Page 3

FiringSquad: Ignoring SDI support, is there a difference in PureVideo capabilities between the Quadro and GeForce line? (i.e. QuadroFX 540 Professional Video Edition versus a GeForce 6600)

Scott Vouri: Starting with the Quadro FX4000 SDI, our PureVideo features include the HD and SDI output we talked about, YUV/RGB 4:2:2 , 4:4:4 and 4:4:4:4 support, display resolutions up to 4K via SLI and Genlock. The Quadro FX540 is the most affordable HD content editing solution on the market today. For about $250 you get high-quality component BNC high-definition output and certified support of Adobe Premiere, Autodesk Combustion and 3dSmax, Alias Maya, and many other professional editing packages.

[Alan's comments: NVIDIA didn't answer the question as directly as I'd like to. Reading between the lines, it seems like the differences in the drivers means that only the Quadro supports the higher precision 4:4:4:4 processing. On the FX540, the main difference is the component BNC outputs instead of the RCA outputs.]



FiringSquad: What kind of GPU powers those NASCAR RACEf/x technology? What PureVideo features are being used?

Scott Vouri: The NASCAR RACE f/x uses the Quadro FX 4000 SDI and PureVideo’s high-precision 10-bit SDI for real-time graphics rendering, compositing and broadcast quality output of high-definition live auto-racing action.

The NVIDIA QuadroFX 4000 SDI is used by SportVision to provide the 1st & Ten (TM) virtual first down line in NFL games, the K-Zone virtual strike zone and pitch tracking in MLB games and a host of other sports viewing enhancements.


FiringSquad: Is there anywhere else we can see PureVideo being used in broadcast?

Scott Vouri: Actually most of the major networks in the US, Japan and Europe use NVIDIA Quadro based solutions for their real- broadcast-quality graphics needs such as weather reporting and virtual studio set-ups. They take advantage of our ability to generate reflections, complex textures, and shadows during live data streaming.

Another really interesting application of PureVideo technology is in movie theaters. There is a company called National CineMedia which broadcasts, via private satellite network, the advertisements that are shown before the movie starts. The ads are broadcast in 1080i MPEG2, downloaded to an HP workstation, processed by a GeForce 6600 with PureVideo technology and projected onto the screen with a Christie HD projector.

[Alan's comments: Christie's HD projectors are part of Dolby's Digital Cinema platform. It's a 3-chip DLP solution. I've seen Sin City and Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith on a Christie HD projector. The image quality is stunning. Perhaps more stunning is how close you can get to achieving the same image quality at home with a high-end TV. Once the movie starts there's no need for deinterlacing because it's being broadcast in progressive scan format.]