C-Cube Introduces MPEG-1 Digital Video Decoder with CD-Quality Software Audio; CL450SWA Provides a Cost-Effective "CPU-Assist" Solution that Delivers Exceptional Video Quality and Stereo Sound.Microsystems (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :CUBE), a leading developer of digital video compression Encoding digital video to take up less storage space and transmission bandwidth. See video codec and data compression. video compression - Compression of sequences of images. technology, today introduced the CL450SWA adv. 1. So. , an MPEG-1 digital video decoder bundled with CD-quality software audio. The CL450SWA is based on C-Cube's industry-standard CL450 MPEG-1 digital video decoder and delivers full-screen, full-motion video Video transmission that changes the image 30 frames per second (30 fps). Motion pictures are run at 24 fps, which is the minimum frequency required to eliminate the perception of moving frames and make the images appear visually fluid to the eye. at 30fps with 44kHz audio. Video playback cards based on the CL450SWA will provide PC users with high-quality, yet affordable, playback of interactive entertainment, education, training, reference, and movies. C-Cube's CL450SWA uses the company's CL450 MPEG-1 video decoder to decode compute-intensive video while delegating the easier audio decode processing to the CPU CPU in full central processing unit Principal component of a digital computer, composed of a control unit, an instruction-decoding unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. . The CL450SWA offers cost-effective "CPU-assist" functionality by bundling a custom driver than controls the CPU, allowing maximum performance and efficiency of C-Cube's audio-microcode. The CL450SWA supports full MPEG-1 audio and video bitstreams, as well as system demultiplexing, to deliver synchronized playback. The CL450SWA is also designed to support additional functionality such as TV tuner capability. "We are experiencing a dynamic shift in the digital video PC market," said Alex Daly, vice president of marketing for C-Cube. "Software-only MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group) An ISO/ITU standard for compressing digital video. Pronounced "em-peg," it is the universal standard for digital terrestrial, cable and satellite TV, DVDs and digital video recorders (DVRs). has spurred consumer demand for MPEG on the desktop and is accelerating demand for video playback performance that only MPEG hardware decoding can deliver. C-Cube's CL450SWA is allowing PC manufacturers and board developers to provide consumers with the products they demand at an attractive price point without sacrificing audio and video quality." The CL450SWA is fully compatible with the OM-1 standards for DOS games and Video for Windows The name of Microsoft's first video playback implementation in Windows. Supporting the AVI movie format, Video for Windows (VfW) was installed separately in Windows 3.x, but was later built into Windows 95 and subsequent versions. (MCI (1) (Media Control Interface) A high-level programming interface from Microsoft and IBM for controlling multimedia devices. It provides commands and functions to open, play and close the device. (2) (Microwave Communications Inc. ) and the new MPC (1) (Mobile PC) A handheld or laptop computer. See handheld computer, laptop computer and Ultra-Mobile PC. (2) (MultiPath Channel) See multipath. 3 standard for multimedia computing. In addition, the CL450SWA includes drivers to support Windows95, Windows 3.0 as well as support for REALMagic games, version 2.0 of the VideoCD standard, Karaoke CD 1.0 and CD-i Green Book video format. Software Audio Driver The software audio (SWA) driver contains a custom application that allows the user to select the level of audio quality desired: 11kHz, 22kHz or 44.1kHZ CD-quality stereo audio. Users can either let the program automatically determine the level of audio based on the speed of the CPU or the application can be pre-selected for audio performance. C-Cube has programmed the SWA driver to not exceed 35 percent CPU utilization. C-Cube has partitioned the MPEG tasks so that the CPU is only handling the audio decode, not the critical video tasks that can cause frame tearing and loss of synchronization when implemented in software. CL450 Overview The CL450 is a single-chip MPEG decoder Software or hardware that decompresses and renders MPEG-encoded data. Because MPEG uses lossy compression, the decoded images are not 100% identical to the original. In most cases however, the differences are not easily detectable. See MPEG. designed to provide full-motion video capability for cost-sensitive consumer electronics products. The processor decodes SIF-resolution (352x240 pixels at 30Hz or 352x288 pixels at 25Hz) MPEG bit streams in real time and supports input data rates from 1.2 Mbits per second -- required for today's CD systems -- up to 3 Mbits per second. The CL450 accommodates variable frame rates of up to 30 frames per second and outputs decoded video information in YUV The color encoding system used for analog television worldwide (NTSC, PAL and SECAM). The YUV color space (color model) differs from RGB, which is what the camera captures and what humans view. or RGB color spaces An RGB color space is any additive color space based on the RGB color model. RGB is shorthand for Red, Green, Blue. RGB is a convenient color model for computer graphics because the human visual system works in a way that is similar—though . As a result of its widespread adoption, all leading graphics chips include drivers to support the CL450, which minimizes development time for board and PC manufacturers and ensures MPEG/graphics compatibility. The CL450 is a complete MPEG decoder on a chip, requiring only four Mbits of DRAM to decode SIF-resolution MPEG bitstreams at up to three Mbits per second. Pricing and Availability The CL450SWA is available immediately at a volume price of $29.50 About 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 has its headquarters in Milpitas, Calif., and has offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. The company employs 195 people worldwide. Its stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol CUBE. -0- Note to Editors: C-Cube logo is a registered trademark of C-Cube Microsystems. C-Cube and C-Cube CL450 are trademarks of C-Cube Microsystems. CONTACT: C-Cube Microsystems Mary Sharpless, 408/944-8628 mary.sharpless@c-cube.com |
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