Celerity announces a new settop box........
newsalert.com
It uses OAKT's MPEG-2 decoder...........
newsalert.com
Oak Technology MPEG-2 Decoder Powers Interactive Digital Set-Top
Box from Celerity Systems
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1998--
The OTI-8211 Provides Enabling Technology for the Celerity T 6000 Set-Top Box for Video-on-Demand, Training,
and Interactive Shopping Applications
Oak Technology (Nasdaq: OAKT), a provider of semiconductor solutions that enable the delivery of digital content to
the home, today announced that its OTI-8211 MPEG-2 decoder device has been integrated into the T 6000 digital
set-top box (STB) from Celerity Systems, Inc. The T 6000 is designed to be one of the premier STBs on the market,
incorporating a fast processor, extensive interfaces and robust graphics capabilities. Celerity is a leading manufacturer of
digital video servers and digital set-top boxes for the interactive video services industry.
"We designed the T 6000 to offer more than just video-on-demand and electronic commerce functions by providing
capabilities for Internet access, energy management, security and healthcare monitoring, while integrating analog and
digital cable tuning. The first of our customers to buy into this vision and evaluate the T 6000 for implementation in
broadband networks is Northern Telecom," said Ken Van Meter, president and CEO of Celerity. "The OTI-8211
MPEG-2 decoder from Oak Technology performs key functions in the T 6000 and is a core technology in this powerful
set-top box solution," Van Meter added.
The OTI-8211 was one of the first devices on the market to combine MPEG-2 A/V decoding with a transport stream
demultiplexer unit, which promotes modular set-top box designs for digital video applications. This integration, along with
its high performance and flexibility, were the key reasons Celerity selected the device for the T 6000 digital set-top box.
The OTI-8211 supports both NTSC (720x480) and PAL (720x576) video resolutions, which provide worldwide
support for digital video. It features dedicated MPEG-2 audio and video processing units and a 60 MHz MicroSPARC
RISC core with data cache to deliver high video performance.
In addition, the OTI-8211 offers design flexibility by working with common external host microprocessors such as the
Intel 80xx and Motorola 680xx series through an 8-/16-bit parallel host interface. The on-screen display (OSD) offers a
16-color mode and five levels of transparency to provide graphics user interfaces for system status, menus, and
programming guides.
The CCIR601 digital video output interfaces to an external video encoder, which is compatible to industry-standard
NTSC/PAL encoders. Fully compliant with ISO MPEG-2 bit streams and specifications, the device is designed for
applications within the digital broadcast consumer markets such as cable, satellite and terrestrial systems.
"Celerity is a respected name in the industry and a strong partner to help build visibility for Oak Technology within the
interactive video services space," said Paul Vroomen, president of Oak Technology's Consumer Group. "We have
deployed the OTI-8211 solution in China and Europe-based set-top box markets, and our partnership with Celerity
allows Oak to begin establishing a position in the domestic digital interactive markets."
The Consumer Group at Oak Technology develops integrated circuits and system-level solutions for consumer
electronics OEMs in the digital media and broadcast markets. Applications for these solutions range from DVD players
to cable, satellite and terrestrial set-top boxes and digital video servers. Oak's consumer products share an evolving
system-level and chip-level architecture. This common architecture philosophy allows OEMs in these global markets to
quickly and cost-effectively develop products that support the convergence in the digital television (DTV), DVD and
STB markets.
The foregoing statements may consist of forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These
statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Factors that could cause actual outcome to differ
materially from those set forth include, without limitation, the rate of adoption of new technology, market acceptance of
the product, competitive pricing actions and marketing programs, among others. For a discussion of such risks, see the
Company's most recent SEC Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
About Oak Technology
Founded in 1987, Oak Technology, Inc. designs, develops and markets high-performance semiconductors and related
software to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide who serve the optical storage, consumer electronics,
and digital office equipment markets. Oak has subsidiaries in Japan (Oak Technology K.K.); Taiwan (Oak Technology,
Taiwan); Andover, Mass. (Pixel Magic, Inc.); Bristol, U.K. (Oak Technology Ltd.); and Munich, Germany (Oak
Technology GmbH). Additional information about Oak Technology and its products can be found on the World Wide
Web at www.oaktech.com.
About Celerity Systems
Celerity is a leading worldwide manufacturer of digital video servers and digital set-top boxes for the interactive video
services industry, and has 15 systems deployed in Korea, China, Taiwan, Israel, and Canada. Through strategic
relationships with companies including Northern Telecom (Nortel), FORE Systems, Minerva, and Cisco, the company
also offers end-to-end interactive video systems, including services such as system integration, digital encoding and digital
authoring. The company is headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn. For more information on Celerity Systems, visit
www.celerity.com.
Oak Technology and the Oak logo are registered trademarks of Oak Technology, Inc. Pixel Magic is a trademark of
Oak Technology. All other product names or company names are mentioned for identification purposes only, and may be
trademarks of their respective owners.
CONTACT: McGrath/Power Public Relations for Oak Technology
Jonathan Bloom or Wendy Bulawa, 408/727-0351
jonathan_bloom@mcgrathpowerpr.com
wendy_bulawa@mcgrathpowerpr.com
or
Celerity Systems, Inc.
Margaret Anderson, 423/539-3513
manderson@celerity.com |
