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Sigma Designs Demonstrates Advanced Set-Top Box Development Platform for Microsoft TV at the Western Cable Show
Sigma Designs Demonstrates Advanced Set-Top Box Development Platform
for Microsoft TV at the Western Cable Show
LOS ANGELES, Dec 14, 1999 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Sigma Is the First Company to Provide DVD Playback for Microsoft TV
Sigma Designs(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:SIGM), a recognized leader in digital
video solutions, today announced that its REALmagic(R) EM8220-based
advanced set-top box development platform supports both DVD and DVB
playback for Microsoft TV (Nasdaq:MSFT).
The advanced set-top box is being demonstrated in the Microsoft booth
(Booth 2311) at the Western Cable Show at the Los Angeles Convention
Center December 14-17. The combination of DVD Video playback and
satellite or terrestrial DVB broadcasting applications with a Microsoft
TV-based device represents a major breakthrough in home convergence
appliances.
In addition, Sigma Designs will host a hospitality suite next door, at
the Holiday Inn City Center in Los Angeles December 14-15 to
demonstrate one of the hottest trends in semiconductors today --
bringing MPEG-2 decoders to digital consumer applications such as the
advanced set-top box. The Microsoft TV software platform is also being
demonstrated by iGST, Sigma Designs' technology partner, at the iGST
hospitality suite at the Los Angeles Bonaventure Hotel.
"Microsoft TV is designed to enable network operators to deliver a
rich, enhanced TV experience for consumers," said Alan Yates, director
of marketing for the Microsoft TV Platform Group. "The integration of
Microsoft TV software and Sigma Designs' MPEG-2 silicon technology is a
powerful consumer application that will help people get more out of
their televisions."
The Sigma advanced set-top box development platform provides a
low-cost, easy-to-use solution for the convergence of web browsing,
WebDVD, interactive digital satellite or cable TV, and MPEG-2
applications such as pay per view movies and video on demand,
delivering new levels of interaction to the viewing experience.
The market for interactive video services such as displaying Internet
web content, e-mail, e-commerce, and video on demand on the television
set is expected to reach $4.2 billion by 2005, according to DFC
Intelligence, an industry research group. Similarly, the demand for
broadband network deployment to the home, a 1.5 million unit market, is
expected to grow about 118% annually over the next four yours,
according to Dataquest.
"The REALmagic STB2000 advanced set-top box development platform
combines the best elements of Sigma's MPEG-2 technology and iGST's
streaming media technology, giving telecommunications companies, cable
firms, and content providers an attractive, reasonably priced platform
for delivering superior video content," said Mike Raghavan, vice
president of corporate marketing and strategic alliances at iGST.
"Sigma's REALmagic silicon, together with our CyberPro5050 streaming
media controller, enables the STB2000 design to provide full-screen,
full-motion MPEG and DVD video with flicker-free NTSC and PAL TV
output." For more information, visit the iGST website at
igst.com.
"The opportunities for using our MPEG-2 technology in the interactive
digital TV consumer markets in the 21st century are exploding," stated
William K. Wong, Sigma's vice president of marketing. "Our REALmagic
EM8400/EM8220 silicon product family and STB2000 design will enable
Microsoft TV-based advanced set-top boxes to play back crisp,
full-screen, full-motion MPEG-1/MPEG-2/DVD video in a variety of
applications, including video on demand, interactive broadcast TV,
digital VCR, and DVD entertainment."
About Sigma Designs
Sigma Designs is an acknowledged leader in the fast-growing digital
video market. Sigma specializes in digital video encoding/decoding for
the PC DVD market, for video streaming over corporate Intranets and
extranets, and for the emerging set-top box/information appliance
market. Sigma is a driving force in advancement of digital video
technology used in high-speed, high-bandwidth transmission for
business, home, and education markets.
Sigma Designs' products, marketed under the REALmagic trade name, are
sold worldwide through a direct sales force, distributors, and original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs). For additional information, visit the
Company's web site at sigmadesigns.com.
Editors and Analysts: For further information and interviews, please
contact Andy Marken, marken@cerf.net or 408-986-0100.
Note to Editors: REALmagic and Sigma Designs are registered trademarks
of Sigma Designs. CyberPro, TVDirect, FlexiBus, and Flexalpha are iGST
trademarks.
All other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Copyright (C) 1999 Business Wire. All rights reserved.
Distributed via COMTEX.
-0-
CONTACT: Sigma Designs, Inc.
Carol Kaplan, 408/957-9891 (Investor Relations)
carol_kaplan@sdesigns.com
or
Marken Communications
Andy Marken, 408/986-0100 (Media)
marken@cerf.net
WEB PAGE: businesswire.com
GEOGRAPHY: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY CODE: SOFTWARE
HARDWARE
ELECTRONIC
GAMES/MULTIMEDIA
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
CABLE
PRODUCT
TRADESHOW
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