STB announces DVD decoder add-in board. Whose decoder does it use? CUBE, IBM??.............................
STB Systems' DVD Theater Secures Major Design Win;
DVD Decoder Brings the Latest in Audio-Visual
Technology to Popular Line of Consumer Desktop Systems
RICHARDSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1997--STB Systems Inc.
(Nasdaq:STBI), a leading supplier of multimedia subsystem products to the OEM community,
Monday announced that its new DVD decoder, the DVD Theater, will be used to bring advanced
multimedia features to the IBM (NYSE:IBM) Aptiva L series and Aptiva S series of desktop
systems.
The DVD Theater from STB delivers high quality AC-3 audio and MPEG-2 video playback of a
broad spectrum of DVD encoded content, including movies, interactive PC games and reference
material.
DVD represents the latest in sound quality, video playback and storage capability. It incorporates
AC-3 digital, surround-sound technology for crisp, vibrant sound reproduction. The MPEG-2 video
offers four times better resolution than existing video capabilities for a clearer picture. In addition, a
single DVD disc holds more than two hours of video or up to 4.7 GB of data, which is the
equivalent of seven compact discs.
The abundance of storage space on a DVD disc allows software developers to create programs
with elaborate multimedia effects like surround sound, live-action video and 3-D graphics that will fit
on a single disc.
"IBM is giving consumers access to the latest in audio and visual technology by incorporating the
DVD Theater into the Aptiva line," stated J. Shane Long, STB's vice president of sales and
marketing. "This technology will be meaningful to them immediately, and will grow in usefulness in the
future. A new generation of PC entertainment products has just begun to emerge that will challenge
the senses in ways that were not possible without DVD technology."
DVD Convergence
STB's DVD Theater outputs video to either a PC monitor or a standard television, and provides 5.1
channel stereo AC-3 audio performance. The AC-3 and MPEG-2 decoding is done in hardware,
which minimizes the system's resources required to run elaborate multimedia applications resulting in
optimum system performance.
The DVD Theater also fully supports the industry standards for MPEG-2 video and Dolby Digital
AC-3 Theater-quality digital audio. Software support for the STB DVD Theater will be provided a
driver that will support Windows 95 versions of DirectX and Active Movie and ultimately Windows
NT versions.
Simply the Best!
STB Systems designs, manufactures and sells multimedia accelerators and other multimedia
subsystem products for use in personal computers. STB has an established history of designing
award-winning graphics controllers and writing specialized video drivers which provide maximum
software performance and compatibility. Manufacturing strength, engineering expertise and
consistent quality make STB the leading supplier of multimedia accelerators to top tier PC
manufacturers.
STB's products can be found in systems from Acer, Compaq, Dell, Gateway 2000 and IBM. STB
recently acquired Symmetric Simulation Systems Inc., a leader in the professional-class 3-D graphics
market, which is operated as a wholly owned subsidiary. Founded in 1981 with headquarters in
Richardson, STB Systems also has facilities in Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Texas; Austin, Texas;
Eugene, Ore.; Juarez, Mexico; Hopkins, Minn.; London; and Paris.
CONTACT: STB Systems Inc., Richardson
Brian Burke, 972/234-8750, ext. 2113
972/234-1306 (fax)
bburke@stb.com
stb.com |
