Windows Graphics Foundation 2, the version of DirectX that will ship with Vista will be designed and based on the idea that the graphics card will have unified vertex and pixel pipelines. What is the latest progress involving the cooperation between ATI and Microsoft for the Vista OS?

Generally, while the API sets the feature set and defines how it can be used, it does not dictate to us how to integrate this feature set. There are some features in this upcoming API that we believe can be done more efficiently with a unified shader architecture, but such an architecture is not an absolute must have.

Our cooperation with Microsoft, the supplier of Microsoft Vista, as the supplier of the next generation API, as the supplier of the Xbox 360 etc. is very good. Not only because of one or the other, but because we know that only a good cooperation ensures the development of truly feature rich products.

What about the current Catalyst support for TCI (Trusted Computing Initiative)?

Our Catalyst drivers support Microsoft’s COPP API which includes support for Macrovision, CGMS-A and HDCP.

Does ATI use a third party chip to implement the required decryption for HD-DVD/Blu-ray playback under the Vista OS?

So far, we do not offer graphics adapters with HDMI output. However, there are of course plans to offer this feature and there are different possibilities to integrate HDCP and thus enable the playback of HDCP material, but at the moment I can’t say which way we will go.

Are there any plans for Blu-Ray playback support under Vista?

We will offer support for H.264 decoding and the flexibility of our video engine allows us to adapt new decoding algorithms when necessary.

ATI used to cooperate with Texas Instruments on chips in the past. What is the current status of the partnership with this company?

We cooperate with a lot of companies on a lot of projects, and it is quite possible that we did and still do cooperate with TI, but I would not be able to comment on the current state of our working relationship with them.

What should we expect after the Xbox 360 and CrossFire?

More new products with more new features and more performance. As always in the PC business, we are constantly researching new products and technologies. But to talk about them now would take away a lot of the fun, wouldn’t it?