VT8501 Apollo MVP4

Revision 1.3 February 1, 2000

-8-

System Overview

7HFKQRORJLHV ,QF

'HOLYHULQJ 9DOXH

'HOLYHULQJ 9DOXH

Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller Overview

The Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller is a highly integrated display control device that incorporates a 64-bit 3D/2D graphic

engine and video accelerator with advanced DVD video and optional TV output capability. It provides a flexible and high

performance solution for graphics and video playback acceleration for various color depth and resolution modes.

The Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller supports a video capture port to import captured live MPEG 1 or MPEG 2 video streams,

or DVD decompressed video streams to be overlaid with a graphics stream of mixed color depth displays. In supporting dual live

videos, the Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller offers independent dual video windows ready for videoconferencing and with linear

scaling capability.

Integrating the programmable phase lock loop with high speed LUT DACs, the Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller is a true

price/performance solution for the modern multimedia based entertainment PC.

Capability Overview

The Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller is a fully integrated CRT and TV 64-bit 2D/3D Accelerator. The high performance

graphics engine offers high speed 3D image processing in full compliance and compatibility with IBM® VGA and VESA™

extended VGA. As an integrated controller, it allows unprecedented cost and performance advantages by eliminating the need for

an external frame buffer while at the same time gaining local access to a larger amount of memory. Many functions can now be

eliminated that previously consumed large amounts of bandwidth.

The Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller, equipped with a single-cycle 3D GUI Engine, pipelines 3D rendering process architecture

in hardware, providing real-time interactions with solid 3D models in CAD/CAM, 3D modeling, and 3D games. It supports all

key 3D rendering operations, including: Gouraud shading for smooth object surfaces, texture mapping for realistic object textures,

16-bit hardware Z-buffering for fast 3D depth calculations, and Alpha Blending for transparency effects.

The Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller’s highly innovative design, a full 64-bit memory interface with a high performance

graphics engine which can support a RAMDAC™ running up to 230MHz, dramatically improves GUI functions and significantly

promotes overall system operation.

The Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller supports a full AGP implementation internally to remain compatible with existing software

and programming models. However, since the engine is integrated it enjoys a higher bandwidth and lower latency than is possible

with discrete solutions. AGP operations can include direct access of the system memory by the 2D/3D engine to provide increased

texture memory.

To meet the requirements of a PC99 graphics adapter in a multimedia PC, the Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller supports planar

video format for MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and DVD-video playback. The dual video playback is capable of overlaying windows for

videoconferencing and multimedia displays. Advanced features of the Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller, such as color space

conversion, video scaling, dual video windows, dual-view display, video capture / ZV port, Vertical Blanking Interleave (VBI), a

24-bit True Color DAC, and dual clock synthesizers allow performance at peak levels.

By using an extended 16-bit capture / ZV port the Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller can support DTV resolution. This port can

operate as either an input for video capture or as an output for video display. The Apollo MVP4 Graphics Controller is capable of

supporting three simultaneous displays: CRT (analog monitor), Flat Panel (digital monitor), and Video (standard television

display), each with a different “window” or desktop.

The Apollo MVP4 integrated graphics controller can drive an external TMDS transmitter. This allows an external flat panel

monitor to be interfaced through the industry standard DFP interface. Many different panel types can be supported through this

standard.