Altec Lansing presentation shows how personal computers, consumer electronics and wireless devices deliver entertainment.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 9, 1997--

Convergence focus of seminar at Microsoft-sponsored WinHEC conference; Tommy Freadman stresses technology industry set standards

Altec Lansing Technologies Inc. Wednesday detailed how convergence could impact the home entertainment market through the integration of personal computers, consumer electronics, telephones, and RF wireless products.

The company also detailed its development of new digital speaker systems and related audio technologies for this market. The announcement came during a seminar on "Extending Entertainment PC Value in the Home," at WinHEC, the Microsoft-sponsored technology conference being held April 8-10 in San Francisco.

Featured as a speaker at the conference was Tommy Freadman, executive vice president of engineering of Altec Lansing Technologies Inc., who also demonstrated a new device the company is developing that, when used with a multimedia personal computer (MPC), will merge telephony, television and telecommunications controls into a single product.

Additionally, Freadman stressed the importance that technology industry leaders attending WinHEC collectively develop the next generation standards required to accelerate PC, consumer electronics, and telecommunications convergence. These standards include hardware/software drivers, operating systems, applications, and air interface.

Convergence of Entertainment, Information and Communication

The seminar focused on how Altec Lansing sees personal computers and consumer electronics increasingly merging so that home audio, television, home theater and MPCs will begin to overlap in functionality, including conversion technologies being used for the manipulation of digital content.

Specifically, Digital Video Discs (DVD) and Dolby(R) Digital are likely to transform television into home theater equipped with high-end digital audio, while DVD, Universal Serial Bus (USB) and new software featuring 3D sound and full motion video will create a similar home theater feel for MPCs.

The company believes these overlaps will lead to the convergence of computing, home entertainment, and communications that will use an MPC as a server to distribute digital audio and video content.

Freadman's presentation also focused on the company's belief that other technology developments will also contribute to this convergence, including RF digital wireless transmission, Internet delivered audio and the growing demand for audio solutions for business communications and video conferencing.

Extending Entertainment PC Value in the Home

Freadman sketched "The Home Environment" of the future, which could find the delivery of cable TV, telecommunications and World Wide Web material into a central home PC.

Content could then be delivered via a series of wires and RF wireless transmission to computer monitors, TV and speakers in remote locations, including living rooms, bedrooms and home offices.

Distribution of such PC audio/video could also use the cable TV infrastructure to achieve minimal installation effort while also being compatible with TV and cable standards.

Features of such an environment could also include wireless speakers designed to deliver consumer electronics quality audio from the PC to various rooms and, without the need for wires, facilitates the flexible locations of such speakers.

Cordless PC-Enhanced Telephone and Media Controller

"The Home Environment" can also include cordless PC-enhanced telephone and consumer electronics control, which Freadman demonstrated as part of the presentation at WinHEC.

This includes full featured cordless phone without PC connectivity, as well as how telephony can be enhanced when connected to a personal computer.

Another aspect of convergence which Freadman demonstrated, will be a controller with buttons similar to consumer electronics devices, as well as pointing applications such as launch, switch and surf.

Additional features of such a technology could include a unified wireless remote navigation and game controller which supports multiple controllers for multiplayer gaming, distribution of audio and video, paging and control of home automation.

RF Wireless and USB Advantages

Freadman also described the advantages of RF over other technologies, which include less interference, wider and longer range, higher data rates and the ability to use existing coax cables designed for cable TV in conjunction with wireless transmission to support narrowband and broadband data.

These convergent technologies use USB as an interface between the PCs and RF devices, which remove the devices from the sources of PC noise, provide better locations for antennas and allow users to adjust the location for better reception.

Altec Lansing Technologies Inc.

Altec Lansing Technologies Inc., based in Milford, Pa., is a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of high performance speaker systems that deliver high quality audio output for personal computers.

The company employs about 500 people worldwide. In addition to the company's headquarters, Altec Lansing has offices in Walnut Creek, Calif., Austin, Texas, Seattle, Royston Herts, England, Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo, a manufacturing facility in the People's Republic of China and an Advanced Research and Development Center in Kfar Saba, Israel.

Consumers interested in additional information about the company and its products can call 800/ALTEC88 (258-3288) or visit the company at www.altecmm.com on the World Wide Web.

CONTACT: Altec Lansing Technologies Inc.

Andrew Bergstein, 814/234-1230, fax: [phone]

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