Truevision
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Digital video processing, Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | Group of 29 former AT&T EPICenter employees |
| Fate | Acquired by RasterOps Corporation in 1992; later acquired by Pinnacle Systems in 1999 |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis , United States |
Key people | Joseph Haaf (VP Sales and Marketing), Carl Calabria (VP Engineering), Cathleen Asch (VP Administration and Accounting) |
| Products | Digital video processing expansion cards (e.g. TARGA videographics card, TARGA 2000) |
Truevision, Inc. was a manufacturer specializing in digital video processing expansion cards for personal computers. The company was established by a group of 29 former employees from AT&T's Electronic Photography and Imaging Center (EPICenter) following the division's closure in 1987. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Truevision was purchased in 1992 by RasterOps Corporation, a graphics card producer located in Santa Clara, California. After the acquisition, RasterOps adopted the Truevision brand and maintained the engineering team based in Indianapolis, which continued to innovate until 1999. That year, Truevision was acquired by its competitor Pinnacle Systems. Subsequently, Pinnacle itself was acquired by Avid Technology, a company that had originally employed Truevision’s AT-Vista hardware during its formative years.
History
The leadership at Truevision quickly established a three-person executive team consisting of Joseph Haaf as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Carl Calabria as Vice President of Engineering, and Cathleen Asch as Vice President of Administration and Accounting. Each member held equal voting rights. The firm remained under employee ownership until its acquisition by RasterOps in 1992.
Truevision's origins trace back to AT&T EPICenter, where they initially produced still-image frame grabber cards such as the ICB (image capture board). The company broke new ground in desktop digital video editing with the introduction of the TARGA videographics card in 1987. Their engineering team created advanced ASICs capable of processing video in real time, which led to the development of the TARGA 2000 board in 1998. This product featured innovative memory-focused HUB chips that enabled easier integration by third-party developers. This design attracted prominent collaborators like Sony and Panasonic, who incorporated TARGA technology into their professional video editing systems.