Ultra SCSI for Multimedia I/O

Multimedia users need SCSI
With so much new multimedia content available today from the Internet, and the trend towards multitasking operating systems like Windows 9X and Windows NT 4.0, Ultra SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) must be identified as a key component of today's high-performance multimedia PC. Diamond's new FirePort™ 40 PCI Ultra SCSI Host Adapter can give your system the I/O bandwidth needed for the most demanding multimedia applications, and lets you connect to the broadest range of new, high-performance multimedia peripherals available today.

Sounds great. But what is Ultra SCSI?
Ultra SCSI is simply the latest version of a long-standing industry standard I/O connectivity bus: It doubles the performance of the older SCSI standard, and allows for the simultaneous connection of wide range of I/O devices to your PC. Ultra SCSI is backward compatible with the older SCSI standards, so Ultra SCSI host adapters like the FirePort 40 will allow you to connect both older SCSI devices, such as CD-ROM and tape drives, and also the latest high-capacity, high-speed Ultra SCSI hard drives.

SCSI Terminology
One of the great things about SCSI is that it is an established, stable standard that has been enhanced by new technology without sacrificing legacy compatibility with older SCSI products. Although it presents a new set of terms for the newcomer to learn, its not too difficult to grasp SCSI "lingo" if you have a handy reference like the chart below:

Don't worry if you're still confused. The FirePort 40 can help, because it supports all of these!

Benefits of SCSI for Multimedia
Not only is SCSI a tried and true standard that provides great reliability and interoperability, but there the SCSI user will immediately experience the following benefits:

Performance
Improved performance is the most obvious advantage of SCSI. With Ultra-wide SCSI you can transfer data at speeds up to 40MB per second, almost 3 times faster than the fastest EIDE system. Additionally, SCSI host adapters improve overall system performance much in the same way graphics accelerators do, by off-loading I/O processing tasks from the system CPU. This is particularly important in multitasking OS environments like Windows NT 4.0, where system performance must be matched to hard disk access speed and high-capacity storage.

Connectivity
Not only does it speed up your PC with faster data I/O and less CPU overhead, but SCSI also makes it easy to connect multiple hard drives or other peripherals to the same PC; up to 15 peripherals in some cases. And these devices can be located up to several yards from your PC. Finally, the broadly available PCI bus makes host adapters like the FirePort 40 fully plug-and-play and easy to install. Compatibility and Choice of Peripherals Because of SCSI's long history the user is guaranteed a well established base of both internal and external PC peripherals to choose from, including fast, high-capacity hard drives, CD-ROM drives, CD-R drives, scanners, DVD, tape drives, removable hard drives, plotters, DAT and more. And with SCSI popularity growing rapidly, SCSI users can be confident that they will have broad application software support and compatibility with the most popular operating systems like Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0.

Multimedia I/O Acceleration
Diamond's FirePort 40 PCI Ultra SCSI host adapter was designed to give the Windows 95 and NT 4.0 multimedia user all of the benefits of fast SCSI performance, plus the advantages of compatibility with virtually any SCSI device and excellent industry support. Combine FirePort 40 with Diamond's high-speed modems, 2D/3D graphics accelerators and PCI audio products, and you'll have a system that truly accelerates multimedia from the Internet all the way to your display!