ATARI INTRODUCES FIRST COMPUTER SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR PERSONAL INTEGRATED MEDIA Atari Falcon030(tm) brings high-end capabilities to the market for less than $1,000. Boston (September 23, 1992) Atari Corporation today announced the first available personal integrated media system, the Atari Falcon030 computer. From education to entertainment, personal integrated media (PIM) has the potential to change consumers' lives as dramatically as personal computers changed business offices. The system will be available in November at authorized Atari Dealers across the country. A full scale computer based on the powerful 16 Mhz Motorola 68030 microprocessor, the Atari Falcon030 is specifically designed for personal integrated media functions. It gives even inexperienced users the ability to combine and manipulate video, audio, animation, telecommunications, text and graphics. The system is optimized for these functions and incorporates technology usually reserved for high- end production systems. "The Atari Falcon030 is an ideal entry into the new and growing personal integrated media market," said Sam Tramiel, Atari's president and CEO. "It's a powerful system that gives users access to a whole new world of applications. Yet the system remains easy-to-use and affordable." Consumers will be able to use the Atari Falcon030 as a color video phone, communicating in sound and pictures with other Atari Falcon030 users. The system makes it possible to create home videos complete with text and music, record lead vocals on a favorite rock 'n roll classic with the originals musicians playing along; narrate and score a family photo album, produce a visual family tree, invent and play an adventure game set in a childhood home; and much more. Atari Falcon030 users have immediate access to advanced PIM capabilities thanks to the following features: ||| Atari's Graphic Environment Manager (GEM) and built in graphics co-processor ||| A true color mode that includes more than 65,000 colors, twice the capability of the Apple MacIntosh LCII ||| The industry's only standard-equipped MIDI input/output ports ||| 16-bit stereo sound- input and output- for the highest quality reproductions available at sample rates up to 50 kHz ||| Built-in composite and RF video outputs for easy connection to video cassette recorders ||| External video sync for high quality genlocking ||| Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects ||| Software for PIM applications such as desktop video productions, animations, music and entertainment. No other computer provides this level of performance and PIM capabilities at a more economical price. Applications Highlights PIM technology will make thousands of new capabilities possible. There are already hundreds of software applications available for the Atari Falcon030, making it easy for users to accomplish a variety of new goals. Movie Quality Video With the Atari Falcon030, users can explore new avenues in home video, from inserting titles and credits to professional quality editing. They can create music videos, cartoons, and school presentations. The Atari Falcon030 offers state of the art graphics, true color 16-bit mode allowing up to 640x480 resolution and a display of up to 65,536 on- screen colors. It accepts external video synch for high quality genlocking, and uses a unique overlay mode for effortless titling and special effects. In addition, users can obtain composite video signals directly from the Falcon030. High Quality Video Atari takes the music-industry standard -MIDI- one step further. The only company to provide MIDI as a standard system component, the Atari Falcon030 also incorporates Motorola's 56001 digital signal processor (DSP) for the highest quality audio and special effects capabilities, allowing users to remove lead vocals and create their own Karoke machine or run music educations programs. The Atari Falcon030 provides users with features that are usually restricted to expensive, high-end machines. But without any additional equipment, Atari Falcon030 users can record on two stereo tracks and add graphic equalization and special effects such as surround sound, harmonizing, reverberation, and echo. Pricing and Availability The Atari Falcon030 is a simple to use computer that doesn't require add-on boards or other costly optional hardware. The Atari Falcon030 already includes exactly what users need. The machine offers a wealth of ports for communicating with existing peripherals, and application software for the Atari Falcon030 is readily available. Priced at $799 with 1 MB of RAM, the Atari Falcon030 is ideal for users who want a powerful, efficient, and cost-effective tool that can take advantage of today's technologies. The system will be available in November through authorized Atari dealers. Atari Corporation (AMEX:ATC) is a worldwide manufacturer and marketer of palmtop through desktop computer systems. The company sells it's systems, peripherals, and software through authorized distributors, resellers and integrators. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari Falcon030, TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk and BLiTTER, are trademarks of Atari Corporation. Motorola is a registered trademark of Motorola, Inc. Atari Falcon030 Specifications Contact: Sue Baelen or Anne Ellingsen Ron Smith or Bill Rehbock Redgate Communications Atari Corporation (415) 777-3911 (408) 745-2000 (415) 777-0896 - Fax (408) 745-2088 - Fax System Architecture ------------------- ||| Motorola 68030 operating at 16Mhz ||| On-chip demand-paged memory management ||| Seperate on-chip 256-byte instruction and data caches ||| Independent address and data buses for increased performance ||| Pipelined architecture ||| 32-bit data/address bus ||| 1, 4 or 14 MB RAM configurations ||| 512K internal ROM; 128K external cartridge Sound ----- ||| Eight 16-bit digital audio DMA record and playback channels with up to 50kHz sampling rate ||| Stereo 16-bit digital DMA audio input/output ||| SDMA sound/DMA co-processor Digital Signal Processor ------------------------ ||| Motorola 56001 DSP operating at 32 MHz ||| 96 MOPS performance at 32 MHz ||| 32K words of 0 wait-state static RAM ||| DSP connector allows easy connection of low-cost 19.2K baud fax/data modems, voice mail systems, direct-to-disk digital audio recorders, JPEG/MPEG image compression, etc. Graphics -------- ||| 640 x 480 resolution and 256 colors in Super VGA ||| True color 16-bit mode allows display of up to 65,536 colors ||| Accepts extermal video sync signal to allow high-quality genlocking ||| Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects ||| Optional overscan ||| 262,144 possible colors ||| Hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling ||| BLiTTER graphics co-processor Expansion Bus ------------- ||| Internal direct processor slot for 386SX PC emualtion, DMA co- processors, etc. ||| Optional processor socket for other co-processors Standard Ports -------------- ||| SCSI II port with Direct Memory Access (DMA) ||| High-speed LocalTalk-compatible LAN port ||| Connector for analog RGB color (VGA or ST) or composite video ||| RS232C serial port ||| Bi-directional parallel port (also suitable for image scanners) ||| Cartridge poet (128K capacity) ||| MIDI in/out ||| Minature stereo plug input/output ||| Four 9-pin joystick connectors ||| Two 15-pin enhanced digital/analog controller and light pen connectors Data Storage ------------ ||| 1.44 MB floppy disk drive ||| MS-DOS-format compatibility ||| Optional internal IDE hard drive User Interface -------------- ||| Standard QWERTY keyboard layout. Low profile, sculptured ergonomic design ||| 94/5 keys; 10 function keys. Seperate numeric and cursor keypads ||| Keyboard processor to reduce CPU overhead ||| 2-button mouse supplied as standard System Software --------------- ||| Pre-emptive multitasking with adaptive prioritization (MultiTOS) ||| Inter-process commuication through MultiTOS messages and pipes ||| TOS operating system in ROM ||| Hierarchical file system with subdirectories and path names ||| Icon-based graphical user interface with self-explanatory command functions ||| Online help ||| Multiple window user interface with icons and drop-down menus ||| NewDesk desktop and eXtensible Control panel allows customization by user