When ATI released the Catalyst 10.12 video card driver updates a few weeks ago, for the first time in a long time, there is a single installation setup program for all of the 6000 series video cards. Until now, you frequently had to use separate install programs based on the type of video card you are using. In fact sometimes, the different card versions had completely separate downloads.

The download also provided a preview of what the next driver release will be. It will have a new version of the control center that offers one touch balancing for your video quality and rendering performance.

Catalyst 10.12 now supports DivX for the Raedon 6800 series video cards. It is about time they offered this since so many people watch DivX videos. The new support will free up the processor so it has less CPU utilization which will extend notebook battery lifetime and reduce noise in home theater systems as well.

Other important changes provide

• OpenGL 4.1 support for developers
• AMD Stream 2.3 SDK improvements for the OpenCL toolset
• UVD hardware support for the OpenCL driver for Windows 7
• The Linux version of the drivers now supports Ubuntu 10.10

All of these improvements will be welcomed by anyone who wants the best performance possible from their video drivers.