Stb systems VELOCITY 4400 User Manual

On-Line User’s Guide

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from STB Systems, Inc. VELOCITY 4400 and STB VISION 98 are trademarks of STB Systems, Inc. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. VGA is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. STB Systems, Inc. has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this manual. However, STB Systems, Inc. makes no warranties with respect to this documentation and disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. STB assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1

Introduction VELOCITY 4400 Features Getting Started Quick Start Installation for Windows Users

SECTION 2

Hardware Configuration Diagram of the VELOCITY 4400 PCI Diagram of the VELOCITY 4400 AGP Detailed Installation Steps for Windows 95 and Windows 98 Installing the VELOCITY 4400 Adapter under Windows NT 4.0 Video Options

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Display Modes

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SECTION 3

TV Output Controls

SECTION 4

STB VISION 98

APPENDIX A

General Troubleshooting Contacting Technical Support

APPENDIX B

Hardware Specifications 15-Pin D-Shell Analog Display Connector Pinout Digital Video Input Connector Pinout

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APPENDIX C

Software License Agreement

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SECTION 1

IN THIS SECTION

■VELOCITY 4400 Features

■Keyboard Conventions for this User’s Guide

■Quick Start Installation Guide for Windows Users

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing the VELOCITY 4400 from STB Systems, Inc. - another addition to our award-winning line of graphics accelerators. At STB we’re committed to designing and producing high-quality, economicallypriced products to expand the capabilities of personal computers. We’ve been in business since 1981 designing and building video, multimedia, input/output and multi-function boards, as well as creating enhancement software.

The VELOCITY 4400, available with 16MB of Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM) for PCI or AGP systems is a 128-bit, high-performance video accelerator designed to speed up all of your graphics-intensive applications while maintaining VGA and SVGA compatibility. Using the VELOCITY 4400 to perform graphics functions gives you more colors and faster redraw and at the same time frees your CPU to perform other tasks more quickly.

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The NVIDIA RIVA-TNT chip on your VELOCITY 4400 adapter gives you 128-bit display processing power at resolutions ranging from 640x480 with 16.7M colors up to 1600x1200 with 16.7M colors. The integrated 250MHz RAMDAC supports refresh rates up to 160Hz. The integrated Digital Video Engine in the RIVA-TNT chip supports accelerated playback of video clip files with full X/Y interpolation and video filtering.

Your VELOCITY 4400 accelerator provides the high performance 3D rendering acceleration necessary for Windows 95 (DirectX), Windows 98 (DirectX), and Windows NT 4.0 (DirectX/OpenGL). The included display drivers support twin-texel processing, advanced lighting and shading functions, per-pixel perspective-corrected texture mapping, 16-bit and 24-bit Z-buffering, single-pass multi-texturing, double buffer support, alpha and backend blend, MIPMAPs, and anti-aliasing for outstanding realism in your 3D Web Browsers, 3D Games, CAD/Modeling/Rendering software, and other applications.

The VELOCITY 4400 accelerator also provides full support for the following Application Programming Interfaces (APIs): Microsoft Windows 95, DirectDraw, Direct3D, ActiveMovie, OpenGL (ICD). STB’s exclusive value-added software, STB VISION 98 for Windows 95 or WIndows 98, comes with the VELOCITY 4400. This suite of accelerated display drivers and performance-enhancing utilities for Windows 95 or Windows 98 is exceptionally easy to install, configure and use. See Section 4, STB VISION 98 in this User’s Guide for information after you have installed your VELOCITY 4400 card.

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FEATURES

■ 16MB of SDRAM

■ 128-bit graphics engine and SDRAM interface for top GUI performance

■ NVIDIA RIVA-TNT graphics controller chip with integrated Digital Video Engine

■ Accelerated video playback for full-screen, full-motion multimedia

■ Digital Video Input Connector for multimedia peripherals (Optional)

■ S-Video and NTSC (composite video) connectors for output to TV or VCR (Optional)

■ DirectX compliant drivers for Windows 95 and Windows 98

■ DirectX/OpenGL compliant drivers for Windows NT 4.0

■ Supports non-interlaced resolutions up to 1600x1200 with 16.7M colors

■ Ultra-high refresh rates up to 160Hz

■ PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) model for high-performance video in PCI-compatible systems

■ AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) model with 2x sideband support for high-performance video in AGP-

compatible systems

■ STB VISION 98 utilities for easy Windows 95 and Windows 98 driver installation and screen configuration

■ Works with any SVGA multiple-frequency monitor

■ Fully supports VESA 1.2 SuperVGA and VBE 3.0 standards

■ Hardware acceleration of Bit-Block transfers (BITBLTS), line drawing, polygon/ellipse fill, cursor operations,

dual address bus, read and write bursting and hardware cursor

■ Hardware acceleration of 3D functions, including flat and Gouraud shading, bilinear and trilinear texture

mapping, Z-buffering, alpha blending and anti-aliasing

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GETTING STARTED

Installing the VELOCITY 4400 adapter is simple - just plug the card into your motherboard and install the drivers. In this User’s Guide Windows* users will:

■ Set up Windows to use the standard VGA driver supplied with Windows.

