BAD NEWS ! *** Mpact(TM) Media Processor Enables DVD Functionality on Gateway's New DVD-Equipped
Destination(TM) Big Screen PC/TV
PR Newswire, Thursday, June 19, 1997 at 08:22
Offers Cost-Effective, Fully Compliant DVD Solution For
DVD-Equipped Big-Screen PC/TV
ATLANTA, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba America Electronic Components,
Inc. (TAEC) and Chromatic Research today announced that the Mpact media
processor has been designed into the Gateway 2000 (NYSE:GTW) DVD-ROM-equipped
Destination Big Screen PC/TV system to enable cost-effective and full-featured
DVD functionality. The single-chip Mpact DVD system is a cost-effective
solution that meets all of the DVD specifications. Gateway's new system is a
high-performance DVD-equipped big-screen PC/TV, offering consumers home
theatre-quality video and audio and unprecedented interactivity.
"This announcement marks a significant milestone in the validation of
media processors for advanced multimedia solutions," said Bert McComas,
principal of InQuest (Gilbert, Ariz.). "Interactive, home-theatre quality DVD
on a PC requires more horsepower than can be cost-effectively provided by
graphics-only chips and host processors, even through 1998. Mpact media
processors are a great solution for more multimedia horsepower at a lower
cost."
"The Mpact media processor is the ideal match for Gateway's ultimate
entertainment system," said Ted Waitt, chairman and CEO of Gateway 2000. "Our
goal was to find a DVD playback solution that not only offered unrivaled
capabilities but was also cost-effective. By incorporating Mpact DVD into the
Destination, the result is the highest quality DVD available anywhere at a
price that consumers can afford."
"This design win is testimony to the viability and versatility of the
Mpact solution," said Bob Brown, president and COO for Toshiba America
Electronic Components, Inc. "Chromatic's expertise in developing DVD
mediaware modules and Toshiba's advancement in the silicon portion have been
combined to deliver the industry's most affordable and highest performance DVD
solution on the PC."
The Destination Big Screen PC/TV incorporates the Mpact/3600 chip which
offers the capability to perform over 3.6 billion operations per second. The
Mpact media processor works in conjunction with the system's existing X86
MMX(TM) or non-MMX processor to provide the processing horsepower required to
run complex applications such as DVD.
The Mpact processor, in conjunction with Chromatic's DVD mediaware
software modules, performs full-screen, 30 frame-per-second (fps) MPEG2
decoding at a maximum DVD bit rate of 9.8 megabits per second as well as full
5.1-channel Dolby(R) Digital(TM) (AC-3) audio decoding. SRS TruSurround(TM)
audio technology offers virtual 6-speaker sound from two standard stereo
speakers. AVsync(TM) technology provides real-time audio and video
synchronization.
Mpact mediaware enables a number of DVD acceleration features to ensure
fully compliant DVD functionality. This includes IEEE 1180 Inverse Discrete
Cosine Transform (IDCT) to ensure crisp picture quality with minimal noise,
exact motion compensation for motion free of artifacts, full sub-picture
decoding, full DVD navigation implementation, and an approved Content
Scrambling System for decryption of copy protected content.
Mpact technology also features proprietary Chromabright(TM) technology for
real-time brightness adjustment, and Chromadjust(TM) for real-time color
processing which provides the most vivid color display of DVD available on a
PC.
About Gateway's Destination System
Last year, Gateway 2000 introduced the Destination Big Screen PC/TV, which
was the industry's first convergence product to combine the impact of a large
31-inch VGA display with the intelligence of a Pentium processor-powered
personal computer. This latest introduction marks the industry's first Big
Screen PC/TV with DVD capabilities, combining a complete home entertainment
system with a personalized PC. Available beginning in this month, prices for
the DVD-ROM-equipped Destination system will start at $3,199.
About Mpact
The Mpact solution is a combination of hardware and firmware elements,
including an ultra high-performance processor and mediaware modules. The
silicon portion of the Mpact media processor incorporates 0.35 micron
manufacturing and features a unique design. This design combines the elements
of a supercomputer with digital signal processing -- including a high-
bandwidth, highly parallel architecture using very long instruction word
(VLIW) and single-instruction/multiple data (SIMD) execution and vector
processing -- to achieve the speed and throughput necessary for processing-
intensive applications.
Chromatic's mediaware modules enable multimedia functions using standard
and evolving API's for Microsoft Windows(R) '95. Mediaware runs on both the
Mpact media processor and the system's X86 or X86 MMX CPU to deliver
concurrent, high-performance multimedia functionality.
This combination of hardware and firmware provides a scaleable and
upgradeable multimedia solution for various combinations of video, audio, 2D
and 3D graphics, fax/modem, telephony and videophone.
Mpact media processors are architected by Chromatic Research and co-
developed, manufactured and sold by Toshiba America Electronic Components,
Inc. and other semiconductor partners.
About Chromatic
Chromatic Research, Inc. is the pioneer and leader in media processing
technology and the world's first "chipless" semiconductor company. Based on a
unique business model, the company has joined forces with key semiconductor
partners who co-develop, manufacture and sell Chromatic-architected Mpact
media processors while Chromatic Research develops and sells the enabling
Mpact mediaware software.
About Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.
TAEC is the North American manufacturing, sales and marketing arm of one
of the world's largest suppliers of semiconductors, integrated circuits and
electronic components for industrial and consumer applications. The company
is the recognized leader in CMOS technology and has one of the broadest IC
product lines in the industry. In addition, Toshiba is a leading manufacturer
of technologically advanced electron tubes and solid state devices, including
color picture tubes, display monitor tubes, liquid crystal displays, medical
tubes, rechargeable batteries, microwave components, laser diodes and optical
transmission devices.
The Systems IC Division is located at 1060 Rincon Circle, San Jose, CA
95131. For more company information, please visit TAEC's Internet home page
at: toshiba.com. For additional information on the Mpact
solution, please see the Mpact home page at mpact.com.
Mpact, Avsync, Chromabright and Chromadjust are trademarks of Chromatic
Research. MMX is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Dolby and Digital are
trademarks or registered trademarks. SRS TruSurround is a trademark of SRS
Labs. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. All other brands,
trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective
holders.
SOURCE Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. |
