ATI Technologies RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION User manual

RADEON™8500 MAC EDITION
User’s Guide
Version 1.0 - February 2002
P/N: 137-40315-10
Copyright © 2002, ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.
ATI and all ATI product and product feature names are trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and/or
product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
owners. Features, performance and specifications are subject to change without
notice. Product may not be exactly as shown in the diagrams.
Reproduction of this manual, or parts thereof, in any form, without the express
written permission of ATI Technologies Inc. is strictly prohibited.

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Disclaimer
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this
document, ATI Technologies Inc. assumes no liability with
respect to the operation or use of ATI hardware, software or
other products and documentation described herein, for any act
or omission of ATI concerning such products or this
documentation, for any interruption of service, loss or
interruption of business, loss of anticipatory profits, or for
punitive, incidental or consequential damages in connection
with the furnishing, performance, or use of the ATI hardware,
software, or other products and documentation provided herein.
ATI Technologies Inc. reserves the right to make changes
without further notice to a product or system described herein to
improve reliability, function or design. With respect to ATI
products which this document relates, ATI disclaims all express
or implied warranties regarding such products, including but not
limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for
a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

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Introduction
The RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION represents the next
generation in 3D and video acceleration for your Power
Macintosh computer. It includes 64MB of DDR memory for
fast 32-bit true color 3D graphics. Flexible dual-display support
for multiple combinations of CRT monitors, TVs and video
devices is included. Your new graphics accelerator provides:
• Flexible dual-display support enabling many combinations
utilizing the VGA, DVI-I, and TV connectors
• OpenGL®and QuickDraw 3D accelerator providing
superior 3D rendering performance and advanced imaging
and filtering techniques
• QuickTime playback accelerator for full screen, full
motion, TV quality video
• DVI-I support for digital flat panels
• TV-Out support via S-Video connector
The ATI Config Menu (available only for Mac OS 9.2.1), is
located on the Apple menu bar. This provides instant access to
Help, the ATI Displays control panel, and all of RADEON 8500
MAC EDITION features.
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What You'll Need
The RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION runs with the following
minimum system requirements:
• Any Power Macintosh computer with an AGP expansion
slot
• Mac OS 9.2.1 or Mac OS X version 10.1 or higher
• OpenGL 1.2.2 (required for 3D graphics)
• Apple multi-frequency monitor, VGA-style monitor (see
note below),DVI-I style digital flat panel, or TV
• QuickTime 5.0 (earlier versions are NOT supported) or
higher
• Minimum 64MB of system memory required for Mac OS
9.2.1
• Minimum 128MB of system memory required for
Mac OS X version 10.1
OpenGL 1.2.2 or higher is required to obtain full 3D graphics
functionality in Mac OS 9.2.1 applications. OpenGL 1.2.2 is
only available from Apple as part of Mac OS 9.2.1. or 9.2.2.
Apple branded digital flat panels with an ADC connector must
use a third party adapter.
Apple analog monitors without a VGA connector must use a
the supplied adapter to connect to the RADEON 8500 MAC
EDITION graphics accelerator.
Future references to Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X in this manual
are intended to be generic and inclusive of their respective
versions of the Macintosh operating systems
NOTE
NOTE
NOTE

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Related Documentation
The README file summarizes the latest product revisions.
Click the README icon on the installation disk to open this
file.
The RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION comes with ATI Guide
for Mac OS 9, which provides on-line help for making the best
use of your card’s features. There are two methods of accessing
the ATI Guide. From the Mac OS menu bar under the ATI icon
choose ATI Guide. From the ATI Displays control panel, you
can access the ATI Guide by clicking on the Apple Guide
icon. RADEON Help can be found in the Apple Help menu.
Help is available in Mac OS X by simply clicking on the
button in the ATI Displays control panel or through the Apple
Help Center. You can browse through the Help or search for a
specific topic.

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Multimedia Features
Your RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION turns your Mac
computer into a 3D and 2D graphics powerhouse. You can use
your new graphics accelerator card to do the following:
• Enjoy true-color 32-bit 2D or 3D graphics up to 2048x1536
• Watch full screen, full motion, TV-quality video using
QuickTime playback acceleration
• Output your Mac’s display to a digital flat panel
• Output your Mac’s display to your TV
The following information describes these new features in more
detail and suggests ways you can optimize your machine to get
the most out of your new card.
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Viewing 3D Graphics
RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION’s 3D Acceleration features
supports the following advanced 3D graphics capabilities:
• OpenGL Support
• QuickDraw 3D RAVE Support
• Twin Cache Architecture
• Single Pass Multi-texturing
• Triangle Setup Engine
• Bilinear/Trilinear Filtering
• Line Anti-aliasing
• Specular Highlights
• Perspectively Correct Texture Mapping
•Mip-Mapping
• Z-buffering and Double-buffering
• Spherical, Dual-Paraboloid, 3D Texturing and Cubic
environment mapping
In addition, the RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION brings new
and exciting graphics technologies to the Macintosh platform:
TRUFORM™is a rendering technology that pre-processes 3D
artwork being fed into the graphics accelerator by converting it
from flat triangle data into curved surface data, allowing much
more highly detailed and realistically lit images with virtually
no performance loss.
SMOOTHVISION™is an anti-aliasing solution that raises the bar
for image quality using programmable multi-sampling methods to
post-process graphics before they are displayed.
SMARTSHADER™(supported in Mac OS X only) is a new
technology which revolutionizes the graphics pipeline by making both
the geometry processing and pixel processing stages more
programmable than ever before. Developers can easily create amazing
new graphics effects while maintaining a high level of performance.
HYPER Z™II makes Z-buffer bandwidth usage more efficient by
decreasing the amount of information sent to the frame buffer.