■ Install the VELOCITY 4400 card into the computer.

■ Install the Windows display drivers from the VELOCITY 4400 CD.

■ Install the Microsoft DirectX Software from the VELOCITY 4400 CD.

■ Install the STB VISION 98 Display Control Utility from the VELOCITY 4400 CD.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Microsoft DirectX software that is included with your VELOCITY 4400 card must be installed on your Windows 95 system before it can fully utilize all of your new VELOCITY 4400 card’s 3D acceleration functions. Please use the STB Setup Manager program on the VELOCITY 4400 CD included with your card to install the DirectX software.

NOTE:The Quick Start is recommended for Windows users who have a working knowledge of installing components, peripherals and software. A detailed, step-by-step installation guide follows in Section 2. Please note the keyboard conventions for this User’s Guide.

* Windows 95 and Windows 98 users should use the Quick Start with the VELOCITY 4400 CD. Windows NT 4.0 users should use the instructions in Section 2 with the VELOCITY 4400 CD.

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KEYBOARD CONVENTIONS

When referencing specific keyboard commands, words enclosed in [brackets] indicate actual keystrokes. Example:

Hit [Esc], type [setup] and press [Enter] “Quotation Marks” are used to reference Windows title bar and button copy. Italics indicates text to select on the screen. References to C: indicate the hard disk.* References to D: indicate the CD-ROM drive.*

*NOTE:The drive letters assigned to the hard disk and the CD-ROM drive may be different in your system. Please check your system’s documentation for the correct drive letters for your computer and use them where you are instructed to type [C:\] for your hard drive or [D:\] for your CD-ROM drive.

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NOTE:For more detailed instructions turn to Section 2 now.

QUICK START INSTRUCTIONS

The following instructions are very general. Please refer to your system's documentation for more detailed information about your specific computer. Also be sure to observe all normal precautions for working with electronic devices and handling electrostatic-sensitive components.

IMPORTANT NOTES!

Please read through the entire installation procedure before proceeding. These instructions assume that you are installing the VELOCITY 4400 adapter into a system that uses the Windows 95 operating system with Service Release 2.1 or later already installed, or the Windows 98 operating system. References to "Windows" can be either of these.

You will need to configure Windows to use the standard VGA display driver that is included with Windows before you begin to install your VELOCITY 4400 adapter. Then use these instructions to install the VELOCITY 4400 card's display drivers for Windows after you have installed the adapter into your computer.

Windows provides you with direct control of the resolution, refresh rate, and number of colors used in the Windows environment. Your DOS-based programs can use the VELOCITY 4400 card's VBE 3.0 support to automatically select the display modes they require.

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1. Turn off your computer, monitor and all attached peripherals; next unplug each component from the wall electrical outlet or surge protector/power strip, and then remove the computer's cover.

2. If you presently have a video adapter in your computer, disconnect the cable joining the monitor and the video adapter and remove the adapter. If the video is built into the motherboard, refer to your computer's manual for information on "Disabling Built-in Video."

3. Locate the proper expansion slot in which to install the adapter. The empty expansion slot should have a metal bracket covering the opening. Remove the screw securing the bracket to the computer.

4. Plug the adapter into the slot by placing the gold-fingered "edge-card" connectors above the expansion slot connectors and pressing firmly until the adapter is fully seated into the connectors. Visually inspect the connection to be sure the card is fully seated.

5. Secure the adapter bracket to the computer chassis with the screw removed in Step 4.

6. Connect your monitor's cable to the Monitor Connector of the VELOCITY 4400 card.

7. Double-check your installation with a visual inspection, then replace the computer's cover and secure it.

8. Plug in all power cords and turn ON the monitor. Then turn ON the computer.

9. When Windows restarts, it will detect the presence of a new PCI-VGA compatible Display Adapter and ask you for the device drivers to support the new device. Place the VELOCITY 4400 CD in your CD-ROM drive and direct Windows to install the display drivers from the CD.

10.Windows will then copy the display drivers to your system, notifying you when the installation is complete and prompting you to restart your computer for the changes you have made to take effect. Select "Yes, I want to restart my computer now" and then [Finish] to complete the software installation.

11.When Windows restarts, it will identify the new hardware in your system and automatically load the device drivers for it. You may be prompted to restart your system again. If so, simply restart the computer to complete the installation.

The installation of the display drivers for your VELOCITY 4400 card is now complete. If you are using Windows 95, then you must also be sure to use the instructions on page 19 to install the DirectX software for Windows 95.

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WARNING!Selecting a vertical frequency that your monitor cannot support may result in permanent damage to your monitor. Please check your monitor documentation and determine the vertical frequencies the monitor is capable of displaying before selecting a display mode.

