Analog Devices' New Blackfin eMedia Platform Enables Lowest Cost Implementation of Windows Media Video 9 Series in Consumer Electronics.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NORWOOD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2003

Programmable Processor Delivers Benefits

of Windows Media Video 9 Series

for Less Than Half the Cost of Alternative Solutions

Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications, today announced a new programmable processor that brings Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series audio and video quality to a whole new class of consumer electronics devices at a 50 percent cost advantage over competing processor solutions. Applying its core competency in signal processing and implementing media compression technologies, Analog Devices is introducing the new Blackfin(R) eMedia Platform to help fuel the move from ASIC to programmable DSP-based chip designs for a broad range of audio/video devices. Windows Media 9 Series support in the Blackfin eMedia platform offers the ability to deliver the same high quality video consumers expect in 1/3 the size of MPEG 2 and 1/2 the size of MPEG4. This combination is designed to meet the needs of next-generation digital audio/video entertainment products, including set top boxes, portable entertainment devices, smart displays, portable personal video recorders and digital media devices for the home.

"The Blackfin eMedia Platform was designed from the ground up with demanding multimedia applications in mind," said Brian McAloon, group vice president, DSP and system products, Analog Devices, Inc. "With the growing acceptance of Windows Media Video 9 Series and the price/performance advantages of our Blackfin eMedia Platform, consumer electronics OEMs can bring new forms of high-quality digital multimedia to the mainstream consumer electronics market."

"Analog Devices' technology leadership and breakthroughs in price/performance open up a whole new world for device manufacturers," said Dave Fester, general manager, Windows Digital Media Division, Microsoft Corp. "The video processing innovations in the Blackfin eMedia Platform will fuel adoption of Windows Media Video 9 Series on a broader range of low-cost, high-volume consumer devices and expand the ways in which personal audio and video content can be enjoyed."

Analog Devices' new Blackfin eMedia Platform is based on ADI's Blackfin Processor, which provides high-performance signal processing, low power consumption and optimized features for video and audio processing required for advanced multimedia devices. ADI's Blackfin Processor meets the computational demands and power constraints of a broad range of mass-market consumer devices by combining best-in-class digital signal processing performance with microcontroller functionality.

About Analog Devices' Blackfin eMedia Platform

Designed to enable OEMs to easily and cost effectively create a wide range of next-generation digital entertainment products, the fully programmable Blackfin eMedia Platform blends Analog Devices' low-power, high-performance Blackfin Processor with software algorithms and interfaces to encode/decode today's leading audio/video standards, including Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series, to multiplex media streams including packetization and jitter buffering, and to manage digital rights protocols. By handling all of these functions entirely in software, the flexible Blackfin eMedia Platform gives OEMs the assurance of fast updates or adoption of new media formats as they are developed.

The First IC Based on the Blackfin eMedia Platform

Analog Devices' ADSP-BF532eM10 is the first in a roadmap of products within the company's new Blackfin eMedia Platform to support multimedia applications for the consumer market. As a low-power, low-cost encoder/decoder device, the ADSP-BF532eM10 delivers the flexible, software-based implementation of advanced video formats that consumer electronics OEMs have been demanding. The ADSP-BF532eM10 is a single-chip device able to decode and share high-quality D1 (30 frames per second) multimedia content at unprecedented price levels by offering the most power-efficient and highest performance 16-bit processor-based encoder/decoder for Windows Media Video 9 Series. With its 100% programmable implementation, the ADSP-BF532eM10 has the flexibility to decode and encode any audio/video format. The ADSP-BF532eM10 offers significant savings and flexibility to manufacturers at a sub-$12.00 price point, representing a greater than 50 percent cost advantage over competing solutions. With active power consumption of under 600 mW for DVD quality video Windows Media Video 9 decoding, the ADSP-BF532eM10 delivers the lowest power consumption available.

Samples of the Blackfin eMedia Platform are available now. The ADSP-BF532eM10 is priced at $11.95 each, in quantities of 100,000 units.

About Analog Devices, Inc.

Analog Devices is a leading manufacturer of precision high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications. The company is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts and employs approximately 8,600 people worldwide. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina, Ireland, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. Analog Devices' stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the company is included in the S&P 500 Index.

Blackfin is a registered trademark of Analog Devices, Inc. All other trademarks included herein are the property of their respective owners.