ExpertColor Multimedia Corp.
ExpertColor was the US division of DataExpert, based in Taiwan. DataExpert was established in 1987 as a specialist in multimedia products. With outlets in Taiwan, Hong Kong, USA, Netherlands and Austria, they promoted their branded line of ExpertColor video accelerators and sound cards designed to meet a wide range of multimedia needs.
It is likely they also used the brand name of ExpertMedia, since the model numbers are very similar.
They also produced a number of motherboards with are not covered at DOS Days: EXP8661, EXP8P61, Aristo 5000 and Aristo 6000 - all Pentium and Pentium Pro boards.
Their head office was located at 990 Richard Avenue, Suite #118, Santa Clara, CA 95050, USA. Tel: (408) 727-9888, Fax: (408) 727-6088. Email: info@expertcolor.com, Web Site: www.expertcolor.com
On this page are the following models:
Sound Cards | Graphics Cards |
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MED3139 (199x) MED3201 (1995) MED3240 (1995) MED3700/MED3719 (1996) MED3931 (1996) MED6617 (?) MED6724 (1999/2000) |
Canarias 2000 (CA2220/CA2212) (1995) Canarias 3000 (CA3224/3240) (1995) Laguna 5000 (1995) DSV3365 / ViRGE 3000 (1997) DSV3365 v2 / Trio 2000 (1997) DSI5326 (1997) DSV5357 (1998) DSV5366 3DVenus (1998) DSV5390 (1998) |
Sound Cards
MED3139..
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MED3201Introduced: March 1995 ExpertColor MED3201 is a Windows 95 Plug & Play-compatible 3D Surround and 32-voice wavetable card. Its design is based on the AMD InterWave AMD78C200 chipset. It also includes optional software to support Voice-Over Network for interactive voice communications over the Internet "3D Surround, Wavetable Surround Solution
To download drivers for this card, go to the Downloads page. |
MED3240Introduced: 1995 A sound card with Ad Lib, Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, Windows Sound System and MPU-401 compatibility. The card above has a label on the rear: "Binaura Corporation" More Images |
MED3700 / MED3719 Introduced: October 1996 The MED3700 is a software-based 32-polyphony wavetable sound card with a Yamaha 16-bit OPL3 full-duplex FM synthesizer audio chip.
Features "ExpertColor targets all segments in the Multimedia market with a complete line of sound cards this timeTAIPEI, Taiwan - October 15, 1996
In continuing efforts to make readily accessible and more affordable for a broader range of customers, DataExpert, the leading manufacturer of VGA cards, now announced the introduction of two new sound cards: ExpertColor( MED3931 and MED3700. This latest addition gives the user a chance to choose among a complete line of sound cards ranging from inexpensive FM synthesizer to high-end Wavetable features. Not until recently, many sound cards began to use chips that simulate 3D audio (or surround sound), which adds depth to the audio, independent of the speaker. And, this is only the first step. The second-generation of 3D audio chips will even produce interactive audio, sounds that correlate to the action on screen. What differentiates one sound card from another is the way it "produces" sounds. Synthesis replicates musical instruments and uses much less memory than sampling. The software issues a command to play, say, a C-flat on a piano. But instead of playing a recording, the synthesizer emulates a piano sound. This kind of music synthesis is based on the premise that different instruments produce unique sound waves. One method, FM synthesis, combines sine waves to produce wave forms characteristic of various instruments. Though, it sounds "synthetic", it offers incredible sound images. The next step up in the audio chain is wavetable synthesis. Wavetable synthesizers depend on sippets of instrument sounds stored in ROM. Because it's impractical to record and store every conceivable sound out of every instrument, sound card suppliers instead provide samples in ROM and instruct the synthesizer to manipulate them to play the desired notes. The newly introduced sound cards of DataExpert, ExpertColor MED3931 and MED3700, uses advanced technologies to upgrade the sound quality of FM synthesis through Software Wavetable. Based on OPTI and Yamaha chipset, respectively, both cards provides 3D surround sound, capable of bringing forth and incredible sound image through only two conventional speakers. Also, full duplex feature support, to allow voice communication over Internet Phone and simultaneous recording and playback