C-Cube Again Sets Price/Feature Standard with Latest Video CD Decoder and Manufacturing Kits; Leading Manufacturers -- Including Aiwa, Hyundai, Funai, Shinco and Idall - Select CL482.

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 15, 1996--C-Cube Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ:CUBE), continues to set the price/feature standard for VideoCD, today announcing the CL482, the newest member of C-Cube's family of single-chip VideoCD decoders.

The CL482 sets a new standard for image quality with its FlexView and ClearView technologies while delivering Karaoke features at a reduced system cost. With the addition of the CL482 to the CL480 and CL484 in C-Cube's VideoCD decoder family, consumer electronics OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) can now offer multi-tiered product lines, with models that offer basic to high-end features at a variety of price points.

In addition, C-Cube also announced the availability of a series of VideoCD 2.0 Manufacturing Kits, which provide OEMs with blueprints for delivering complete VideoCD player solutions. Manufacturing kits can be configured to support a variety of feature sets, microcontrollers, CD loader mechanisms, interfaces, infared remote controls, front panels, and so on.

The CL482 has been selected by leading VideoCD player manufacturers, including Aiwa and Funai in Japan and Hyundai in Korea. Many leading Chinese consumer electronics makers have also selected the CL482, including Idall, Jin Jiang, Malata, Panda, SAST, Shinco, SMC and Wearnes, as well as Ding Tian, DSP, Evermedia, Gynco, Jiang Haig, Swantronics, TOT and Wuhan Stone.

Video Quality Sets the Standard

With the CL482, C-Cube is introducing ClearView technology, which prevents picture tearing and blocking for the best possible playback of damaged or inferior quality VideoCDs. The CL482 also introduces FlexView, an NTSC-to-PAL standards converter that smoothly expands NTSC-standard pictures to fill a PAL screen, restoring proper video proportions and eliminating black bars at the top and bottom of the PAL TV screens. Both of these features work on existing VCD 1.1 and VCD 2.0 discs.

Enabling Lower Cost VideoCD Players

While improvements in video quality make VideoCD more attractive to consumers, lowering the cost of popular VideoCD features will also help expand the VideoCD market. The CL482 drives the cost of Karaoke features down by incorporating key control, which allows singers to adjust the pitch of a Karaoke song to match their voices. With Karaoke second only to movie-watching as an application for VideoCD, consumers should welcome players with Karaoke features at lower prices. The CL482 also supports bit-mapped on-screen display (OSD), which formerly required separate circuitry. OSD puts player status information (such as the current time, "Play," "Stop," and "Elapsed Time") on the TV screen while video is playing.

"Our market research indicates that VideoCD consumers want better image quality and lower retail price points. The CL482 allows consumer electronics makers to deliver both," said Alex Daly, vice president of marketing at C-Cube Microsystems. "With the introduction of ClearView and FlexView to our VideoCD decoder product line, the CL482 sets the new standard for VideoCD image quality. And the inclusion of key control functionality will allow OEMs to deliver this popular Karaoke feature at prices similar to more basic units.

"As we head toward this year's selling season," continued Daly, "OEMs are positioning to get new models to market quickly. Our VideoCD manufacturing kits offer quick time to market while offering a choice of feature set, microcontroller, CD loader and more."

Manufacturing Kits Reduce Time to Market

C-Cube offers a series of VideoCD 2.0 Manufacturing Kits that provide OEMs with a full-featured VideoCD player, including playback control, DiscView, ClearView, FlexView, and Karaoke features (depending on VideoCD decoder used). These complete sample designs are ready to manufacture as is, or the designs can be modified to incorporate vendor specific features. The VideoCD 2.0 Manufacturing Kit includes layout, schematics, component lists and object code.

C-Cube's VideoCD Decoder Family

The CL482 is the latest addition to C-Cube's family of VideoCD solutions, which includes the classic CL480 and the top-of-class CL484. The CL480 VideoCD decoder provides basic VideoCD 1.1 and 2.0 decoding functionality, including CD-ROM, MPEG-1 system, MPEG-1 video, MPEG-1 audio and high resolution decoding. The CL482 adds ClearView error concealment technology and FlexView NTSC to PAL conversion to the CL480's decoding features.

By also integrating Key Control and bit-mapped OSD functions, the CL482 allows OEMs to deliver Karaoke features and on-screen status displays without significantly increasing system cost. The CL484 incorporates all of the features of the CL482 and adds C-Cube's exclusive DiscView menuing feature and CD-G decoding capability for complete CD standard support. These features allow consumer electronics designers to deliver VideoCD players with qualities that set them apart from the competition.

All family members incorporate four decoders on a single chip: CD-ROM, MPEG-1 system, MPEG-1 video and MPEG-1 audio. This high level of integration allows system designers to convert an existing audio CD player design to a VideoCD player with only four additional chips: the CL48x, a 4-Mbit DRAM (dynamic random access memory), a ROM (read only memory) and an NTSC/PAL video encoder.

With simple control from an external microcontroller, the CL48x family also supports version 2.0 of the VideoCD standard, including support for high-resolution stills (704x480/576) in only 4 Mbits of DRAM. All C-Cube VideoCD decoders are pin and software compatible, and each consumes less than one watt of power at 3.3 volts to support portable applications. In audio-only mode, chip power consumption is reduced to less than 0.1 watt.

Price and Availability

The price for the CL482 is $43 in volume. Both the CL482 and the manufacturing kit are available immediately.

C-Cube Microsystems

C-Cube Microsystems Inc. designs and markets integrated circuits and software that implement international standards for the compression of digital images and video. Compression allows digital video to be used in fast-growing applications such as multimedia computing, CD-based consumer electronics and digital television. C-Cube Microsystems is headquartered in Milpitas, Calif. and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia. The company employs 380 people worldwide. Its stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol CUBE. C-Cube can be reached at 408/944-6300 or on the World Wide Web at http://www.c-cube.com. -0-

Note to Editors: C-Cube, the C-Cube logo, DiscView, ClearView and FlexView are trademarks of C-Cube Microsystems.

CONTACT: C-Cube Microsystems, Milpitas

Mary Sharpless-Giani, 408/944-8628