Sigma Designs Demonstrates Streaming Video and Website Production Applications Using Sub-$1,000 MPEG-2 Encoder
REALmagic DVR Encoder's Industry-Leading Technology Showcased for Networked Multimedia Solutions
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 31, 1999-- Sigma Designs®, Inc. (Nasdaq:SIGM - news), a recognized leader in digital video solutions for corporate and education applications, announced today that REALmagic® DVR(TM) (Digital Video Recorder) is being showcased at this week's MultiMediaCom, which is being held at the Boston Marriott Copley Place.
Buyers in large organizations are meeting to discuss streaming video, video multicasting, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony, and related technologies.
Sigma's DVR will illustrate the simplicity of its technology for low-cost, real-time DVD video production, editing, storage, and playback. Major corporate and educational purchasers are coming to MultiMediaCom to become current with the latest technology developments and applications in the fast-growing field of networked multimedia.
With today's emphasis on video for communicating marketing messages on websites and delivering training, corporate buyers and educational suppliers are eager to create DVD titles. With Sigma's REALmagic DVR, in-house website developers and creative services staff can capture and edit MPEG video, which can then be posted on the web or published as a DVD title. REALmagic DVR gives in-house staff the ability to create great video without fuss, all for less than $1,000.
Sales of DVD-ROM drives are skyrocketing. DVD-ROM sales are projected to reach as astounding 24.2 million units this year; the penetration of DVD-ROM drives is expected to reach a worldwide installed base of almost 70 million units next year. Older PCs with CD-ROM drives are rapidly being upgraded to be DVD-ready, primarily with kits that include Sigma's Hollywood Plus(TM) DVD playback card.
REALmagic DVR delivers consistently perfect quality by performing all video recording and playback in hardware. It simultaneously encodes and decodes MPEG video, enabling the user to see the results of various encoder settings in real time. With a 200 MHz Pentium® or equivalent CPU, the add-in card can deliver smooth video capture and playback without taxing the system. To create a DVD title, users simply drag-and-drop their compressed video and audio clips, graphics, backgrounds, and buttons into the bundled Authoring application to build an interactive DVD title with a single mouse click
REALmagic DVR includes software from Vitec Multimedia for digital video editing and Sonic Solutions' (Nasdaq:SNIC - news) DVDit LE for DVD authoring.
REALmagic DVR will be available during the third quarter of this year and will be sold through OEMs and system integrators, and in a number of retail kits incorporating REALmagic DVR in time for the holidays. The kits will enable customers to upgrade their Windows 98/NT PCs to video and DVD production systems. The suggested retail price for the codec card is less than $999.
About Sigma Designs
Sigma Designs is an acknowledged leader in the fast-growing digital video market. Sigma specializes in digital video encoding/decoding for the PC DVD market, for video streaming over corporate Intranets and extranets, and for the emerging set-top box/information appliance market. Sigma is a driving force in advancement of digital video technology used in high-speed, high-bandwidth transmission for business, home, and education markets. Sigma Designs' products, marketed under the REALmagic trade name, are sold worldwide through a direct sales force, distributors, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). For additional information, visit the company's web site at sigmadesigns.com
Note to Editors: For further information, photographs and interviews please contact Andy Marken, marken@cerf.net or 408/986-0100.
DVR and Hollywood Plus are trademarks, and Sigma Designs and REALmagic are registered trademarks of Sigma Designs. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
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