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CHARISMA ENGINE™II is a transform and lighting technology
which controls changing shapes and lighting while maintaining fast 3D
game performance
PIXEL TAPESTRY™II uses six independent texture units per
rendering pipeline giving highly realistic and detailed 3D graphics.
VIDEO IMMERSION™II incorporates MPEG-2 decoding,
adaptive de-interlacing, and frame rate conversion.
These features make it possible to quickly render 3D graphics,
produce atmospheric effects, calculate light and color shading,
and determine which objects are in the foreground and which
are in the background.
RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION only displays 3D graphics in
thousands and millions of colors. When you use 256 colors,
there are too few colors to display complex 3D textures, so 3D
acceleration is not supported.
You can use the 3D Memory Monitor in the ATI Displays
control panel to see how memory on your RADEON 8500 MAC
EDITION is allocated when displaying 3D graphics. This allows
you to optimize 3D performance.
The 3D Memory Monitor is only supported in Mac OS 9.
NOTE

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ATI Displays Control Panel For Mac OS 9
The ATI Displays control panel provides access to the advanced
features that RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION has to offer. To
open the ATI Displays control panel, choose Control Panels
from the Apple menu, then choose ATI Displays, or choose ATI
Displays from the ATI Config Menu from the menu bar.
For detailed instructions on how to set up and use these features,
please refer to the ATI Guide/ATI Help, which can be accessed
through the ATI Displays control panel.
Status Area
Look in the Status Area to determine your current monitor,
screen resolution, and color depth. To change display settings
use the Monitors feature to open the Monitors control panel.
You can also change the monitor depth and resolutions at any
time using the Apple control strip, if installed.

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Identify Displays
If you have more than one display connected to your computer,
you can identify and configure each display. The ATI Displays
control panel identifies all the displays connected to your
computer, but only configures displays that are connected to
ATI cards.
If you are using multiple monitors and using one display with
the built-in video, or a non-ATI video card, a generic video card
icon is displayed in the ATI Displays control panel. You cannot
make any changes to the generic video card using ATI Displays.
Display Details
The Details window gives you information about specific
software components needed to enable each of RADEON 8500
MAC EDITION’s features. Check the Details window to
determine the files and version numbers of the software
components installed in your System Folder during the
installation process. Using the pull-down menu, the Details
window also lists the Mac OS multimedia software required for
RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION, such as QuickDraw 3D and
OpenGL.

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Monitors
The Monitors feature provides access to the standard Mac OS
Monitors control panel. You can use the Monitors control panel
to select color depths and resolutions, and set up multiple
monitors. For more information on the Monitors control panel
refer to the Mac OS Guide that comes with your computer.
Keyboard Shortcuts
This feature allows you to use a pop-up menu to change your
desktop settings without exiting your current application. You
can configure, enable or disable shortcut features when you
click the Shortcut icon in the control panel.
The ATI Popup Menu only displays the recommended modes
available for the attached monitor(s). Additional modes may be
accessed through the Monitors control panel or the Control
Strip.
Different ATI video cards offer distinct keyboard shortcut
options, so not all shortcuts appear for every ATI product.
Popup Menu and Hot Keys remain inactive when dialogs
appear on the screen. For example, while using the Monitors
control panel, the Popup Menu and Hot Keys are disabled.
NOTE

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VGA Monitors
If you have a non-DDC-compliant VGA monitor connected to
your RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION, the VGA icon may be
active. Some VGA monitors use a Display Data Channel (DDC).
You do not have to do anything extra to select the supported
resolutions.
Your RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION uses the DDC information to
automatically provide the supported resolutions in the Monitors
control panel and the Control Strip. If your VGA monitor doesn’t
use DDC, the VGA Monitors icon is active, and you can use it to
select your monitor from a list of standard monitors.
If the VGA icon is dimmed, your computer has detected a DDC
compliant VGA monitor connected to your RADEON 8500 MAC
EDITION. You do not have to make a selection.
To Select a VGA Monitor
Select VGA Monitors from the ATI Displays control panel
Select your VGA model from the list of monitors in the left
panel of the VGA Monitors dialog box
A list of resolutions supported by your VGA monitor
appears in the right panel of the VGA Monitors dialog box.
You cannot select the monitor resolution using the
VGA Monitors dialog box. You must use the standard Mac OS
Monitors control panel.
NOTE
1
2
NOTE

