Full-featured, upgradeable video card
When it comes to innovation, the company that exemplifies this idea is our beloved Apple Computer, but there are others who strive not imitate, but to revolutionize. Village Tronic represents one such example, as an Amiga-turned-Macintosh hardware developer that's doing things with video cards that have never been done before. The MacPicasso 540 is the company's flagship 2D card, combining several unique and powerful features into a sub-$200 package.
The MP 540 ships in an attractive package that highlights some of the card's features. Inside, an installation floppy and the manual accompany the card. The manual covers everything from installation to specifics, but the translation from German to English leaves something to be desired, making it a bit harder to read. Installation of the hardware follows the standard PCI card procedure, but the software installation is poorly designed and requires you to install the drivers and the remaining software separately.
A 100 MHz Harlekin chip with 4 MB of SG-RAM powers the MP 540, and while it doesn't offer exceptional 2D acceleration, it does 
enable some capabilities not found in other video cards. Among these is the Speed Screen feature, which increases your workspace without changing the resolution (similar to a feature found on many Wintel machines). The viewing area then automatically and effortlessly scrolls when the mouse is placed on the edge, all done via the MP 540 which means it doesn't put any strain on your processor. Speed Screen is a great option for users who find themselves running out of workspace but can't afford purchasing a larger monitor, although the casual user may find it a drag to have to use the mouse to scroll a document that extends the full height of the Speed Screen resolution.
With its 4 MB, the MP 540 supports 24-bit color at any standard resolution (512x460 to 1152x768) and will support 8-bit depth at 1600x1200 to 2432x1712, the latter resolution being achieved via the Speed Screen option. The MP 540 supports almost any monitor via it's dual 15-pin Mac and PC ports, along with its Monitors & Picasso application which enables older workstation "Sync on Green" monitors to function properly on a Mac.
Monitors & Picasso is another one of the MP 540's high points. The software offers a plethora of options not found in the standard Monitors & Sound control, including the ability to select more available resolutions and their respective refresh rates. With two or monitors, however, video mirroring was trickier to achieve than with the Monitors & Sound control panel. Also included in Monitors & Picasso is a timings feature which allows for virtually every imaginable attribute of a screen to be altered, from horizontal and vertical syncing to pixel clock options, further enabling obscure monitors to work properly on your Mac. For most users, though, this option will be considered overkill.
One draw back of having so many possible resolutions and refresh rates (everything from 60 Hz to an astounding 160 Hz) is that programs which auto-switch the resolution when launched may select a refresh rate that your monitor doesn't support, causing your screen to go black. The remedy to this problem is to switch the resolution prior to launching the program, then selecting the "Lock Video Mode" which prevents the resolution and refresh rate from changing (color bit depth still can). Still, this creates a hassle for the user who might find himself following that procedure (then undoing it when completed) every time a game or other resolution-switching program is launched. One undocumented way of speeding up the process is to hold down the option key when selecting the resolution, which will simultaneously enable you to switch the refresh rate, rather than doing each one separately, but a hot key to lock the video mode would be even more convenient since it would eliminate the need to launch Monitors & Picasso.
While rudimentary 2D tasks were sped up, such as screen redraws and scrolling, the card lacked the Photoshop acceleration gusto that most professionals would be looking for. 
Only a few seconds were saved in Photoshop when complex filters were applied to a 5 MB image at 1152x768: the standard video of the PowerCenter completed the outer bevel task in 42 seconds while the MacPicasso 540 did it in 40. The benefits were greater at lower resolutions, but not noticeably so. However, the MP 540 did an exceptional job with movie playback, achieving 30 FPS with a full screen, 1024x768 QuickTime and MPEG movies, while the standard video sputtered along at an average 8 FPS under QuickTime 3.0 Pro.
Village Tronic threw in one more enormous feature for its MP 540 users: the ability to build-up and upgrade the card. This feature, using a modularity concept, allows for additional cards to be plugged into the MP 540, producing more cost effective video upgrades than having to replace a card each time it's made obsolete. Currently available modules include a dual-3Dfx 3D Overdrive card for intensive 3D work, the Pablo card, which adds video out capabilities, and the Paloma module, which offers TV and video in options. The potential for speedier 2D acceleration, greater RAM capacities, Voodoo 2 based cards, and virtually every other video feature exists thanks to this feature.
At $199 the MP 540 offers mediocre 2D acceleration for its price tag but the additional monitor support, unique software options, and the option to upgrade makes the card a strong performer.
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 SRP: $199.99 |