Analog Devices' Image Compression Chip to Enable First JPEG2000 Professional High-Definition Camcorder; Grass Valley Selects ADI's ADV202 JPEG2000 IC for Its Compression Efficiencies, Scalability and HD Image Capability.

NORWOOD, Mass. -- Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications, today announced that its JPEG2000 compression chip - the ADV202 - is enabling cost-effective HD (high-definition) in the Grass Valley(TM) Infinity(TM) Digital Media Camcorder. As one of the most compact and complete single-chip solutions available for compression and decompression of the JPEG2000 standard, the ADV202 is becoming integral to the professional video market because it allows broadcast engineers to take full advantage of the industry's emerging standard for HD format.

JPEG2000 solutions allow the extraction, compression and transmission of video images at varying resolutions without further signal processing. This is particularly important in the HD market because content can be compressed once, and decompressed many different ways to accommodate multiple displays of various resolutions. For instance, the same compressed JPEG2000 video source can be decompressed into a variety of different bit-rates, with an HDTV, a standard-definition TV, and a PDA each receiving and processing only the information that it requires to adequately display an image.

With the advent of "24/7" news programming, broadcasters are under enormous pressure to improve their production efficiencies by using video equipment, such as the new Grass Valley Infinity Digital Media Camcorder, that allows producers to easily do offline processing remotely in a compressed frame. Unlike MPEG-based solutions, which require multiple files for compression and decompression, JPEG2000 enables producers to edit film for broadcast in a single file, significantly cutting down on production time.

Ideal in any broadcast or professional application - newsgathering, documentaries, magazine shows, independent videography, field production, and more, the Infinity Series is a revolutionary approach to electronic news gathering (ENG) and electronic field production (EFP) digital workflows. It includes a digital media camcorder, a digital media recorder, and a new line of media and peripheral devices that bring cost-effective, nonlinear solutions to recording and storage.

"Broadcast engineers are often under tight deadlines to deliver video footage," said Scott Murray, Director of Market Development of the Grass Valley business within Thomson. "In addition to allowing users to compress and decompress HD video on the fly, JPEG2000 has better compression efficiencies, is inherently scalable and has higher image quality as compared to existing compression algorithms. By streamlining their workflow and helping them get to production quickly, the ADV202 enables broadcast engineers to fully leverage the benefits of JPEG2000."

"As the use of JPEG2000 expands into the broadcast market, the ADV202 will become more prevalent in professional video equipment where high-quality, real-time HD compression and decompression is required," said Bill Bucklen, product line director, high-speed signal processing, Analog Devices. "As the industry-standard integrated chip that supports JPEG2000, the ADV202 requires no external components - neither memory nor processors - to encode or decode data, greatly reducing bill of materials, lowering cost and increasing reliability."

About the JPEG2000 Standard

JPEG2000, which was established as an international standard in January 2001, is an image compression standard based on wavelet transforms. The wavelet transform is a technology that applies two-dimensional filtering and sub-sampling (pixel decimation) in hierarchical and multi-step combinations.

The ADV202 JPEG2000 IC

The ADV202 JPEG 2000 compression IC is a low-cost solution for real-time compression of HD video inputs from any source--with extremely high playback quality, and very flexible recording capabilities. By featuring ADI's proprietary SURF(TM) (spatial ultra-efficient recursive filtering) wavelet technology, the ADV202 enables real-time compression and resolution scalability. The device comes in compact 12 mm x 12 mm or 13 mm x 13 mm BGA packages, depending on their speed grade, and is available now in production quantities. Widely used in a variety of different applications including surveillance, professional video and digital cinema applications, the ADV202 can be used immediately for cutting-edge video solutions and is the basis for future low-cost versions suitable for any type of imaging application. For more information, please visit www.analog.com/ADV202.

About Analog Devices

Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers, representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Celebrating 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "ADI" and is included in the S&P 500 Index.