Video Card: Matrox Parhelia Review :: New Features

I read more than a hundred pages about the new features and I tried them but I would like to summarize most important ones.

Text Anti-aliasing

Everybody use word processors. Accept it or not, it is the main thing you use computers for. It is possible to use an old ZX Spectrum - Amiga - Amstrad for what you are doing now. Can reading and writing get any better? Yes it can. Anti-aliasing for text is the new solution the Parhelia offers. It is like Windows XP's clear type feature but it is better. Matrox calls it Glyph anti-aliasing. When you check a letter like "A" you may notice the staircase like effect on the edges of the letter.

When you print something, the output is usually from 300dpi to 600dpi resolution. On the computer screen it is 96dpi. The staircase effect and lower resolutions make us prefer to print it and read it as 96dpi can be hard on the eyes when reading for a long time. We are browsing the internet for hours and hours, reading. What if it we could read smoother on computer screens? Anti-aliasing for text makes reading more pleasant. When you turn on the option, it oversamples the text and creates a transparent effect on some pixels. Our eyes see those small letters smoother. Text anti-aliasing is hardware accelerated by Matrox. You can enjoy this feature without performance penalty.

Hardware Displacement Mapping

Sounds complicated like all 3D features. I will try to simplify it. Press your hand in mud. You will leave a handprint. Professionals can use that print to recreate a model of your hand. Even a photo of that trace makes it easier to model your hand. It is like a topography map. System shapes 3D models by using this topography data, faster and easier. It could be use for outdoor modeling such as mountains, valleys or moving objects. Softwares and games are not utilizing this yet. So we have to wait to see it.

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