SELECTING A MONITOR AND CONTROLLING VERTICAL REFRESH RATES

1. Open the Display Properties dialog and click on the “Settings” tab to open that page of the dialog.

2. Click on the “Advanced...” button (Windows 98) or the “Advanced Properties” button (Windows 95) on the “Settings” page of the Display Properties dialog and then click on the “Monitor” tab to open that page of the dialog.

3. Select “Change” on the Monitor page. If you have a disk with drivers specifically for your monitor, then insert the disk now and use the on-screen instructions that follow to complete the installation. If you do not have a disk from your monitor’s manufacturer, then select the “Show all devices” checkbox instead and pick your monitor’s manufacturer from the “Manufacturers:” list. This will show the various models in the “Models:” list, so that you can select the model that matches your monitor.

4. Select “OK”.

5. Select “Close” to apply the new monitor type selection. Clicking the “Apply” button will have the same effect.

6. A “Refresh Rate” dialog will appear, notifying you that Windows is about to adjust the refresh rate of your display. Select “OK” to enable the new refresh rate setting.

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7. After the refresh rate changes (your screen may flicker or temporarily blackout during this change), another dialog will then inform you that Windows has changed your display’s refresh rate, and it will ask if you want to keep this new setting. Select “Yes” to accept the new refresh rate. If the display is unacceptable with the new refresh rate, simply select “No” (or just wait about ten seconds) and Windows will automatically switch back to the previous refresh rate setting.

8. Close any dialogs that remain open from this process.

To change the refresh rate options of your VELOCITY 4400 for the selected monitor, use the STB VISION 98 Display Control Utility for Windows 95 or Windows 98. It’s important to select the correct monitor for STB VISION 98 to be able to take full and correct advantage of your STB product. If your exact monitor does not appear in the Windows monitor list, then select a monitor that has the same or similar capabilities as your monitor. STB VISION 98 uses the capabilities of the selected monitor to allow only values for Desktop Area, Resolution, and Refresh Rate Limit that are supported by that monitor to be selected. For more information on using and configuring STB VISION 98, see Section 4, STB VISION 98 in this User’s Guide.

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SECTION 2

IN THIS SECTION

■Detailed Installation Guide for Novice Users

■PCI and AGP Board Diagrams

■Windows NT 4.0 Installation Instructions

HARDWARE CONFIGURATION

This section describes the VELOCITY 4400 adapter and its installation in simple, detailed steps. Users who have never installed a peripheral device into their computers should have no trouble installing the VELOCITY

4400. Labeled diagrams of both PCI and AGP versions of the board and a typical bus slot layout are included.

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Digital Video Input

Connector

SDRAM

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S-Video Output

Connector*

Composite Video

Output Connector*

Monitor

Connector

* NOTE: The video outputs shown are optional and may not be included on your card.

Mounting Bracket

Figure 1 - VELOCITY 4400 PCI

BIOS

RIVA-TNT

PCIBus Slot

NVIDIA

SDRAM

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Digital Video Input

Connector

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Monitor

Connector

S-Video Output

Connector*

Composite Video

Output Connector*

* NOTE: The video outputs shown are optional and may not be included on your card.

Mounting Bracket

BIOS

NVIDIA

RIVA-TNT

AGPBus Slot

Figure 2 - VELOCITY 4400 AGP

SDRAM

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This section describes the VELOCITY 4400 adapter and its installation in simple, detailed steps. Users who have never installed a peripheral device into their computers should have no trouble

IMPORTANT: Before starting, please read through the entire installation process. NOTE:You’ll need a Phillips and/or a regular screwdriver to install your STB VELOCITY 4400 graphics adapter.

Installation should take about 30 minutes.

INSTALLING THE VELOCITY 4400 ADAPTER INWINDOWS95

Follow these steps to change your system to use standard VGA display drivers before you install your VELOCITY 4400 card:

1. Click on the "Start" button, point to "Settings", and click "Control Panel".

2. Double-click the "Display" icon to access the "Display Properties" screen.

3. Click the "Settings" tab and then click the "Advanced Properties" button.

4. Click "Change" then click "Show all devices". Under "Manufacturers" choose "Standard display types" and under "Models" choose "Standard Display Adapter (VGA)".

5. Click "OK" then "Close" and click "Yes" to restart your system.

Now use the instructions that follow to install the VELOCITY 4400 card into your computer:

1. Turn off your computer, monitor and all attached peripherals; next unplug each component from the wall electrical outlet or surge protector/power strip and then remove the computer's cover.

3. Locate the proper expansion slot in which to install the adapter. The empty expansion slot should have a metal bracket covering the opening. Remove the screw securing the bracket to the computer.

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5. Secure the adapter bracket to the computer chassis with the screw removed in Step 4.

6. Connect your monitor's cable to the monitor connector of the VELOCITY 4400 card.

7. Double-check your installation with a visual inspection, then replace the computer's cover and secure it.

8. Plug in all power cords and turn ON the monitor. Then turn ON the computer.

AGPSlot

PCISlots

}

ISASlots

}

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Figure 3 - Overhead View of Bus Slots Inside Computer

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Stb systems VELOCITY 4400 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual