Savage3D (cont’d)

Void-cluster Dithering

Back then, most 3D games had to be run in 16-bit color due to performance issues. The Savage3D featured the most advanced 16-bit dithering implementation. Most manufacturers were using a conventional ordered dither. This dithering approach produces a cross-hatched appearance often called a "cheesecloth effect." Depending on the graphics card manufacturer, the amount of cheesecloth was reduced.

S3 was using a void-cluster algorithm – the images speak for themselves. (Pictures used with permission from http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~dmiguse/Halftone/)

Original image

Conventional Bayer Ordered Dither

Void and Cluster Dither

In a single textured 16-bit mode, void-cluster dithering was excellent. When it came to multitextured games, however, even the best 16-bit algorithm couldn't compete with the internal multitexturing found in the Riva TNT.

DVD Subpicture Blending

Everyone thinks of ATI when it comes to DVD quality, but the Savage3D was in fact superior to the Rage Pro and Rage 128. The Savage3D was the first graphics accelerator to support hardware subpicture blending, important for reproducing DVD menu highlights and subtitles with the same look as a stand-alone DVD player. In addition, the scalar featured in the Savage3D performed well in both upsample and downsample modes. This was important for 640x480 TV output of the DVD movies and particularly for the anamorphic downsample.

Closing Thoughts

Despite the superb feature set in the Savage3D, the lack of multitexturing and tepid OpenGL performance made the Riva TNT a much stronger product. S3 would redesign the Savage3D into a cost-reduced version, the Savage4 for the next product cycle. The Savage4 dropped the expensive void-cluster dithering, but preserved the exceptional DVD quality from the original Savage3D. By then, the Savage4's performance was just mainstream (by this time the TNT2 had been launched) but its "dirt-cheap" price made it a very popular card. Even NVIDIA reps were happy for S3 – back then they weren't targeting the low-cost market.

The TNT2 solidified NVIDIA's lead as the premier graphics manufacturer, but it was S3 not ATI who was seen as #2. When NVIDIA came out with the GeForce, it was S3's Savage2000 that would offer the closest competitor, but the Savage2000 was too ambitious of a project for S3. S3 was never able to regain its second-wind that it had seen just a few months earlier with the Savage4 and the legend of 2D graphics performance would die. S3 sold off its graphics division to VIA and concentrated on MP3 players (the Rio) and home devices such as the Replay TV under the brand SONICblue. In 2003, the company filed for bankruptcy.