RAVISENT Working With Conexant to Create the First Affordable, Full-Resolution HDTV Solution for Mainstream PCs
MALVERN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 1999--RAVISENT Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: RVST) and Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNXT) today announced they will jointly develop complete broadcast reception and playback solutions for delivering High-Definition Television (HDTV) broadcasts to consumers using the current generation of personal computers.
By combining Conexant's expertise in analog and digital television signal demodulation and tuning with RAVISENT's expertise in digital audio and video decoding and transport stream management, the two companies will create complete HDTV product solutions that PC manufacturers and board vendors can market to consumers as the ideal, high-quality interactive platform for true HDTV.
These solutions will include Conexant's Fusion(TM) PCI video and broadcast TV decoders and RAVISENT's CineMaster(R) HDTV, the industry's only true all-software, all-format HDTV decoder capable of supporting full frame rate HDTV on today's commercially available PC's.
Most recently demonstrated publicly at the Intel Developer's Forum in Palm Springs, CA, CineMaster HDTV delivers full-quality decoding and playback of broadcast digital television signals, including the 720 progressive format at 60 frames per second and the 1080 interlaced format at 30 frames per second.
The combination of Conexant's proven PCI video processor and state-of-the-art digital tuning and demodulation technologies with RAVISENT's CineMaster HDTV will create the first affordable, full-resolution HDTV solutions for mainstream PCs.
These solutions will provide image resolution superior to that of consumer HDTV sets at a fraction of the cost, while enabling a variety of interactive features such as the processing and displaying V+D (video plus data) signals complying with the ATVEF standard and capabilities that conventional television platforms are unable to support.
"This cooperative development effort means that true PC HDTV products will be available in the near future," stated Michael Harris, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of RAVISENT.
"By teaming with a recognized world leader in communications electronics and digital television technology, we will be able to extend our digital video and audio software leadership into the broadcast digital entertainment arena. RAVISENT remains committed to empowering OEM's with tomorrow's technology to deliver the future of digital entertainment today.
"RAVISENT software enables OEM's to deliver new products faster, with greater functionality and at more affordable prices."
"Conexant is pleased to be working with RAVISENT Technologies to develop products that will enable PC manufacturers to deliver affordable PC HDTV solutions to consumers," commented Greg Fischer, Director of Marketing for Conexant's Digital Infotainment Division.
"These new product solutions unlock the potential to broadly deploy digital broadcast on today's most ubiquitous interactive appliances. We believe this architecture offers an ideal solution for new OEM offerings in the coming year, and will pave the way for exciting new PC HDTV capabilities and enhancements like pause-viewing, digital VCR and electronic programming guides."
About CineMaster(R) HDTV
Based on RAVISENT's award-winning CineMaster MPEG-2 decoder technology, CineMaster HDTV incorporates newly-developed, advanced proprietary algorithms enabling the decoding and playback of all eighteen (18) digital television formats specified by the Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC), including all the so-called high definition television (HDTV) formats.
CineMaster HDTV also incorporates proprietary software technology for full transport de-multiplexing with enhanced stream management for audio/video pacing and buffer management.
The eighteen ATSC formats were adopted in 1996 by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as the standards for digital television in the USA. A number of television stations throughout the US already broadcast digital broadcast signals. All FCC- licensed stations are required to completely convert to digital television broadcasting by 2006.
About Fusion 878A
Introduced in September, Conexant's Fusion 878A solution builds on the proven leadership and software base of the company's Bt848 and Bt878 PCI video decoders, which have provided the low-cost, feature-rich platform for millions of analog PC video and television cards. Fusion 878A extends this platform to provide developers with an incremental capability to receive digital TV broadcasts.
Fusion 878A provides true multi-mode capability by adding digital broadcast to existing analog functionality. This multi-mode capability is key to preserving functionality and compatibility already present with the widely supported NTSC and PAL broadcast systems. Conexant customers are able to maintain their associated investment through this extension of Conexant's popular offering.
About Conexant Systems, Inc.
With revenues of more than $1.2 billion, Conexant is the world's largest independent company focused exclusively on providing semiconductor products for communications electronics.
With more than 30 years of experience in developing communications technology, the company draws upon its expertise in mixed-signal processing to deliver integrated systems and semiconductor products for a broad range of communications applications.
These products facilitate communications worldwide through wireline voice and data communications networks, cordless and cellular wireless telephony systems, personal imaging devices and equipment, and emerging cable and wireless broadband communications networks.
The company aligns its business into five product platforms: Network Access, Wireless Communications, Digital Infotainment, Personal Imaging, and Personal Computing. Conexant is a member of the Nasdaq-100 Index, which represents the largest and most active stocks listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market across major Industry groups.
About RAVISENT Technologies Inc.
RAVISENT is driving the digital entertainment revolution with an integrated suite of innovative digital video and audio products for PC and consumer electronics manufacturers.
RAVISENT enables the convergence of personal computer and consumer electronics devices through software and hardware products designed around a unique, modular software architecture that provides a consistent look and feel across technology platforms.
Combining outstanding on-screen quality with high overall system performance and integration, RAVISENT provides flexible and cost-effective solutions to a spectrum of partners in the PC-OEM, CE-OEM and semiconductor markets, including Acer, Compaq, Dell Computer, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Micron, Fujitsu, Packard Bell/NEC, Quantex, Sony, Tottori-Sanyo, Vestel, Yamaha, ATi Technologies, C-Cube, and ST Microelectronics.
Founded in 1994, RAVISENT is headquartered in Pennsylvania and has offices in the Silicon Valley, Seattle, Germany and Japan. Information about RAVISENT can be found on the World Wide Web at www.ravisent.com.
All companies and product names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that relate to RAVISENT's future business and financial performance. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual events of future results to differ from those discussed herein.
Such factors include, among others: RAVISENT's recent change in its business model, its limited operating history, fluctuating quarterly operating results, expectation of future losses, anticipated price declines in products, dependence on its CineMaster products, dependence on a small number of customers, lack of long-term commitments with customers, dependence on manufacturers and strategic relationships, product delays, the difficulty of protecting proprietary rights, the ability to manage growth and attract and retain additional personnel, the potential for defects in its products, risks from international operations, its ability to raise capital in the future, its dependence on the personal computer and consumer electronics industries, competition, its ability to manage technological change and respond to evolving industry standards, government regulation and Year 2000 software issues.
CONTACT:
RAVISENT Technologies Inc.
Lori Crenny, Marketing, 610/251-9999
lcrenny@ravisent.com
or
Idalia Rodriguez, Investor Relations, 610/251-9999
irodriguez@ravisent.com
or
Conexant Systems, Inc.
Carol Thornton, 949/483-7413
carol.thornton@conexant.com
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