Spea Software
 | |
| Company type | Public (Aktiengesellschaft) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985 in Starnberg, Bavaria |
| Founder | Ulrich Seng |
| Defunct | November 1995 |
| Fate | Acquried by Diamond Multimedia |
| Divisions | Video Seven (1993) |
Spea Software AG was a German computer hardware and software company based in Starnberg, Bavaria. Founded in 1985, the company produced graphics cards for the IBM PC and compatibles. In 1995, Spea Software was acquired by Diamond Multimedia.
History
[edit]
Spea Software AG was founded in Starnberg, Bavaria, in 1985 by Ulrich Seng.[1] The company's name is an acronym standing for Systeme für Professionelle Elektronik und Automation (Systems for Professional Electronics and Automation).[2] The company chiefly produced graphics cards for the IBM PC and compatibless, at first producing ISA cards before branching out to VESA Local Bus and PCI cards in the 1990s.
In 1992, the company went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.[3] Some time in the late 1980s or early 1990s, the company established an American subsidiary by the name of Computer Visualization Technologies, Inc. (CVTI), headquartered in Fremont, California.[4] In May 1993, Spea through CVTI acquired Video Seven, a major American graphics cards manufacturer based in Silicon Valley, from LSI Logic. This gave rise to the product line Spea/V7.[5] Simultaneously with the acquisition of Video Seven, Seng stepped down as chairman of Spea.[6]
After encountering difficulty marketing graphics cards under the Spea/V7 brand name, Spea had the Video Seven division shuttered in 1993.[5] Spea themselves continued to sell multimedia peripherals such as sound and graphics cards with the Video Seven trademark into 1995.[7][8] Sales at the company peaked at 174 million DM in 1994.[9] In November 1995, Spea itself was acquired by Diamond Multimedia of the United States.[10]
Products
[edit]Although the company is considered a German graphics card pioneer, the company did not develop graphics chips itself (like Matrox, for example). Instead, it used chipsets from various manufacturers (including S3, Tseng Labs, and Avance Logic) for its graphics and multimedia cards. The drivers were developed by Spea itself.
| Name | Bus | Chipset | Chipset manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire GL | PCI | GLINT GX300, S3 Vision968 | 3Dlabs, S3 |
| ShowTime Plus | PCI, VLB | ET4000/W32(i/p) | Tseng Labs |
| V7-Mercury | ISA, VLB, PCI | S3 928 | S3 |
| V7-Mercury Lite | PCI | S3 928 | S3 |
| V7-Mercury Pro | ISA, VLB | S3 928 | S3 |
| V7-Mercury P-64 | PCI, VLB | S3 Vision964 | S3 |
| V7-Mercury P-64 V | PCI, VLB | S3 Vision968 | S3 |
| V7-Mirage | ISA, VLB | S3 801/805 | S3 |
| V7-Mirage P-32 | PCI, VLB | S3 Trio32 | S3 |
| V7-Mirage P-64 | PCI, VLB | S3 864 | S3 |
| V7-Mirage P-64 (with S3 Trio64) | PCI, VLB | S3 Trio64 | S3 |
| V7-Mirage P-64 V | PCI, VLB | S3 868 | S3 |
| V7-Mirage Video | PCI | S3 Trio64V+ | S3 |
| V7-Mirage Video TV | PCI | S3 Trio64V+ | S3 |
| V7-VEGA | ISA, VLB | CL-GD542x | Cirrus Logic |
| V7-VEGA Pro | PCI, VLB | TGUI9440 | Trident |
| V7-VEGA Plus | PCI, VLB | ALG2301, ALG2228 | Avance Logic |
| V7-VEGA Video | PCI, VLB | ALG2302 | Avance Logic |
| V7-Storm | PCI, VLB | Power 9100 | Weitek |
| V7-Storm Pro | PCI, VLB | Power 9100 | Weitek |
References
[edit]- ^ "Kleiner Fehler" [Small Mistake]. Der Spiegel (in German) (25). Spiegel-Gruppe: 107–109. 20 June 1988. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013.
- ^ "Zeitzeugen – sie waren von Anfang an dabei!" [Contemporary witnesses – they were there from the beginning!]. Mensch und Maschine (in German). 2014. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014.
- ^ Staff writer (26 June 1992). "Trotz ungünstiger Zeit für Neu-Emissionen: Börsengang der Spea Software AG ist jetzt eine beschlossene Sache" [Despite unfavorable timing for new issues: Spea Software AG's IPO is now a done deal]. Computerwoche. IDG Publications. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024.
- ^ Corcoran, Cate (31 August 1992). "LSI's Video Seven bought by German graphics company". InfoWorld. 14 (35). IDG Publications: 29. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Schroeder, Erica (19 July 1993). "Graphics board maker Video Seven shuts doors". PC Week. 10 (28). Ziff-Davis: 135. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024 – via Gale.
- ^ Staff writer (12 December 1993). "Hauptaktionaer Seng tritt vom Vorsitz zurueck: Spea Software AG formt wegen Geschaeftsausbau Vorstand um" [Major shareholder Seng resigns from chairmanship: Spea Software AG restructures board due to business expansion]. Computerwoche. IDG Publications. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014.
- ^ Glass, Brett (13 June 1994). "If your system arrives all shook up, consider sending it back". InfoWorld. 16 (24). IDG Publications: 42. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Gale.
- ^ Staff writer (1 March 1995). "Windows '95 – SPEA Intros Enhanced Graphics Card". Newsbytes. WP Company. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Gale.
- ^ Staff writer (24 February 1995). "Neue Produkte von Fast, Miro und Spea Sprach – und Videoverarbeitung auf dem Weg zum PC-Standard" [New products from Fast, Miro and Spea Speech – and video processing on the way to becoming a PC standard]. Computerwoche. IDG Publications. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ Staff writer (6 November 1995). "Diamond to acquire software company". HFN. 69 (45). BridgeTower Media: 58. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Gale.