BroadLogic a C-Cube partner right? Not necessarily...
Sigma Designs, BroadLogic Partner to Deliver DVB Video, Data from Standard DVB Satellites
05/10/1999
Business Wire
(Copyright (c) 1999, Business Wire)
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 1999--Sigma Designs, Inc. (Nasdaq:SIGM) and BroadLogic, formerly Adaptec's Satellite Networking Group, announced today that they have teamed up to make the BroadLogic Model ABA-1030 DVB receiver card compatible with Sigma's REALmagic NetStream 2 client decoder cards.
Combined the products will enable high-quality playback of real-time, DVB-formatted video from standard DVB satellite broadcasts.
DVB is an internationally-recognized satellite transmission standard used in many satellites now orbiting the Earth. In the United States, for instance, DVB is used by the popular EchoStar home service. However, corporations and academic institutions can lease time on these satellites to transmit their own video and data programming. Because DVB is a unified standard for transmission of both video and data, computers make the ideal receivers for DVB programming. Web pages with interactive graphics can accompany the video broadcast.
BroadLogic's Satellite Express products are add-in PCI-to-satellite receiver cards that offer a direct digital link between PCs and satellite networks. The integration of an MPEG 2 DirectShow source filter and the BroadLogic TV tuning application allow the Satellite Express receiver and the NetStream 2 decoder to work together to display MPEG 2 video.
By using open standards like DVB, MPEG 2 and DirectShow, BroadLogic and Sigma give their customers the flexibility needed to address numerous application requirements. Business TV, Corporate Communications and Virtual Private Networks are among the many applications that will be able to take advantage of this new integration of technologies.
"DVB is the leading world standard for MPEG transmission over satellite, and demand is especially strong in Europe," noted Marshall Goldberg, product marketing manager for Sigma Designs. "Customer demand for BroadLogic products has been very strong, and we're delighted that BroadLogic has selected us as a development partner."
Designed to deliver live video playback with absolutely no skipping or jerkiness, NetStream 2 uses a precision variable clock (VCXO) to lock the NetStream decoder to the frame rate of the broadcast encoder . This ensures that no audio or video frames are dropped or duplicated. To minimize CPU overhead, NetStream 2 uses PCI DMA bus transfer, not programmed I/O. Video and audio decompression and playback are both performed by on-board hardware.
With audio and video handled as a hardware function, NetStream 2 keeps the CPU free to perform other tasks, such as using a spreadsheet or word processor while video is playing in a window. Keeping the CPU freed up is critical for a wide variety of networked video applications. These applications frequently need to use the Pentium CPU for tasks such as network data transfer, desktop productivity software, interactive applications, and MPEG encoders used in distance learning.
Company Profiles
BroadLogic Inc., formerly Adaptec's Satellite Networking group, designs and manufactures broadband communications equipment for personal and enterprise based computers. Adaptec began the development of satellite receivers in 1996 and is a minority shareholder in BroadLogic. BroadLogic manufactures products marketed under the Satellite Express brand which are currently being utilized by satellite operators, broadcasters, and original equipment manufacturers around the globe. Client solutions include products for satellite and digital terrestrial broadcasts conforming to international standards, including DVB, ATSC, TCP/IP, and MPEG.
BroadLogic is a member of the DVB, PCI, and IP Multicast Initiative trade organizations. Information about BroadLogic can be found on the World Wide Web at broadlogic.com.
Founded in 1982, Sigma Designs develops and manufactures high-performance products based on the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) standard for compressing and decompressing digital audio and video signals for video and audio playback solutions, as well as advanced multimedia chipsets for the corporate, educational, and consumer markets. All Sigma Designs products are sold worldwide through a network of dealers, distributors, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). For additional information, call 800/845-8086 or 408/262-9003, fax 408/957-9740, or 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.
REALmagic and NetStream are trademarks, and Sigma Designs is a registered trademark of Sigma Designs. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Contact: CONTACT: Sigma Designs, Inc. Carol Kaplan, 408/957-9891 (Investors Relations) carol_kaplan@sdesigns.com or Marken Communications Andy Marken, 408/986-0100 (Media Relations) marken@cerf.net
06:01 EDT MAY 10, 1999
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