You can see by the HARD facts that VTBook can give
you the opportunity to use your notebook as you've never imagined
possible.
Look at the range of compatible displays, the performance,
the power consumption, the weight. Look at the digital interface,
at the vast amount of video memory.
But look also at the soft facts: the 2D
and 3D acceleration, the advanced video modes, the custom controls,
the ever improving OS support.
Look at the facts and realize why everybody, at
the beginning of the VTBook project, was continuosly telling
us that a PCCard graphics card like this was impossible to build.
We've designed, built and delivered the impossible. And we've
made sure that you can enjoy all this technology with ease and
fun. It's even written on the VTBook case: Enjoy!
HARD facts...
Display compatibility
|
Display
support |
DVI
VGA with included DVI to VGA adapter
ADC with optional DVI to ADC adapter
HDMI with optional DVI to HDMI adapter
|
Predefined video
modes |
130+ |
Custom video modes |
Read from display |
Every display with a DVI plug can be directly connected to VTBook.
VGA displays can be connected with the supplied VGA-to-DVI adapter.
ADC displays require an optional ADC-to-DVI adapter: for best
quality at higher resolutions we recommend Apple's DVI-toADC
adapter.
Maximum supported resolutions |
|
VGA |
DVI/ADC |
DualDisplay* |
Overall |
2048x1280 |
1920x1200 |
1280x1024 (x2) |
At 32 bit |
1600x1200 |
1920x1200 |
1024x768 (x2) |
At 85 Hz |
1600x1200 |
- |
- |
At 100 Hz |
1280x1024 |
- |
- |
Hardware Specs
|
Graphics
Chip |
Trident XP2 |
Memory |
32 MB 266MHz DDR |
Bus |
CardBus 32bit |
Connectors |
PC Card Type II, DVI-I (DVI-D and DVI-A
compatible) and VGA (with included adapter) |
Dimensions |
126 x 54 x 15 mm, 4.96 x 2.13 x 0.59 inch (without DVI
to VGA adapter) |
Weight |
Board only: 68 gr (2.4 oz) - Including
adapter and case: 218 gr (7.7 oz) |
Electrical Specs |
Power
Consumption |
3W peak; approx
2W average; 0W sleep |
Minimum required
voltage |
2.98V (measured inside VTBook
at peak power consumption) |
Impact on battery
life |
Reduced by about 4-8% when
notebook runs on battery |
Environmental requirements |
Max
Operating Temp Range |
0 to 65°C
inside the notebook
0 to 80°C inside VTBook |
Max Non Operating
Temp Range |
-20 to 65°C |
Max Humidity Range |
5% to 95% |
... and soft facts
| Software
Specs |
|
Mac OS
9.2.x |
Mac OS
10.x |
Win
2000 |
Win
XP |
Linux
|
2D
Acceleration |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
3D
Acceleration |
- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
DVD/Video
Accel. |
- |
(1) |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
Dual
Display support* |
- |
- |
Yes(2) |
Yes |
- |
Hot
Plug |
Yes |
(1) |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
Hot
Unplug |
Yes |
(1) |
- |
Yes |
- |
Display
Hot Plug |
- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
Adv.
Power Manager |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Panning
resolutions |
Yes |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Read monitor timings |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
Onboard
scaler |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
- |
- |
Custom
control panel |
Yes |
- |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
MultiDisplay
Software |
- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
Portrait
resolutions |
- |
- |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
Virtual
DualDisplay res.* |
- |
- |
Yes |
Yes |
- |
Languages |
E,D,I,J |
E,D,I,J |
E,D |
E,D |
E |
(1) Not supported yet. For more information please
check the
VTBook FAQ
(2) Only in Virtual DualDisplay mode
It's getting better and better
The VTBook is a state-of-the-art product: it is designed to
be the best PCCard graphics card ever built.
In fact, VTBook is so advanced that we took almost by surprise
the biggest operating system vendors. As a result, not all OS
versions already fully support hot plug and hot unplug of a PCCard
graphics card.
In time this situation will become better and better, since
we are working with all operating system vendors to improve OS
support for the VTBook.
In the meanwhile, use the following chart to know whether you
can hot plug or hot unplug the VTBook on your OS.
