ATI Ushers in a New Era of Usability and Customization

Post by **Apoptosis** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 9:20 am

ATI today announced the release of CATALYST Control Center - a new modular suite of applications designed to simplify the user experience and maximize 3D hardware performance. For full details, please see the official release below. CATALYST Control Center enables consumers of all skill levels to improve their user experience and maximize 3D hardware performance

MARKHAM, Ontario – September 2, 2004 – ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX:ATY, NASDAQ:ATYT), the industry leader for 3D graphics, today announced the introduction of a remarkable new innovation in driver usability, CATALYST™
Control Center. Built on the Microsoft .NET Framework, CATALYST Control
Center is a modular suite of applications designed to simplify driver configuration and customization, while maximizing 3D performance. The introduction of CATALYST Control Center signals an evolution in PC graphics technology, with mainstream consumers now having the ability to substantially improve their user experience through a simple “point and click” interface.

"By publishing a standard interface and adopting a modular architecture based on the Microsoft .NET Framework, ATI has delivered a flexible and open interface for developers of graphics-intensive applications,” said Charles Fitzgerald, General Manager, Developer & Platform Evangelism,
Microsoft Corp. "The CATALYST Control Center architecture enables
third-party customers to rapidly develop and deliver new exciting features using familiar development tools and skills, increasing developer and end-user productivity and enhancing the PC experience without compromising driver stability."

The CATALYST Control Center experience begins with the desktop manager, an innovative tool that guides users through the process of easily configuring their displays. The real-time 3D rendering preview panel enables users to visually see the impact of adjusting performance on their system.
Personalization is taken to a new level through assignable hot keys and customizable profiles for applications, video and gaming. Previously, these kinds of capabilities were unavailable or extremely difficult for the average user to expose. Design innovation has also been enhanced through the availability of multiple skins. In addition users can design their own skins with customized look, feel and content for use in their computing environment.

"With the release of CATALYST Control Center, ATI is simplifying driver usability and providing a platform to educate users on the capabilities of their 3D hardware," said Randy Copeland, President, Velocity Micro.
"Through easy customization we can deliver a more personalized computing experience while allowing them to maximize 3D performance in their favorite games and applications."

Highly extensible, the CATALYST Control Center will also offer a Software Development Kit (SDK) to enable users to develop custom skins and plug-ins
for their favorite applications. The SDK will be in beta form at launch,
with a final version expected later this year. To encourage the
participation of the user community, ATI will be sponsoring an online contest with prizes for the top plug-ins and skins for CATALYST Control Center. This promotion is expected to kick-off in October 2004.

“As 3D hardware performance continues to move forward it is imperative that software innovation keep pace, ensuring users derive maximum value from their graphics processor,” said Ben Bar-Haim, Vice President, Software, ATI Technologies. “With the introduction of CATALYST Control Center, we provide a standards-based solution that shields the user from complexity, while allowing them to enjoy a more customized experience and fully harness the performance and features found in their ATI graphics accelerator.”

CATALYST Control Center is compatible with a range of ATI RADEON® desktop
graphics processors. Future releases will expand support to include
mobile, integrated, and workstation product portfolios. For more information please visit http://www.ati.com.

About ATI Technologies
ATI Technologies Inc. is the world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative 3D graphics and digital media silicon solutions. An industry pioneer since 1985, ATI is the world’s foremost visual processor unit (VPU) provider. ATI is dedicated to delivering leading-edge performance solutions for the full range of PC and Mac desktop and notebook platforms, workstations, set-top and digital televisions, game consoles and handheld device markets. With 2003 revenues in excess of US $1.3 billion, ATI has more than 2,700 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ATY).

Bio-Hazard · Post by **Bio-Hazard** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 12:26 pm

Only problem is that you have to install Microsoft .NET Framework.............

More junk to waste system memory...............

Post by **Apoptosis** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 2:32 pm

Yup...

66mb to download everything too! Capper5016 wrote an article on it and has had it for a few weeks. See what he thinks about it here

Bio-Hazard · Post by **Bio-Hazard** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 5:44 pm

LOL.......Even though I have .net Framework on CD and all. I think I'll pass on the whole thing for a while. The old CP works just fine the way it is and I can do about the same thing...except for the auto update.......thats something I never use on any program.............

There's just something not right about a program or web site doing things to my system by its self........ :twisted:

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 6:54 pm

Okay, when its a quick/bad review...capper1015 did it, he's my evil twin.
Actually it is a nice interface, but i did point out it is alot of fluff, mainly directed at non-experts.
Another point is the auto update feature, there seems to be some confusion out there about how it works, and ATI themselves weren't very clear. My understanding is that like windows ATI will notify you about updates and let you actually install them. But.... from other reviews i have read, it is an actual "auto updater" that actually downloads and installs updates.
I'll follow p on that and asdd it to the review.
It is a nice program, great for people who aren't sure about settings, but if the old control Panel works fine for you, you can pass on this for now.