FOCUS FS400 Chip To Be Integrated In Sigma Designs' New NetStream 2000 Video
Playback Card
Business/Technology Editors
WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 28, 1999--
PC Desktop Users Can Now View Full Fidelity DVD Movies On Any TV
at Ultra High Resolutions
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCSE) announced today that Sigma
Designs, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGM) has begun integrating the FOCUS FS400
digital video co-processor into its new NetStream 2000 digital video
playback PCI card. The FOCUS proprietary NTSC/PAL chip is being used
by Sigma to provide a high resolution PC-to-TV interface for networked
MPEG-2 video streaming. Integration of the FS400 chip into Sigma's
NetStream 2000 card offers users the ability to play full fidelity DVD
movies from a PC on any TV at resolutions of 1600 x 1200 and higher.
Installation of the FS400-enhanced NetStream 2000 card into a PC
workstation provides television-quality interactive MPEG-2 video
playback from a computer hard disk, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM drive.
"Sigma is the first to marry FOCUS' proprietary video conversion
technology to MPEG DVD movie playing, offering the best of both
worlds," said Bill Schillhammer, Vice President of OEM Sales at FOCUS.
"Now, through the PCI bus of a desktop PC, customers can enjoy super
high DVD movie fidelity on any TV without having to purchase a
separate DVD player, while still taking advantage of the host of other
PC-to-TV capabilities FOCUS offers its customer base including Web
surfing, PC game playing, and digital video presentation."
Sigma Designs plans to have the NetStream 2000 in volume
shipments during the fourth quarter of this year and will be available
from major resellers and distributors, including Ingram Micro.
NetStream 2000 has an MSRP of $399.
"We are very pleased to have selected the FOCUS FS400 digital
video converter chip for our NetStream 2000 product," said William K.
Wong, Sigma's Vice President of Marketing. "It gives us the best video
quality in the marketplace, and our NetStream 2000 customers will
benefit from better TV output as a result of the FOCUS Enhancements
technology."
The FOCUScan FS400 is Macrovision 7 compliant for DVD video
capability, and supports non-interlaced resolutions of 1600x1200 and
higher. It is compatible with virtually all monitor refresh rates up
to 152Hz and unlike other PC-to-TV video conversion chips, supports
high quality compression with independent horizontal and vertical
underscan. TrueScale(R) technology compresses images evenly and
clearly without any line dropping. With several features never before
available in a low-cost ASIC, the FS400 raises the bar in video
quality standards for a broad range of OEM applications including
televisions, large screen computer monitors, integrated appliances,
network computers, PC motherboards, PC add-on graphic cards, and cable
and video scan conversion set-top boxes. Additionally, the FS400 is
ideally suited for television broadcast and video design, computer
gaming, teleconferencing, interactive home entertainment, graphic
design, and animation.
For more information about the Company contact: FOCUS
Enhancements, (978) 988-5888, 600 Research Drive, Wilmington, MA.
01887, www.focusinfo.com.
Editors and Reporters: For more information, contact Suzanne
Kimball, press relations for FOCUS, voice/FAX: (801) 294-4779, e-mail:
suzkimball@aol.com. Investors: Please contact Steve Sheldon, FOCUS
Enhancements: (978) 988-5888, e-mail: ssheldon@focusinfo.com.
FOCUS Enhancements, Inc. is an industry leader in the development
and marketing of advanced, proprietary video conversion ASICs for the
rapidly converging, multi-billion dollar Internet, computer, and
television industries. The Company's technology, which is sold
globally through Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and
resellers, merges computer-generated graphics and television displays
for Internet viewing, presentations, training, education, video
teleconferencing, and home gaming markets. In addition, the Company is
developing a family of products that will enable the current installed
base of televisions, VCRs, and camcorders to remain functional in
upcoming HDTV environments.
Sigma Designs is an acknowledged leader in the fast-growing
digital video market. The company specializes in digital video
encoding/decoding for the PC DVD market, for video streaming over
corporate Intranets and extranets, and for the emerging set-to
box-information appliance market. For addition information, visit the
Sigma Web site: www.sigmadesigns.com
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to
the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without
limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased
levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological
changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers,
intellectual property rights and other risks detailed from time to
time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
--30--mm/bos*
CONTACT: FOCUS ENHANCEMENTS, INC.
Bill Schillhammer, 978/988-5888
Vice President of OEM Sales
www.FOCUSinfo.com
or
INVESTOR RELATIONS
Steve Sheldon, 978/988-5888
Communications Manager
www.FOCUSinfo.com
or
MEDIA RELATIONS
Suzanne Kimball, 801/294-4779
Press Relations
suzkimball@aol.com
KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMED COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS
INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET
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