of PC Audio. Bundled with a multi-language version Audio Session utility for easy audio control, these cards are ideal for customers looking for a lower cost 3D Surround Sound solution while making the transition from FM synthesis to Wavetable. Though, for the high-end market, DataExpert produces ExpertColor MED3201, based on the AMD InterWave chipset to experience a fuller, more substantial stereo field. But no matter which card you chose, any of this card can ensure you to sit back and enjoy the superior sound capabilities when you play your all time favorite music hits, or experience realistic sound effects in popular games and applications." ExpertColor press release, October 1996
To download drivers for this card, go to the Downloads page. |
MED3931Introduced: October 1996
"ExpertColor targets all segments in the Multimedia market with a complete line of sound cards this timeTAIPEI, Taiwan - October 15, 1996
In continuing efforts to make readily accessible and more affordable for a broader range of customers, DataExpert, the leading manufacturer of VGA cards, now announced the introduction of two new sound cards: ExpertColor( MED3931 and MED3700. This latest addition gives the user a chance to choose among a complete line of sound cards ranging from inexpensive FM synthesizer to high-end Wavetable features. Not until recently, many sound cards began to use chips that simulate 3D audio (or surround sound), which adds depth to the audio, independent of the speaker. And, this is only the first step. The second-generation of 3D audio chips will even produce interactive audio, sounds that correlate to the action on screen. What differentiates one sound card from another is the way it "produces" sounds. Synthesis replicates musical instruments and uses much less memory than sampling. The software issues a command to play, say, a C-flat on a piano. But instead of playing a recording, the synthesizer emulates a piano sound. This kind of music synthesis is based on the premise that different instruments produce unique sound waves. One method, FM synthesis, combines sine waves to produce wave forms characteristic of various instruments. Though, it sounds "synthetic", it offers incredible sound images. The next step up in the audio chain is wavetable synthesis. Wavetable synthesizers depend on sippets of instrument sounds stored in ROM. Because it's impractical to record and store every conceivable sound out of every instrument, sound card suppliers instead provide samples in ROM and instruct the synthesizer to manipulate them to play the desired notes. The newly introduced sound cards of DataExpert, ExpertColor MED3931 and MED3700, use advanced technologies to upgrade the sound quality of FM synthesis through Software Wavetable. Based on OPTI and Yamaha chipset, respectively, both cards provide 3D surround sound, capable of bringing forth an incredible sound image through only two conventional speakers. Also, full duplex feature support, to allow voice communication over Internet Phone and simultaneous recording and playback of PC Audio. Bundled with a multi-language version Audio Session utility for easy audio control, these cards are ideal for customers looking for a lower cost 3D Surround Sound solution while making the transition from FM synthesis to Wavetable. Though, for the high-end market, DataExpert produces ExpertColor MED3201, based on the AMD InterWave chipset to experience a fuller, more substantial stereo field. But no matter which card you chose, any of these cards can ensure you to sit back and enjoy the superior sound capabilities when you play your all time favorite music hits, or experience realistic sound effects in popular games and applications." ExpertColor press release, October 1996
SNDINIT can be run in command-line mode with the /b argument to avoid going into the user interface. When SNDINIT is run with /b, it shows the configuration settings that are stored on the card's EEPROM chip: The 'mode' the card can run in is either 'Sound Blaster Pro' mode, or 'Windows Sound System' mode. To download drivers for this card, go to the Downloads page. More Images |
MED6617Introduced: 1997 The MED6617 is based on the S3 Sonic Vibes chipset which provides an OPL3 clone which S3 called "S3FM" in addition to a hardware wavetable that uses system RAM to hold the instrument patch set. This patch set uses the .DLS file format which is the same as that used with Aureal Vortex cards. Features:
