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To: Duane L. Olson who wrote (177)11/10/1998 10:06:00 AM
From: Moonray  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 204
 
LSI Logic Provides Ultra2 SCSI Uncompromised Performance While
Offering Full Bandwidth Legacy Support
BW - 08:05 a.m. Nov 10, 1998 Eastern

Delivers New Symbios Dual Channel PCI-Ultra/Ultra2 SCSI Host
Adapter Offering 120 MB Aggregate I/O Performance

MUNICH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ELECTRONICA 98--Nov. 10, 1998--
LSI Logic Corporation (NYSE:LSI) today announced a new
dual channel PCI-Ultra/Ultra2 SCSI host adapter, the Symbios
SYM21002, during the 18th International Trade Show for
Components and Assemblies in Electronics. Developed
especially for high-end desktop and workstation systems this
controller offers OEMs and VARs the benefits of high
performance, scalability and flexibility in a single adapter
solution and protects the end-user's investment in legacy SCSI
peripherals.

With two true SCSI channels, the new adapter separates Fast
and Ultra SCSI (up to 40 MBps) legacy devices--scanners,
removable media, hard drives and CDs -- on a separate channel
from Ultra2 (up to 80 MBps) storage devices. With its Ultra2
SCSI capabilities, the new adapter provides data transfer speeds
of up to 80 MBps giving users the speed, scalability and
flexibility they require without compromising for slower legacy
devices. This capacity to separate low-performance devices
from high-performance, high-capacity devices makes the
SYM21002 an ideal single-adapter solution for desktop PCs,
workstations and low-end servers. In addition, this true
dual-channel host adapter is a single-chip solution, minimizing
costs and improving reliability for PC suppliers.

LSI Logic's SCSI Device Management Software (SDMS)
completes the host adapter solution. With SDMS, the user gets
support for all major operating systems including DOS with
ASPI support, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT,
UNIXware, SCO UNIX, OS/2, Novell Netware, and Solaris.
A complete set of SCSI utilities rounds off the software suite.

According to Harry Mason, strategic alliance director, "The
Symbios 32-bit SYM21002 has independent dual Ultra2 SCSI
channels that truly provide parallel channel accesses,
maximizing overall I/O per second performance." This
PCI-to-Ultra2 SCSI host uses the high performance Symbios
SYM53C896 dual channel PCI-to-Ultra2 SCSI controller chip
with LSI Logic's LVDlink(TM) (Low Voltage Differential) and
TolerANT(TM) technology to provide excellent performance,
device connectivity, and signal reliability. By matching the
performance of the 32-bit PCI bus to two independent Ultra2
SCSI channels, the SYM21002 provides up to 120-MB
aggregate SCSI throughput. The SYM21002 also supports
DAC (Dual Address Cycling) for greater system memory
addressability in 64-bit PCI systems. Based on the PCI
universal form factor, the SYM21001 supports 3.3 V or 5 V
PCI buses.

Dual channels increase connectivity without using an additional
PCI slot or PCI load, easing the task of design engineers
incorporating the SYM21002 into their systems. One channel
can be dedicated to LVD devices and the other to legacy
devices. With up to 15 LVD drives and 15 legacy devices, the
SYM21002 supports a total of 30 SCSI devices, providing a
powerful, multitasking interface for the highest performance
LVD SCSI disk drives, single-ended disk drives and other
single-ended SCSI devices.

The new SYM21002 is a significant addition to the
Symbios-brand host adapter board (HAB) product family.
Symbios brand host adapters are now used by virtually all
major workstation and server OEMs putting these host adapters
solidly in the top tier of the industry. The Symbios HAB family
is built on the solid SCSI system expertise and breakthrough
technology developed by Symbios, Inc., now a part of LSI
Logic, that is widely used in high-end desktop, workstation,
server, and server cluster environments. Availability and
Pricing

For OEM evaluation, the Symbios SYM21002 is available now
as either board-only or as a complete solution kit. Each
SYM21002 kit includes the HAB product, user's manual,
software drivers and utilities for most major operating systems,
and internal 50-pin and 68-pin Ultra cables as well as a
5-position, Ultra2 cable with built-in LVD terminators. The
SYM21002 host adapter, scheduled for production in the first
quarter of 1999, is priced as low as $212.50 for 25k OEM
quantities.

LSI Logic Corporation (NYSE: LSI), The System on a Chip
Company(R), is a leading supplier of Symbios host adapters
and standard I/O products, and custom high-performance
semiconductors with operations worldwide. The company
enables customers to build systems using standard I/O
products, and complete systems on a single chip with its
CoreWare(R) design program, thereby increasing performance,
lowering system costs and accelerating time to market. LSI
Logic develops application-optimized products in partnership
with trendsetting customers, and operates leading edge,
high-volume manufacturing facilities to produce submicron
chips. The company maintains a high level of quality, as
demonstrated by its ISO9000 certifications. LSI Logic is
headquartered at 1551 McCarthy Boulevard, Milpitas,
California 95035, 408-433-8000, www.lsilogic.com.

The Symbios SYM21002 product is available through LSI
Logic's Storage Components Group. For further information
please call 1-800-856-3093 or visit our Web site at
www.lsilogic.com. The email address for Symbios brand
products from LSI Logic is literature@symbios.com. Software
drivers and utilities are available on the Web site.

