Wednesday February 17, 7:02 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Newer Technology and Zoran Bring Quality Video and
TV to the PC
Apple iMAC/Macintosh and Windows PCs Can Now Capture High Quality Video Through
Existing USB Port -- No Add-In Hardware to Install
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 1999-- Zoran Corporation (Nasdaq:ZRAN - news), a leading provider of
integrated circuits (ICs) and software for digital video and audio applications enabled by compression, today announced that
Newer Technology has selected Zoran's highly integrated ZR36060 Motion-JPEG codec for their new USB video-capture
peripheral product -- the uTV. Priced below $150 the uTV offers a level of performance and flexibility previously not available at
this price point. Introducing the uTV this week at the Macworld Expo Tokyo '99, Newer Technology plans to start shipments this
April.
The uTV is based on Zoran's Video-Inlet(tm) USB reference design. It incorporates Zoran's real-time Motion-JPEG codec which
enables high-quality, 30 frames-per-second video input through the USB port of an Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL - news) Macintosh or
Windows PC. Zoran's compression technology, used in the uTV, opens up new applications for the Apple iMac that were
previously not possible, including: viewing television, capturing and editing video, publishing video for Websites and presentations,
sending video email and video conferencing.
''Newer Technology is the leader in PowerPC processor upgrades for the Apple Power Macintosh market, and our goal is to be
an innovator in video peripherals, too. To achieve this goal, we selected Zoran to achieve high-quality video solutions. Specifically,
the Video-Inlet USB reference design and Zoran's support-enabled Newer Technology to develop the uTV quickly,'' said James
P. Wiebe, President and CEO of Newer Technology. ''The superior image quality of uTV is achieved using Zoran's Motion-JPEG
compression hardware technology and Motion-JPEG decompression software technology.''
''The success of the Apple iMac has created both an opportunity and a challenge for Zoran and its partners -- how to enable
affordable, high-quality video capture on the iMac,'' said Dr. Shmuel Farkash, Vice President of Video Products at Zoran. ''The
only means available to bring video into the iMac is through its USB port. The USB limitation of a 12Mbps maximum bandwidth
and the storage constraints of full-motion video, makes Zoran's Motion-JPEG the ideal technology to overcome this bottleneck,''
added Dr. Farkash.
Zoran's JPEG codec incorporates patented bit rate control that ensures a maximum possible image quality for a given bandwidth.
In addition, Zoran's Video-Inlet USB video capture reference design provided Newer Technology with a low-risk head-start in the
development of uTV. Zoran's cost-effective Motion-JPEG compression solutions combined with Newer Technology's systems
expertise, software capabilities and diverse distribution channels will make high-quality, affordable video capture available to the
growing Apple Macintosh and Windows USB markets.
ABOUT NEWER TECHNOLOGY
Newer Technology has more than 14 years of experience and is the leading developer of performance upgrades for both
PowerBooks and desktop Macintosh computers. For more information about Newer Technology, Inc., call 316/943-0222, or
contact their Website: newertech.com
ABOUT ZORAN
Zoran Corporation develops and markets software, integrated circuits (ICs) and IC Intellectual Property (IP) cores for digital
audio and video applications enabled by compression. Zoran also provides complete reference designs based on Zoran's
technology. Zoran's product lines and IP include JPEG codecs, MPEG and DVD decoders, digital audio processors and real-time
DVD software for PCs. All these standard-based products benefit from Zoran's Standard Plus(tm) technology. Zoran's software
is bundled by PC and graphics-card manufacturers for software and software-assisted DVD playback on PCs. The company's
ICs are used in numerous digital audio and video products. Leading applications incorporating Zoran's products and IP include
professional and consumer video editing systems, filmless digital cameras, standalone and PC-based DVD players, SuperVCD
players, digital speakers and audio systems.
Zoran is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with additional operations in Haifa, Israel, Toronto, Canada and offices in Tokyo,
Japan and Shenzhen, China. For more information about Zoran call 408/ 919-4111, or visit our Website: www.zoran.com. For our
latest press releases please call our fax-on-demand service at 1-800-PRO-INFO, ticker symbol ZRAN.
Note to editors: Newer is a registered trademark of Newer Technology, Inc. MAXpowr is a trademark of Newer Technology,
Inc.
Standard Plus, and SiliconSoftware and video-Inlet are trademarks of Zoran Corporation.
All other terms and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners, and are hereby
acknowledged.
Contact:
Zoran Corporation
Yizhar Ganor, 408/919-4286
ir@zoran.com
www.zoran.com
or
The Financial Relations Board
Cathy Kawakami (investors)
Alicia Nieva-Woodgate (media)
415/986-1591 |
