Specifications
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Chapter 15 Video Hardware
Video Cards for Multimedia
Multimedia—including live full-motion video feeds, videoconferencing, and animations—has become
an important element of the personal computing industry and is helping to blur the once-solid lines
between computer and broadcast media. As the demand for multimedia content increases, so do the
capabilities of the hardware and software used to produce the content. Video is just one, albeit impor-
tant, element of the multimedia experience, and the graphics adapters on the market today reflect the
demand for these increased capabilities. Producing state-of-the-art multimedia content today often
requires that the PC be capable of interfacing with other devices, such as cameras, VCRs, and televi-
sion sets, and many video adapters are now equipped with these capabilities.
Other multimedia technologies, such as 3D animation, place an enormous burden on a system’s pro-
cessing and data-handling capabilities, and many manufacturers of video adapters are redesigning
their products to shoulder this burden more efficiently.
The following sections examine some of the video adapter components that make these technologies
possible and practical, including VFC, VAFC, VMC, and VESA VIP.
Because none of these specifications for internal video feature connectors has become a true industry
standard, some manufacturers of auxiliary video products—such as dedicated 3D accelerator boards
and MPEG decoders—have taken an alternative route through the standard VGA connector.
Video Feature Connectors
To extend the capabilities of the VGA standard beyond direct connections to a monitor, several auxil-
iary connector standards have been devised, first by individual card makers and later by VESA.
Four early attempts to create a common connector were the Video Feature Connector (VFC) that IBM
devised in 1987, the VESA Advanced Feature Connector (VAFC), the VESA Media Channel (VMC), and
the VESA Video Interface Port (VESA VIP). These connector designs were not widely used, though.
Note
If you are interested in reading more about VFC, VAFC, VMC, and VESA VIP, see “Video Feature Connectors,” in the
Technical Reference section of the disc with this book.
Replacements for the VESA VIP and Other Video Connectors
Currently, most systems interface with video devices through their USB or IEEE 1394 ports. Add-on
TV tuner cards and USB devices such as the ATI TV Wonder VE can be used with most DirectX-
compatible video chipsets from ATI and NVIDIA for video capture. The ATI All-in-Wonder series pro-
vides TV-in, TV-out, and full-power graphics support in a single slot. The latest version, the ATI All-in-
Wonder 9800 Pro, has S-video and composite input and output ports and a 125-channel stereo TV
tuner. An adapter for component video is available from ATI for interfacing with big-screen televi-
sions. If you prefer NVIDIA graphics, look for GeForce FX–based cards that include the Personal
Cinema breakout box and software bundle.
Video Output Devices
When video technology first was introduced, it was based on television. However, a difference exists
between the signals used by a television and those used by a computer. In the United States, the
National Television System Committee (NTSC) established color TV standards in 1953. Some other
countries, such as Japan, followed this standard. Many countries in Europe, though, developed more
sophisticated standards, including Phase Alternate Line (PAL) and Sequential Couleur Avec Mémoire
(SECAM). Table 15.22 shows the differences among these standards.
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