The LSI Logic design, Symbios, The System on a Chip
Company, and CoreWare are registered trademarks and
LVDlink and TolerANT are trademarks of LSI Logic
Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective companies.

Additional information about LSI Logic Corporation is available
at www.lsilogic. com. To request copies of annual reports or
other investor information, please call 1-800-574-4286.

Copyright 1998, Business Wire

o~~~ O



To: Duane L. Olson who wrote (177)12/7/1998 12:16:00 PM
From: Moonray  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 204
 
China Invests In DVD Industry
EE Times - 12/03/98, 7:37 p.m. ET

China is stepping up efforts to kick-start a domestic DVD industry,
investing in such key technologies as laser diodes for optical heads,
MPEG-2 decoder development, and the improvement of DVD
manufacturing capabilities, in the hopes of building demand among
consumers for the emerging but expensive technology.

In anticipation of the new market that the Chinese government's
investment in DVD technology will open, foreign companies such
as C-Cube Microsystems, ESS Technology, STMicroelectronics,
Panasonic, and LSI Logic are offering their own single-chip DVD
solutions to Chinese OEM.

Manufacturers and industry analysts, who gathered in Beijing last
month for a government-sponsored symposium, predicted Chinese
consumers will buy 15 million video CD (VCD), super video CD
(SVCD), and DVD players in each of the next five years. Demand for
DVD players is expected to take off next year, with as many as 10
million players sold annually beginning three to four years from now.

Peng Fu, chief analyst for market researchers Advanced
Forecasting-HuiCong, in Cupertino, Calif., said relatively cheap video
CDs and VCD players will make it tough for DVD manufacturers to
crack the Chinese market. "At least for the next two years, the DVD
market in China will not grow so fast," Peng said. "After two or three
years, maybe the [DVD] market will be better."

The China State Press and Publication Administration "is supporting
the new products in electronic publishing," said Mao Xiaomao of the
Administration's Department of A/V and Electronic Publishing. "We
approved the importing of seven DVD-manufacturing lines and a
mother-disk [production] line."

Despite progress on several fronts, the nascent Chinese DVD-software
industry faces other barriers. The biggest is the lack of national DVD
standards to support the software industry. Another is the lack of
high-quality titles that can drive demand for DVDs. As things stand,
most domestic films must be reproduced to improve their audio to
international standards like 5.1-channel sound.

The Chinese government is pumping funds into research on key
technologies in the hopes of seeding a home-grown DVD capability.
Supported by the government, the Semiconductor Institute of the
Chinese Academy of Science has developed a new 650-nanometer red
lightwave laser diode. The laser's power, optical, and temperature
characteristics appeared promising in tests in which it was used as an
optical head. Researchers at Tsinghwa University are developing other
parts of the optical head, including work on a lens, actuator, and other
components.

Feng Jichun, vice director at the High-Technology Development and
Industrialization Ministry, called the laser-diode work a "breakthrough
of key technologies," adding that the focus now is on volume
production. "Our scientists and engineers are paying more attention to
the innovation of technologies that will help our enterprises release the
pressure of [intellectual property rights]," Feng said.

Elsewhere, fabless design houses like the state-sponsored China IC
Design Center and other domestic chip makers are focusing on
developing MPEG-2 decoders. VCD player makers are also
investing in similar video technology. Some are working
independently, while others are cooperating with U.S. partners.

300 Titles So Far
As the number of DVD titles in the Chinese market grows to about
300, so does the list of foreign companies announcing single-chip
DVD solutions. Among the first was C-Cube Microsystems, in
Milpitas, Calif. C-Cube announced it will supply fully tested chip sets
that will let DVD manufacturers in China quickly incorporate them into
their players. The company also said it will help Chinese OEMs
produce DVD cameras based on its DVD-RW technology.

One of C-Cube's chief rivals, digital video-chip vendor ESS
Technology in Fremont, Calif., is also trying to help manufacturers
ease the transition from SVCD to DVD production. Its ESS 4408
solution aims to provide audio functions like 5.1-channel sound and
karaoke via software. The 4408 integrates 32-bit RISC video and a
64-bit DSP, letting developers use high-end C language
programming to develop DVD functions. ESS' programmable
multimedia processor also lets OEMs offer other capabilities through
DVD players, including video telephones and teleconferencing.

France's STMicroelectronics and Japan's Panasonic have also jumped
into the Chinese DVD market, promoting themselves as one of the few
IC makers offering manufacturers a complete line of DVD design
solutions. STM announced a low-cost DVD-on-a-chip based on a
32-bit RISC processor. Meanwhile, Panasonic's solution includes the
necessary chip sets and a kit that were originally released in Japan.
Panasonic's DVD chip sets are now attracting Chinese partners
through its joint ventures in China as well as through its national
support network.

LSI Logic, which set up a facility in Beijing, has announced design
wins for its DVD decoder chip, and expects to announce more before
the Consumer Electronics Show in January. LSI's Hong Kong-based
partner has also developed DVD solutions for the Chinese industry that
are expected to help China meet its goal of producing 1 million DVD
players next year.


Meanwhile, the state-run Xinhua Bookstore, China's largest, said it
would use its chain of stores to form a network for renting DVD titles.

o~~~ O