The GAV product line includes device driver kits with a modular driver architecture that enables hardware acceleration on 2D Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) in a very short timeframe. The GAV products include a shell driver that interfaces with OS and applications and a core driver that interfaces to the supported GPUs. This modular combination simplifies the driver implementation process and allows quick support for a variety of new and legacy GPUs.
The GAV product line is targeted at two types of customers. The first are device manufacturers or OEMs who need to support a variety of GPUs in their devices, while ensuring their software applications and their customer’s applications continue to run without modifications. The GAV product architecture ensures different GPUs behave in a similar fashion, thus preserving an application’s integrity. By utilizing the GAV product, OEMs minimize their software development risk and reduce their software maintenance and technical support costs. The second are GPU manufacturers who need to minimize their software development expense and schedules by utilizing a fast and efficient way to support multiple GPUs across the organization. Because only the core driver needs to be modified, the GAV product will help reduce the cost of prototype development.
The GAV products are built from a mature software technology called SNAP previously sold to OEMs and retail users by SciTech Software based in California. ARI acquired the software technology in December 2008, and is focusing its GAV product strategy on the Portable Electronic Devices (PED) market by adding support for OpenVG 2D and OpenSL ES audio.
Device Driver Kits include:
- All source code and binary libraries
- Documentation
- Automated test suite, driver validation and certification tools
- Supports OpenVG 1.1
- Supports Windows XP, WindowsCE, QNX, and Linux OS versions
- Supports multiple GPUs from manufacturers, including AMD (ATI), Intel and NVIDIA
- Support for x86, x86-64, Power PC, and ARM CPUs planned for 2009
- Full 2D software renderer
- Supports multiple displays
- Supports VESA Digital Packet Video Link (DPVL)
- Support for OpenSL ES 1.0 planned for 2009
- Supports AC97 audio devices
- Supports Windows XP, WindowsCE, and Linux OS versions
