AOpen officially announced it?s next generation graphic display driver software -- the ?NVIDIA ForceWare Release 70 graphics driver? today.

The graphic display driver software is the first software driver which has been certified according to new Windows Hardware Qualification Labs (WHQL) standards.

ForceWare Release 70 is a top-notched Windows XP 64-bit graphic display software driver which supports the latest Scalable Link Interface (SLI) technology, new PureVideo Notebook and Home Theater features.

The SLI technology allows a user to plug two NVIDIA graphic display cards supporting the SLI standard into a computer to double its video display capability. ?A user buying video display cards supporting SLI technology is buying the future,? said Jonathan Yen, senior channel manager of Networking & Multimedia Dept.

Before the SLI technology was introduced, upgrading the video display card means a user have to discard his or her display adapter currently in use and purchase a new one. Display cards built with the SLI technology allows a user to double the display capability by adding a newer version of display card supporting the SLI standard, Yen stated. With two display cards installed to a computer, the computer is able to utilize the power of two graphic processing units (GPUs).

The ForceWare Release 70 graphics driver provides extra power to the gaming enthusiast. NVIDIA has improved its SLI technology by including more than 60 top games. In addition, NVIDIA added a custom SLI applet that will let consumers configure the SLI technology profiles and game set-up to meet their individual needs.

SLI-certified GPUs feature dedicated, built-in SLI hardware and take advantage of the additional bandwidth of the PCI Express bus architecture. Connected by the SLI connector, each GPU has a maximized connection pathway, and can leverage the second card for reaching top-speed performances on a single display. Professional users can also take advantage of SLI technology on dual NVIDIA Quadro GPUs to span an OpenGL window across multiple displays. Unlike previous dual-card solutions, NVIDIA SLI can output in both digital and analog formats for the highest image quality.

The ForceWare Release 70 software driver supports New PureVideo Notebook and Home Theatre Features.

The new features supported by the PureVideo Technology include: 1) LCD panel overdrive, to alleviate panel ghosting artifacts with fast moving video on notebooks displays; 2) Color temperature correction to better enrich colors for notebook customers; 3) Second generation Consumer Electronic display support (EIA-861b timings), which will allow end users to connect any NVIDIA GPU to any high definition flat panel display; 4) An easy-to-use HDTV setup wizard with more options, allowing users to maximize their video quality.

AOpen is among the first companies to ship the WHQL 64-bit graphics driver. Using the industry leading unified driver architecture, ForceWare Release 70 brings 64-bit support to both NVIDIA consumer and workstation product families. By delivering a complete feature set and performance equal to 32-bit drivers, the NVIDIA 64-bit driver leads the way for OEM customers and industry partners to transition into the world of 64-bit computing. AOpen has worked closely with its key partners to enable full hardware support for the latest generation of 64-bit architectures and applications in the ForceWare Release 70 drivers. In addition, 64-bit technology will allow the game developer community more flexibility to add exciting effects with larger bit depth and will offer the professional application developer increased memory space for creating more complex models.