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S3 Graphics
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{{short description|Former U.S.-based computer graphics company}} {{More citations needed|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox company | name = S3 Graphics, Ltd. | logo = S3 Graphics Logo neu.svg | logo_size = 175px | type = [[Subsidiary company|Subsidiary]] | founded = {{start date and age|1989|1}} | location = [[Fremont, California]], U.S. | key_people = [[Dado Banatao]]<br />Ronald Yara | num_employees = | industry = [[Computer hardware]] | fate = Defunct or Merged | products = [[Video card]]s | parent = [[HTC]] | homepage = {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104050819/http://www.s3graphics.com/en/index.aspx|title=s3graphics.com}} }} '''S3 Graphics, Ltd.''' was an American computer graphics company. The company sold the [[S3 Trio|Trio]], [[S3 ViRGE|ViRGE]], [[S3 Savage|Savage]], and [[S3 Chrome|Chrome]] series of graphics processors. Struggling against competition from [[3dfx Interactive]], [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] and [[Nvidia]], it merged with hardware manufacturer [[Diamond Multimedia]] in 1999. The resulting company renamed itself to [[SONICblue Incorporated]], and, two years later, the graphics portion was spun off into a new joint effort with [[VIA Technologies]]. The new company focused on the mobile graphics market. VIA Technologies' stake in S3 Graphics was purchased by [[HTC]] in 2011. ==History== {{plain image with caption|File:S3 Graphics logo old.svg|Logo used from 1989 to 1997|150px}} S3 was founded and incorporated in January 1989 by [[Dado Banatao]] and Ronald Yara. It was named S3 as it was Banatao's third startup company.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/07/102746746-05-01-acc.pdf|title=Oral History of Diosdado βDadoβ Banatao|author=Uday Kapoor |work=[[Computer History Museum]]|date=2013-08-13|accessdate=2021-04-29}}</ref> The company's first products were among the earliest [[graphical user interface]] (GUI) accelerators.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LIyy_CtozLcC&pg=PA228|title=The S3 Crowd|last=Quain|first=John R.|work=[[PC Magazine]]|page=228|date=January 12, 1993|volume=12|issue=1}}</ref> These chips were popular with video card manufacturers, and their followup designs, including the [[S3 Trio|Trio64]], made strong inroads with [[OEM]]s. S3 took over the high end 2D market just prior to the popularity of 3D accelerators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.techspot.com/article/650-history-of-the-gpu/|title=The History of the Modern Graphics Processor|last=Singer|first=Graham|work=Techspot.com|date=2021-01-07|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref> S3's first 3D accelerator chips, the [[ViRGE]] series, controlled half of the market early on but could not compete against the high end 3D accelerators from [[ATI Technologies|ATI]], [[Nvidia]], and [[3Dfx]].<ref name=techspot2>{{cite web|url=https://www.techspot.com/article/653-history-of-the-gpu-part-2/|title=History of the Modern Graphics Processor, Part 2|last=Singer|first=Graham|work=Techspot.com|date=2020-12-04|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref> In some cases, the chips performed worse than software-based solutions without an accelerator.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/from-voodoo-to-geforce-the-awesome-history-of-3d-graphics/|title=From Voodoo to GeForce: The Awesome History of 3D Graphics|last=Lilly|first=Paul|work=[[PC Gamer]]|date=2009-05-19|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref> As S3 lost market share, their offerings competed in the mid-range market. Their next design, the [[Savage 3D]], was released early and suffered from driver issues, but it introduced [[S3TC]], which became an industry standard. S3 bought [[Number Nine Visual Technology|Number Nine]]'s assets in 1999,<ref name=techspot2/> then merged with [[Diamond Multimedia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/s3-diamond-make-merger-official/|title=S3, Diamond Make Merger Official|last=Spangler|first=Todd|work=[[ZDNet]]|date=2000-07-28|access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref> The resulting company renamed itself SONICblue, refocused on consumer electronics, and sold its graphics business to [[VIA Technologies]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/out-with-s3-in-with-sonicblue/|title=Out with S3, in with Sonicblue|author=<!-- Staff -->|work=[[ZDNet]]|date=2000-11-01|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref> Savage-derived chips were integrated into numerous VIA motherboard [[chipset]]s. Subsequent discrete derivations carried the brand names DeltaChrome and GammaChrome. In July 2011, [[HTC Corporation]] announced they were buying VIA Technologies' stake in S3 Graphics, thus becoming the majority owner of S3 Graphics.