Other cards that were based on the S3 Sonic Vibes chipset include Turtle Beach Daytona, and Aztech SC128 3D. For information on the S3 Sonic Vibes audio accelerator chipset, go to the S3 page. To download drivers for this card, go to the Downloads page. More Images |
MED6724Introduced: 1999/2000? The MED6724 is based on the OPL4 Yamaha YMF724E FM synthesizer chip. Features:
To download drivers for this card, go to the Downloads page. More Images |
Graphics Cards
DSV3365 / ViRGE 3000Introduced: 1997? ViRGE 3000
The ExpertColor Series DSV3365 accelerates most standard video playback decommpression algorithms for commerical CD-ROM titles MPEG,Motion JPEG,Indeo,CD-i,VCD 2.0 and other video stream compatible playback device with color space conversion,scaling and dithering to enhance the user interface with software MPEG Playback Utility bundled. Users can enjoy higher frames rates supports up to 30 fps motion video quality on Pentium-based Computers using software MPEG Playback. DSV3365 Color space conversion convert YUV data dtream to RGB stream for scaling engine to provide up to 4 timers the size of the original video imaghe without visible degradation and image compression to scale images down to the size required to meet disk drive bandwidth requirements. DSV3365 PCI Video Cards also implement the Intelligent Monitor-sense output with bulid-in comparstors to support the VESA Display Data Channel(DDC2) that permits the transfer of ID, resolution and refresh rate in two ways communication between the Video card and Monitor along to Windows 95 and then automatically configures the monitor to operate at its optimal level. DSV3365 bundled User-Friendly ExpertColor VGA Control Panel will allows changing any resolution, color depth and refresh rates within Windows just by a click of the mouse easily. Table of display resolutions, colors and refresh frequency
Software Drivers Included : |
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Canarias 2000 (CA2220/2212)Introduced: 1997 A solution for Video Conferencing and MPEG-2 Video Stream Playback.
CANARIAS 2000 is a PCI Bus 2.1, Entertainment PC 97 compliance, 64-bit Multimedia Accelerator solution with TV-output feature to deliver robust TV, movie, presentation and gaming experiences. It supports VGA, NTSC/PAL TV-output with patented flicker-free technology for 640x480 60Hz output to NTSC and 800x600/640x480 50Hz output to PAL TV system. It supports output to VGA, composite, and S-Video connectors simultaneously. A VGA output to VGA monitor, an AV port and a composite, and S-Video port for TV display are provided for its multi-purposes output capabilities. It supports 2 hardware Video Windows capabilities for 2 simultaneous different display at the same time with video quality enhanced by Hardware Vertical Interpolation for jagged edge smoothing and filtering. It supports playback of MPEG-1, VCD 2.0 Interactive titles, MPEG 2 Video stream, live video and video capture format. |
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Canarias 3000 (CA3224/3240)Introduced: 1995 S3 ViRGE 3D Graphics Accelerator Card with TV-out Multimedia
To download drivers for this card, go to the Downloads page. |
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Laguna 5000Introduced: 1995 3D Graphics Accelerator with RAMBus memory
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DSV3365 v2 / Trio 2000Introduced: 1997
To download drivers for this card, go to the Downloads page. |
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DSI5326Introduced: 1997 The DataExpert DSI5326 was built around the SiS 6326 graphics accelerator.
Table of display resolutions, colors and refresh frequency :
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DSV5357Introduced: 1998 The DataExpert DSV5357 was built around the S3 ViRGE/GX2 graphics accelerator.
ViRGE GX2 Advanced 3D Technology:
Table of display resolutions, colors and refresh frequency :
*4 MB memory installed |
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DSV5366 3DVenusIntroduced: 1998 The DataExpert DSV5366 was built around the S3 Trio3D graphics accelerator.
Table of display resolutions, colors and refresh frequency :
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DSV5390Introduced: 1998 The DataExpert DSV5390 was built around the S3 Savage3D graphics accelerator.
Table of display resolutions, colors and refresh frequency :
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