Music Devices Based on Windows Media Technologies 4
No. 1 Audio Chip Manufacturer Worldwide First to Deliver Windows Media Audio
Format in New Maverick Chip Line
FREMONT, Calif., and REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Cirrus Logic
Inc. (Nasdaq: CRUS) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced a
technology agreement that will deliver immediate support for the Microsoft(R)
Windows Media(TM) Audio format and digital rights management solution in the
new Cirrus Logic(R) Maverick(TM) line of Internet audio chips. This agreement
marks a major milestone: Cirrus Logic, the market leader in audio chips
worldwide, is the first chip vendor to build in support for Windows Media
Technologies 4 and to include licensing to its OEMs at no additional cost. The
Windows Media-enabled Maverick chip line, with its revolutionary processor
programmability, will power the next generation of portable music devices as
early as this Christmas. This agreement will deliver Windows Media Audio
compatible portable devices to the more than 40 million users of the Windows
Media Player.
This agreement between Microsoft and Cirrus Logic delivers four key
advantages for customers and portable device manufacturers:
-- Faster time to market for new devices. Manufacturers of portable music
devices can now bring new devices supporting Windows Media Technologies
4 to market quickly and easily.
-- More consumer choice. Top manufacturers will soon announce Cirrus
Logic-based, Windows Media-enabled portable music players that will be
available as early as this Christmas.
-- CD-quality sound in less space. Windows Media offers CD-quality audio
at half the size of MP3, enabling consumers to store more music faster
on their devices without sacrificing audio quality.
-- Best platform for the music industry. The Maverick line of chips will
contain support for Windows Media digital rights management technology,
allowing storage and playback of secure, high-fidelity audio content.
"By joining with Microsoft, Cirrus Logic is making a real statement in the
Internet audio industry both for portable players and a new generation of
multifunction devices," said Matthew Perry, vice president and general manager
of the Cirrus Logic Embedded Processors Division. "By providing a low-power
and flexible chip solution that includes no-cost licensing of Windows Media
Technologies, and expanding on our position as the top supplier of audio
integrated circuits, we aim to capture a significant percentage of the
Internet audio device installed base in the next 12 months."
According to InStat Inc., an independent research firm, use of portable
music players is exploding, as consumers discover the convenience of playing
digital music on the go -- recorded from CDs or downloaded from the Internet.
In-Stat expects the use of portable Internet audio devices to grow more than
200 percent next year.
For manufacturers of portable music devices, today's announcement will
ease the delivery of new, high-quality devices to market that support Windows
Media Technologies. Because this unprecedented chip-level support of Windows
Media Technologies eliminates technical porting efforts and licensing hurdles,
device manufacturers can respond faster to growing customer demand.
"Cirrus and Microsoft are breaking new ground by providing a hardware and
software solution for OEMs," said David Watkins, president of RioPort Inc.
"This kind of cooperation is a significant development in enabling a new
generation of portable audio devices that offer compatibility with the RioPort
platform."
Major record labels have used Windows Media Technologies because it offers
a proven digital rights management solution and unmatched audio quality. The
Windows Media Rights Manager, Microsoft's digital rights management platform,
has been designed in anticipation of meeting the requirements of the Secure
Digital Music Initiative (SDMI).
As part of the agreement, Microsoft is providing optimized software
versions of Windows Media Technologies 4 for the industry-leading Maverick
chip line. Because the Maverick chips are based on an ARM(R)-based
programmable core processor, manufacturers of portable digital audio players
can deliver additional features and functionality, combining Windows Media
software with a broad range of value-added software features such as
equalization, tone control or audio track data display. These features, with
the core Internet audio processing capabilities, run together seamlessly on
the Cirrus Logic solution, providing a feature set that enables manufacturers
to differentiate their products.