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dailytech.com/VIA+WTI+Sell+Stakes+in+S3+Graphics+to+HTC/article22078.htm | title=VIA, WTI Sell Stakes in S3 Graphics to HTC | publisher=DailyTech | date=6 July 2011 | access-date=28 January 2014 | author=McGlaun, Shane | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709091636/http://www.dailytech.com/VIA+WTI+Sell+Stakes+in+S3+Graphics+to+HTC/article22078.htm | archive-date=9 July 2011 | url-status=dead}}</ref> In November, the [[United States International Trade Commission]] ruled against S3 in a patent dispute with Apple.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/s3-graphics-case-against-apple-collapses-at-itc/|title=S3 Graphics' case against Apple collapses at ITC|last=Lowensohn|first=Josh|work=[[CNET]]|date=2011-11-21|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref> ==Graphics controllers== [[File:Jaton-86C805.png|thumb|Jaton VL41C/V2, an example of a card using the S3 805 chip]] [[File:S3-VIA TwisterT 2 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=.6|S3-VIA Twister T (PN133T chipset)]] * S3 911, 911A (June 10, 1991) - S3's first [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] accelerators (16/256-color, high-color acceleration) * S3 924 - 24-bit [[24-bit color|true-color]] acceleration * S3 801, 805, 805i - mainstream [[DRAM]] [[VESA Local Bus|VLB]] Windows accelerators (16/256-color, high-color acceleration) * S3 928 - 24/32-bit true-color acceleration, DRAM or [[VRAM]] * S3 805p, 928p - S3's first [[Peripheral Component Interconnect|PCI]] support * S3 Vision864, Vision964 (1994) - 2nd generation Windows accelerators (64-bit wide [[framebuffer]]). Support [[MPEG-1]] video acceleration. * S3 Vision868, Vision968 - S3's first motion video accelerator (zoom and [[YUV]]β[[RGB]] conversion) * [[S3 Trio]] 32, 64, 64V+, 64V2 (1995) - S3's first integrated ([[RAMDAC]]+[[VGA]]) accelerator. The 64-bit versions were S3's most successful product range. * [[ViRGE]] (no suffix), VX, DX, GX, GX2, Trio3D, Trio3D/2X - S3's first Windows [[3D accelerator|3D-accelerators]]. Notoriously poor 3D. Sold well to [[Original Equipment Manufacturer|OEMs]] mainly because of low price and excellent 2D-performance. * [[S3 Savage|Savage]] 3D (1998), 4 (1999), 2000 (2000) - S3's first recognizably modern 3D hardware implementation. Poor yields meant actual clock speeds were 30% below expectations, and buggy drivers caused further problems. [[S3 Texture Compression]] went on to become an industry standard, and the Savage3D's [[DVD]] acceleration was market leading at introduction. Savage2000 was announced as the first chip with integrated [[Transform and lighting|Transformation and Lighting]] (S3TL) co-processor. * Aurora64V+, S3 ViRGE/MX, SuperSavage, [[SavageXP]] - Mobile chipsets * ProSavage, Twister, [[UniChrome]], Chrome 9 - Integrated implementations of Savage chipset for [[VIA Technologies|VIA]] motherboards * [[GammaChrome]], [[DeltaChrome]], [[Chrome 20 series]], [[Chrome 440 series]], [[Chrome 500 series]] - Discrete cards post acquisition by VIA. [[File:S3 chrome s27 pciexpress16x card.jpg|thumb|The Chrome S27 of the Chrome 20 series]] * S3 GenDAC, SDAC - VGA RAMDAC with high/true-color bypass (SDAC had integrated [[Phase-locked loop|PLLs]], dot-clocks, and hardware Windows cursor) === Media chipsets === * Sonic/AD sound chipset - A programmable, [[Sigma-delta modulation|sigma-delta]] audio [[Digital-to-analog converter|DAC]], featuring an integrated PLL, stereo 16-bit analogue output * SonicVibes - PCI Audio Accelerator * Scenic/MX2 - [[MPEG]] Decoder ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category|S3 Graphics}} * {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104050819/http://www.s3graphics.com/en/index.aspx|title=Official website}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/19970607061608/http://www.s3.com/products/ S3.com products cached from 1997] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050318020042/http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/graphics/ VIA Graphics] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20031207095953/http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/s3_deltachrome/default.asp Firingsquad: S3: From Virge to Savage 2000] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060425005802/http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/s3-deltachrome.html Xbitlabs: The Return of S3: DeltaChrome Graphics Card Review] * [http://www.techreport.com/etc/2003q3/deltachrome/index.x?pg=1 Techreport: A look at S3's DeltaChrome] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070906165008/http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35932 The Inquirer: S3's DirectX 10 Roadmap] {{S3 Graphics Chips}} {{Graphics Processing Unit}} [[Category:1989 establishments in California]] [[Category:2011 disestablishments in California]] [[Category:American companies established in 1989]] [[Category:American companies disestablished in 2011]] [[Category:Companies based in Fremont, California]] [[Category:Computer companies established in 1989]] [[Category:Computer companies disestablished in 2011]] [[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]] [[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]] [[Category:Fabless semiconductor companies]] [[Category:Graphics hardware companies]] [[Category:Semiconductor companies of the United States]]
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