Operational instructions |
Notebook
status |
|
|
|
Plug VTBook
|
Mac OS 9.2.x |
OK(1) |
OK |
OK |
Mac OS 10.2.x |
- |
- |
OK |
Mac OS 10.3.x and later |
(2) |
(2) |
OK |
MS-Windows 2000 |
OK |
OK |
OK |
MS-Windows XP |
OK |
OK |
OK |
Unplug VTBook
|
Mac OS 9.2.x |
OK(3) |
- |
OK |
Mac OS 10.2.x |
- |
- |
OK |
Mac OS 10.3.x
and later |
(2) |
- |
OK |
MS-Windows
2000 |
- |
- |
OK |
MS-Windows
XP |
OK |
OK |
OK |
(1) 2D acceleration will not be activated
(2) Supported under certain circumstances. Please
check the VTBook FAQ for more
information
(3) Prior to unplug, move the PC Card icon to the
Trash
System requirements - Macintosh
|
O.S. |
Mac OS 9.2.2
Mac OS X 10.2.8/10.3.9/10.4.7/10.5.0 |
Hardware |
PowerBook with a CardBus slot and a
supported operating system. |
System requirements - Windows
|
O.S. |
Windows 2000 or Windows XP Home/Professional |
Hardware |
Notebook with a PC Card Type II slot
supporting CardBus |
System requirements - DualDisplay
|
In addition
to a standard Windows configuration, DualDisplay requires:
- A VTBook DualDisplay Cable
- One VGA display
- One DVI display
|
Product codes |
VTBook |
11080
|
DVI
to VGA adapter |
11085 |
Included accessories |
| VT MultiDisplay |
| DVI to VGA
adapter |
| "Magic
Box" Carrying Case |
Optional accessories |
| VTBook DualDisplay Cable Stationary
Edition |
| VTBook DualDisplay Cable Mobile
Edition |
*Requires the VTBook DualDisplay cable,
sold separately.
Specifications may change
without notice. We reserve the right to improve VTBook whenever
we feel like to.
Why this is good for you
A brief explanation of the main specs
A PCCard graphics card: you
can add another display to your notebook! You just need an empty
PCCard slot and a compatible operating system.
32MB Video RAM: you can use
very large displays in millions of colors! Add up to 2 millions
of pixels to your visualization environment.
DDR RAM technology: DDR technology
means faster memory transfers with the lowest impact on power
consumption. The best choice for a CardBus card.
DVI-i connector: DVI-i means
both DVI and VGA on a single connector. This solution, thanks
to the included DVI-to-VGA adapter, makes VTBook immediately
connectable with the vast majority of existing displays.
DVI compatibility: you can
experience the best video quality available, and leverage the
advantages of digital technology as thinner wires, longer distances
and no quality drop due to cables. And VTBook can support even
a 23" display in pure digital technology!
VGA compatibility: VGA displays
can be connected to VTBook using the included DVI-to-VGA adapter.
This is a custom-made adapter with extra thick shielding and
extra thick gold plating for contacts: it can withstand up to
5000 connect-disconnect cycles with virtually no effect on the
analog signal.
ADC compatibility: ADC displays
can be connected to VTBook using an DVI-to-ADC adapter (not included).
VTBook supports all the beautiful Apple displays in millions
of colors, including the 23” Apple Cinema HD Display. Moreover,
on Mac OS, VTBook is capable of displaying non-native resolutions
thanks to its hardware scaler.
Please note that for best quality when using high resolutions
we recommend the DVI-ADC adapter made by Apple.
Under 70 grams (Under 115 with
the VGA adapter): carry the VTBook wherever you want for a fraction
of the weight of your notebook.
Nonstandard resolutions: connect
the widest possible range of displays in the market. If you find
a display that is perfect for you work, the VTBook will use it
at its best, even where other graphics card fail. VTBook supports
more than 100 resolution, including support for widescreen, portrait
and pivotable displays.
Speed: no other graphics card
powered by the PCCard slot can achieve the same 2D and 3D performance
as the VTBook.
Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X drivers:
every PowerBook with a CardBus compatible PC-Card slot has been
tested and can be used with VTBook. VTBook leverages the best
technical aspects of the venerable Mac OS 9 and of the advanced
Mac OS X operating systems to provide best possible performance
and user experience.
Windows XP and Windows 2000 drivers:
these two versions of Windows are the first to provide a good
support to multidisplay setups on notebooks and a good support
to PC-Card graphics cards. VTBook on Windows XP and 2000 supports
hot plug but not unplug: Village Tronic is actively working to
improve the drivers.
2D acceleration: This is a
feature particularly important on a CardBus video card: good
2D acceleration guarantees the most efficient usage of the available
bandwidth. Thanks to 2D acceleration, available on both Mac OS
and Windows platforms, VTBook can display a snappy user interface
even using high resolutions.
3D Acceleration: VTBook offers
true OpenGL acceleration on both Mac OS X and Windows and, obviously
only on Windows, DirectX 8.1 acceleration. VTBook’s 3D
acceleration can’t be as fast as modern video cards because
of the PC-Card slot’s power constraints. But, while VTBook
is not a card for gaming, its 3D acceleration capabilities become
more useful as more and more applications (and operating systems)
use 3D for their user interface and to produce their visual outputs.
Low Power Consumption: VTBook
can enable all of its features on any notebook fully CardBus
compliant. But as soon as a feature is not required, its adaptive
power management turns it off to improve battery life and lower
the working temperature.
Integration: all of these features
are perfectly integrated with your operating system and all the
most advanced technologies available from display manufacturers.
This means no unnecessary configurations and the ability to use.
with ease and fun, at their best all the hardware and software
you have.
