Canopus Announces New SPECTRA 2500 Graphics Accelerator Based on NVIDIA's RIVA TNT Processor with WitchDoctor Features for Voodoo Board Owners

Advanced engineering and unique features set SPECTRA 2500 apart from the competition.

San Jose, Calif. (September 1, 1998) - Not content with offering just another reference design board, Canopus Corporation once again surprised the graphics hardware community with today's announcement of its new SPECTRA 2500 graphics accelerator. Powered by a fan-cooled NVIDIA RIVA TNT 128-bit graphics chip, 16MB of high-speed SDRAM and 250MHz RAMDAC, the AGP 2X-based SPECTRA 2500 provides the ultimate solution for maximum 2D graphics performance and outstanding 3D game play.  In a unique twist, the company has incorporated its WitchDoctor technology into the SPECTRA 2500, giving owners of 3Dfx Voodoo1- and Voodoo2-based boards a "reverse" pass-through connection to deliver improved desktop graphics clarity, TV-out capabilities, along with Canopus' acclaimed software utilities, Quick Control and Application Launcher.  The SPECTRA 2500 also provides the highest maximum resolution of any TNT-based board - 1920 x 1440 - allowing for four correct aspect ratio windows of 960 x 720 on monitors 21" or larger.

"We believe the serious gamer will like using both a Voodoo2 and a TNT board. Our WitchDoctor pass-through technology allows them to get the most out of both boards," said Hiro Yamada, President and CEO of Canopus Corporation.  "And now users can view their desktop graphics at much higher resolutions without the loss of quality caused by traditional Voodoo
pass-through cables."

The SPECTRA 2500's rich feature set includes unsurpassed video-out capabilities (S-Video and composite) for business presentations or big-screen gaming and the company's Quick Control and Application Launcher software controllers.  Quick Control gives users "on-the-fly" keyboard control to simultaneously adjust gamma on the PC monitor and brightness on
the TV screen during game play.  Quick Control allows users to dynamically set screen brightness for better visibility during dark scenes. Application Launcher provides handy presets to switch screen resolution, color depth, gamma and refresh rate on the monitor, plus brightness, contrast and flicker reduction for TV play.  All settings can be saved, giving users one-button access for each game.

WitchDoctor Pass-Through Technology Adds TV-out To Voodoo1 and Voodoo2 Cards And Much More
Canopus' WitchDoctor technology, another engineering tour de force by the company, adds TV-out capabilities and improves the on-screen image quality by providing a direct path from the SPECTRA 2500 graphics board to the monitor or TV, thus bypassing the traditional pass-through the 3D graphics board.  The WitchDoctor also provides maximum game support.  Since the TNT chipset doesn't support Glide, the ability to use a Voodoo card, which does support Glide, with the SPECTRA 2500 allows user to get the most play out of their systems. Thanks to WitchDoctor technology, gamers can use these cards in combination to play OpenGL, Direct3D, DirectX 6.0, as well as Glide games.

Internal Pass-Through When Used With Canopus' Voodoo2 Cards
When paired with Canopus' 3Dfx graphics accelerators, Pure3D II or Pure3D II LX, the WitchDoctor technology receives the 3D signal, through an internal connection, from the Pure3D II or Pure3D II LX to the SPECTRA 2500, then directly to the monitor or TV. This direct way of handling the video improves signal quality and eliminates cable clutter.

Add-on Available for Video-in Capabilities
Video-in capabilities are available through the SPECTRA Video Port 600. This add-on for the SPECTRA 2500 gives users video conferencing, M-JPEG video capture software CODEC for video editing and high resolution still image capture. The SPECTRA Video Port 600 installs into an available 5 _" drive bay for easy front-panel accessibility.   The Video Port 600
carries a suggested retail price of $99.99.

Pricing and Availability
The SPECTRA 2500 is scheduled to ship late September with a suggested retail price of $199.99.  System requirements include a Intel Pentium II, Celeron, AMD - K6, or other system supporting AGP graphics, Windows 95, 98 or NT 4.0, an AGP slot, a CD-ROM drive, and 16 MB of memory (32MB for NT).

About Canopus Corporation
Based in San Jose, Calif., Canopus Corporation designs and manufactures graphics and video editing products for the PC.  Canopus Corporation's parent company, Canopus Co., Ltd., with headquarters in Kobe, is Japan's largest maker of video editing and graphics products.

Canopus' products have garnered awards from the industry's leading publications including PC Magazine Editors' Choice, Computer Gaming World's Hardware Product of the Year and Premier Award, CNET Gamecenter's Award for Best 3D-only Graphics Accelerator, HomePC's Reviewers' Choice, Kick Ass! Product from boot and Editor's Choice Awards from PC Gamer and PC Games.

For more information contact Canopus at (408) 954-4500 or visit their Web site at http://www.canopuscorp.com.
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