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To: ted quinn who wrote (7058)	7/28/1999 8:10:00 AM
From: ted quinn	Respond to of 8193

more on sony audio chips and texas operations (san antonio, not ausitn): Component Company Effective July 1, 1998, the Component Company (CC) was created combining the Computer Components & Peripherals Group and Sony Semiconductor Company of America. The Component Company (CC) consists of two divisions: The Computer Component & Peripherals Division (CPC) and Semiconductor Division (SCD). The Computer Components & Peripherals Division, established in 1991 and headquartered in San Jose, California, markets, sells and supports computer peripherals and components primarily for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), value-added resellers (VARs), systems integrators, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, educational institutions and distributors. These products include graphic displays, multimedia kits, floppy disk drives, CD-ROM drives, CD-R drives, tape drives, magneto optical storage products, and PC components such as power supplies, PC cameras and tuners. The group also sells branded products through its value-added products division. SDC designs, manufactures and sells semiconductors for the North American market. With headquarters in San Jose, California, it is comprised of a manufacturing operation in San Antonio, Texas, and a design center and sales and marketing group in San Jose, California. In March of 1995, Sony Electronics Inc. announced the formation of an integrated semiconductor organization that designs, manufactures and sells semiconductors for the North American market. SCD is comprised of three major organizations: wafer fab operations in San Antonio, Texas; a design center in San Jose, California; and sales and marketing headquarters also located in San Jose. SDC is a leading OEM (original equipment manufacturer) supplier of semiconductors, including SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), CCD (Charged Coupled Device), D/A and A/D converters, television and audio integrated circuits (ICs), digital filters, wireless ICs, serial/optical communication ICs, cellular/PCS ICs and multimedia devices. The company's discrete components include laser diodes and GaAa FET devices. The company's manufacturing operations earned ISO-9002 certification in 1993.

To: ted quinn who wrote (7058)	7/28/1999 8:25:00 AM
From: ted quinn	Respond to of 8193

more from the forward concepts report--note this passage: "Also we believe that companies that have mixed signal technologies will have a much easier time penetrating all three of these market segment." B. THE ROLE OF AUDIO The role of audio in every product whether it be PC, consumer or professional has rapidly evolved over the past 10 years. 10 years ago, PCs shipped did not have the capability to play quality music, but could eke out beeps, clicks, and ersatz music through the built-in speaker that was driven by a simple bit toggle. In the home, TV shows were just starting to be broadcast in Stereo instead of Mono. Today, audio plays a greater role in all three spaces. Sound produced from the PC must be able to provide the user with higher quality and a multitude of effects including echo, reverb and 3D surround to play today's games that take advantage of all those features. In the home, TV shows are now being broadcast not only in stereo but in Surround Sound, as well. The CD player that includes Dolby Pro Logic is being replaced by CD players that incorporate Dolby Digital as well as DVD players that incorporate the same technology. More and more consumers are now integrating home theaters. By comparison, 10 years ago, sound equipment in the home consisted of a TV and a stereo system that had an analog audio receiver and two speakers. Cassette tape players were prevalent and CD players were just making an entry into the market. Today's home theaters include large screen TVs or maybe even an HDTV, an Audio/Video receiver that incorporates the latest sound compression standards including Dolby Digital, a DVD player, a CD player, and a 6-speaker system - left, right, center, back right, back left, and a subwoofer. While only a small percentage of the homes today include such an elaborate setup, that number will naturally increase as prices for these components fall to an affordable level. Today's consumer is no longer satisfied with a stereo output but is looking for a similar experience to the one at the theaters. Chips being released today in both the PC and the consumer segments are making claims of professional quality audio or theater-like experience in the home. The professional market is what drives the consumer market. As more and more movies and music tracks are recorded using the latest and greatest compression schemes, the consumer electronic manufactures have to keep up to be able to broadcast or decode in that same compression scheme. Where Movie theaters showed movies in stereo surround only a couple of years ago. Now almost half the theaters in the US are equipped with Dolby Digital. Some of the technology discussed in the consumer segment applies to the PC industry as well. DVD, even though a feature for both PC and consumer is discussed in the consumer segment of this report. Digital speakers are also an application for both market segments. Analog-to-Digital (A/D) and Digital-to-Analog (D/A) components being announced today have target markets of PC multimedia and consumer. Products that target high end consumer also target professional. The line between these market segments is fading fast. Event though PCs are covered as a separate segment in this report, a large portion of the PC market is for home use or consumer. Audio was initially provided for consumer PCs since the need was there to play games or download music from the Internet to the PC, today audio is also prevalent in business PCs for applications like videoconferencing. Since these three market segments are intertwined, we believe that semiconductor manufacturers need to address (or have the technology to address) all three segments. In order to succeed in the consumer industry, companies have to understand the migration of technology and the needs of the professional market. To succeed in the PC industry, manufacturers need to consider the needs of the consumer segment since the PC is slowly becoming a standard consumer household item. Also we believe that companies that have mixed signal technologies will have a much easier time penetrating all three of these market segment. In the PC space we see the Codec being split away from the controller and integrating directly to the system's core logic. In the consumer segment, analog conversion chips like DACs are required in conjunction with the decoder. In the low end professional systems, we see the DSP integrated with an analog codec penetrating that market segment.