D object, such as a sphere; for a 2D object,
such as a circle, the base unit is a pixel.

Texture Mapping

In computer graphics, two-dimensional textured surfaces are referred to as
texture maps. Texture mapping is the process by which a two-dimensional
surface gets wrapped around a three-dimensional object so that the 3D
object takes on the same texture qualities. For example, if you take a 2D
textured surface that looks like cloth and wrap it around a 3D sphere, the
sphere will now appear to have a cloth-like surface.

Texture Preference

Texture Preference is a feature enabling the user to select the texture quality
level for the surface of a 3D object. Selecting the highest quality possible
will provide the most realism, although it may also have some impact on
the performance of any 3D intensive application.

Trilinear Filtering

A sampling method used to produce realistic-looking 3D objects. Trilinear
filtering averages one of the bilinear filter mipmap levels along with the
standard mipmap samples.

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Vertex Shader

Three-dimensional objects displayed on a screen are rendered using
polygons, each of which is made up of intersecting triangles. A vertex is a
corner of a triangle where it connects to another triangle, and each vertex
carries a considerable amount of information describing its coordinates in
3D space, as well as its weight, color, texture coordinates, fog, and point
size data. A vertex shader is a graphics processing function that
manipulates these values, producing such things as more realistic lighting
effects, improved complex textures such as hair and fur, and more accurate
surface deformations such as waves rippling in a pool or the stretching and
wrinkling of a character’s clothes as he or she moves.

VGA Connector

A type of graphics connector, sometimes also called an analog connector.
It is the most common type of video connector available, consisting of 15­pins set in three rows. The “VGA” is an acronym for “Video Graphics
Array,” which is also the name for the video resolution mode of 640x480
pixels, the lowest standard resolution supported by virtually all video cards.

Z-buffer

The portion of video memory that keeps track of which onscreen elements
can be viewed and which are hidden behind other objects. In the case of a
3D image, it keeps track of which elements are occluded by the foreground
in relation to the user’s perspective, or by another 3D object.

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