"Microsoft is excited to work with Cirrus Logic, the leading audio chip
manufacturer, to break down the barriers in the development of the next
generation of portable music devices," said Anthony Bay, general manager,
Streaming Media Division, Microsoft. "Today's announcement is a great example
of how the Windows Media platform dramatically extends the possibilities of
digital music for consumers and device manufacturers alike."
The new Windows Media-enabled chips are scheduled to be available to
manufacturers within two weeks. Accordingly, manufacturers will have the
opportunity to build and deliver products based on the Windows Media-enabled
Maverick chip line in time for the 1999 holiday season. The first two chips
available in this line will be the EP7209 model and the new EP7212 announced
separately today by Cirrus Logic.
About the Cirrus Logic Maverick Line of Internet Audio Chips
The Maverick line of chips from Cirrus Logic makes use of an ARM 720T(TM)
general-purpose processing core, performing both the digital signal processing
(DSP) functions that decompress the digital music and the CPU functions that
control the player, the user interface and the digital rights management.
Beginning with the Maverick EP7209, and including the new EP7212 announced
today by Cirrus Logic, the Cirrus Logic chip solutions include a host of
built-in peripheral functions such as flash memory control and direct PC
connectivity, thus minimizing the total system cost and reducing overall power
consumption in a portable digital audio player. The EP7212 announced today
extends the same technology to an emerging category of multifunction devices
that incorporate Internet audio. And by using the general purpose ARM
processing core for DSP functions, new or improved audio algorithms can be
quickly and seamlessly implemented in products based on the EP7209 and EP7212,
allowing OEMs to take their products from zero to market in Internet time(TM).
About Windows Media Technologies
Windows Media Technologies is the leading digital media platform that
provides consumers, content providers, solution providers, software developers
and corporations with unmatched audio and video quality. Windows Media
Technologies 4, which includes Windows Media Player, Windows Media Services,
Windows Media Tools and Windows Media Audio SDK, is available for free
download at microsoft.com (connect-time
charges may apply). Over 40 million copies -- at a rate growing by more than
one every second -- of the free Windows Media Player have been downloaded to
date.
WindowsMedia.com ( windowsmedia.com ), part of the MSN(TM) network
of Internet services, is the fastest-growing major audio and video guide on
the Internet. WindowsMedia.com provides access to localized audio and video
content users worldwide, including over 700 radio stations and major music and
video events from more than 1,000 content providers.
About Cirrus Logic
Cirrus Logic is a premier supplier of high-performance analog circuits and
advanced mixed-signal chip solutions. The company's products, sold under its
own name and the Crystal product brand, enable system-level applications in
mass storage, audio and precision data conversion. Additional information
about Cirrus Logic is available at cirrus.com .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software for
personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services
for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it
easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of
personal computing every day.
NOTE: Microsoft, Windows Media and MSN are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Cirrus Logic is a registered trademark and Maverick and from zero to market in
Internet time are trademarks of Cirrus Logic Inc. ARM is a registered
trademark and ARM 720T is a trademark of ARM Ltd. Other product and company
names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information regarding Windows Media Technologies:
Visit microsoft.com.
OEMs with questions on how to add Windows Media Audio support to portable
devices: Please contact Microsoft at wmaudio@microsoft.com.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
-0- 09/27/1999
/NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information
on Microsoft, please check out the Microsoft Web page at
microsoft.com on Microsoft's corporate information
pages./
/CONTACT: Ryan James, 503-443-7000, or ryanj@wagged.com, or Abigail
Handa, 503-443-7000, or abigailh@wagged.com, or Rapid Response Team,
503-443-7000, or rrt@wagged.com, all of Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft; or Tom
Woolf of Upstart Communications, 510-457-3128, or twoolf@upstart.com, for
Cirrus Logic; or Anne Carr of Cirrus Logic, 510-226-2374, or
anne@corp.cirrus.com/
/Web site: cirrus.com
/Web site: microsoft.com
(MSFT)
CO: Microsoft Corp.; Cirrus Logic, Inc.
ST: California, Washington
IN: CPR MLM ENT
SU: LIC |