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3D Memory Monitor
The 3D Memory Monitor shows how available memory in the
accelerator card is allocated when displaying 3D graphics.
Using the 3D Memory Monitor
When you open 3D graphics on your Mac OS computer, run the
3D Memory Monitor to see how your RADEON 8500 MAC
EDITION has allocated 3D memory.
To open the 3D Memory Monitor
Choose Control Panels from the Apple Menu, or choose ATI
Displays from the ATI Config Menu and skip to step 3
Select ATI Displays
Click on the 3D Memory icon
The 3D Memory Monitor shows you how the video memory on
your RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION is allocated between
display, textures, and buffers.
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Display
The Screen bar indicates the amount of graphics memory is
allocated to the display’s resolution and color depth. The
Desktop Pattern bar indicates the amount of memory used by
your desktop pattern.
To reduce the memory allocated to Display memory:
• change the color depth from millions to thousands
• decrease your screen resolution
Textures
The Texture bar indicates the number and size of texture maps
loaded by 3D applications to add realism to 3D models and
environments. The Bitmap bar indicates the memory allocated
to non-3D elements like 2D graphics. To reduce the memory
allocated to Texture memory, reduce the amount of textures in
your 3D graphics.
Buffers
The Back Buffer bar and the Z-buffer bar are directly related
to the size of the 3D window.
To reduce the memory allocated to Buffer memory:
• reduce the size of the display window containing
3D graphics
• reduce the number of the display windows containing 3D
graphics
Adaptive De-Interlacing
Adaptive de-interlacing smooths moving images captured from
an interlaced source and may improve the quality of DVD
movies.

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ATI HELP
ATI HELP is an additional source of information when you are
using the ATI Displays control panel.
Access the ATI HELP by clicking on the Apple HELP icon
on the ATI Displays control panel, or the ATI Config Menu.
From the ATI DISPLAYS GUIDE select RADEON then OPEN
RADEON HELP. Finally, select ATI HELP from the HELP
CENTER.
Select a topic from the main ATI HELP window to get detailed
instructions for a specific task. To return to the main ATI HELP
window, click the HOME icon in the upper-left corner of the
HELP window.
Customer Service
You can obtain Customer Service information by clicking the
ATI icon in the ATI Displays control panel. You can also
generate a problem report.
Please refer to the ATI DISPLAYS GUIDE for additional
instructions on generating a problem report.

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Using QuickTime Playback
The RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION’s QuickTime playback
acceleration allows you to stretch even the smallest movies to
full screen size without compromising frame rate or image
quality. RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION’s hardware scaler
maintains the original quality of your QuickTime movie when
scaling to a larger size – even full screen.
When the monitor is set to display in grayscale (Mac OS 9
only), QuickTime movies are not accelerated, nor are they
converted to color. When playing movies in thousands or
millions of colors, the ATI card utilizes the 3D engine’s
capabilities to scale and accelerate playback. When scaling
video, the RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION uses special
hardware techniques (bilinear filtering) to enhance the video
quality instead of just repeating pixels.
To use RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION’s playback acceleration,
you must have QuickTime version 5.0 or higher installed on
your computer.
NOTE

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Using Mac2TV™Video Out In Mac OS 9
The RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION’s Mac2TV Video Out
feature allows you to output your computer’s display to your
TV or VCR. Anything you can display on your monitor can be
output to TV.
• View computer output directly on your television with
advanced flicker reduction and artifact suppression
• Connect using Composite or S-Video output capabilities
• RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION provides a big-screen
experience for playing games, giving presentations, and
browsing the Internet
Using RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION’s TV/Video Out
Connector
To output your computer’s display to a TV
Turn off your computer and TV
Ensure your RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION is installed
correctly
Looking at the back of your Mac, locate your RADEON
8500 MAC EDITION
Determine if your TV has an S-Video or Composite video
input connection
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If your are using S-Video connection to the TV, attach one
end of an S-Video cable to the S-Video Out connection of
the RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION and the other end to
the S-Video In connector of your TV. If you are using
Composite, connect the supplied Video Out Adapter to the
S-Video connector of the RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION.
Then attach one end of your Composite cable to the
Composite connector and the other end to the Composite In
of your TV (see diagram above)
Turn on your TV then your Power Macintosh
Video Out
Connector
Video Out Adapter
Composite
Connector
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Now that you have connected your RADEON 8500 MAC
EDITION to a TV, you need to enable Mac2TV. For more
information, see “Enabling Mac2TV” on page 21.
To connect your computer’s display to a VCR to record to
video tape
Turn off your computer and VCR.
Ensure your RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION is installed
correctly
Looking at the back of your Mac, locate your RADEON
8500 MAC EDITION
Determine if your VCR has an S-Video or Composite video
input connection
If you are using S-Video attach, one end of an S-Video
cable to the S-Video Out connector of the RADEON 8500
MAC EDITION and the other end to the S-Video In
connector of your VCR. If you are using Composite
connect the supplied Video Out Adapter to the S-Video
connector of the RADEON 8500 MAC EDITION. Then
attach one end of your Composite cable to the Composite
connector and the other end to the Composite In of your
VCR (See diagram above)
Turn on your VCR, then your Power Macintosh and TV
NOTE
1
2
3
4
Video Out
Connector
Video Out Adapter
Composite
Connector
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6