Chips and Technologies Leads Initiative to Provide Complete ZV Port Solutions; Controllers, Cards and Software Vendors Support Immediate ZV Port Notebook Implementation.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 23, 1996--Chips and Technologies, Inc. today announced the formation of the Zoomed Video Initiative, a consortium that brings together leading manufacturers of mobile hardware and software to support the implementation of ZV port in mobile computing.

Together, these firms offer all of the hardware and software components required to run video applications through a zoomed video port.

"Excitement has been building ever since we announced the availability of zoomed video technology and its ability to allow notebook users to easily run full motion video applications such as MPEG playback, video capture, and TV in a window," said Tim Erjavec, director of marketing at Chips and Technologies. "By offering a full range of hardware and software, supporters of the zoomed video initiative give OEMs everything they need to make zoomed video an immediate reality for mobile computing."

ZV port is an extension to the PCMCIA standard. By streaming video directly from the PCMCIA socket adapter to the graphics controller and the frame buffer, the ZV port eliminates the need to send video and audio data through the CPU or system bus. Thus, this simple and effective method uses a well defined PCMCIA mechanical standard to bring full motion video data streams into the portable environment.

The Zoomed Video initiative demonstrates the wide support for ZV port. One of the initiative's main objectives is to ensure compatibility between hardware and software vendors to enable OEMs to easily implement ZV port designs. Participating companies and their ZV port products include:

-- Apex Data, a division of SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., PC Cards in development for MPEG playback for zoomed video notebook computers;

-- Databook, PC Card host controllers with ZV port and Cardbus compatibility;

-- Margi Systems, MPEG Playback PC Cards, Video Capture Cards, TV tuner modules, and associated interface controllers;

-- O2 Micro, PC Card and Cardbus Host Controllers with ZV port support;

-- Ricoh Corporation, PC Card host controllers;

-- Sigma Designs, MPEG acceleration and Zoomed Video chipset manufacturer;

-- Standard Microsystems Corporation (Components Product Division), Cardbus host controller with fully integrated zoom video support;

-- Sony Corporation, PC Digital Camera Kit, PC Tuner/Video Capture Kit and PC Video Capture Kit;

-- SystemSoft Corporation, PC Card and system-level software for mobile computing;

-- Texas Instruments, PC Card host controllers. -0-

Products from the Zoomed Video Initiative members are designed to be compatible with Chips and Technologies' HiQVideo(TM) series of graphics accelerators. Delivering full screen video at 30 frames/sec (fps), Chips' accelerators bring to the notebook user all fundamental capabilities needed to run multimedia presentation and video conferencing applications.

The graphics accelerator accepts video data from either the systems bus (PCI) or the video capture port that supports the ZV Port option. Toshiba incorporated the HiQVideo series controllers in the Tecra 720CDT, the first zoom video enabled notebook which was introduced on March 4.

Chips and Technologies also provides video port management software which manages the video stream from the video port client application to the graphics controller's video capture port. This software offers compatibility between Chips' graphics controllers and the PC Card host controllers and PC Cards of the various video hardware vendors through a hardware independent Application Program Interface (API) for ZV Port applications.

Zoomed Video Applications

Offering a true "plug and play" environment, the new ZV port technology allows a user to select an external video application without the hassles of cabling, power-downs, or boot-ups. Supporting hot-insertion, a ZV Card can be removed and inserted without exiting running software applications or powering down. This convenient support opens a host of upgrade options for video applications without adding cost to the notebook computer. ZV port facilitates applications such as video capture, MPEG playback, TV tuners, and video teleconferencing with multiple video streams.

About Chips

Chips and Technologies, Inc., (NASDAQ:CHPS) is a leading supplier of highly integrated semiconductor and software solutions which provide graphics, video and other capabilities to portable and desktop computers.

Contact Information

APEX Data Becky Takeda SMART Modular Technologies Phone: [phone]

Margi Systems, Inc. Shrinath Acharya Director of Marketing 3155 Kearney Street, Ste. 170 Fremont, Calif. 94538 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail]

"Zoomed video technology has enabled PC Cards to provide tremendous performance to the user at an acceptable price. MARGI is pleased to have made pioneering contributions to the Zoomed Video standard by introducing the first ever ZV card MPEG to go in September, 1995," said Shrinath Acharya, Director of Marketing at Margi Systems, Inc.

O2Micro Inc. Lori Krems 4633 Old Ironsides Drive, Ste. 215 Santa Clara, CA 95054 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail]

Ricoh Corporation Hiro Tobina Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Sigma Designs Prem Talreja Vice President of Marketing Phone: [phone] [e-mail]

"Zoomed Video is truly a must have feature for notebook users as they increasingly are using MPEG video as a means of communicating information in the areas of training, education and many others. Sigma Designs is proud to have teamed with industry leaders to address this market need in a timely, cost effective and complete manner," stated Prem Talreja, Vice President of Marketing for Sigma Designs, manufacturers of the REALmagic Explorer chipset for Zoomed Video applications.

Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan Betty Nakamura Marketing Manager Circuit Devices Dept. Components Marketing Division Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail]

SystemSoft Sherry Way PC Card Product Marketing Manager Phone: [phone] [e-mail]

"SystemSoft recognizes the significant potential for products that support Zoomed Video. Together with Chips and Technologies and complementary mobile computing technology suppliers, we will play an integral role in the Zoomed Video Initiative to help drive ZV implementation," said Stephen Harper, SystemSoft vice president and general manager, PC Card products. "As the first software vendor to deliver commercial shipments of PC Card software that supports ZV, we are enabling mobile customers, such as Toshiba and others, to provide low-cost, high-performance multimedia capabilities on notebook computers."

Standard Microsystems Corporation (Components Product Division) Oliver Baltuch Strategic Marketing Manager Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail]

"We believe that by providing fully-integrated zoomed video solutions for notebook computers that simplify the path for the zoomed video signal, manufacturers can easily implement zoomed video on their motherboards," said Oliver Baltuch, strategic marketing manager at SMC. "As one of the manufacturers in the initiative, we are supporting the immediate use of zoomed video in notebook computers and as an inexpensive MPEG solution for the desktop."

Texas Instruments Ted Bockius Media Relations Program Manager Phone: [phone]

"We were overwhelmed by the tremendous response to our cardbus controller demo in notebooks at WinHEC. Attendees at our booth were excited to see how we support zoomed video and enable multimedia applications support in the notebook," said Ed Agis, TI PCIbus strategic marketing manager. "With the combination of TI's cardbus controller plus Chips and Technologies' graphic accelerators, TI will continue to spearhead efforts to support Zoomed Video Initiative." -0-

Note to Editors: Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft in the U.S. and other countries. HiQVideo is a trademark of Chips and Technologies, Inc.

CONTACT: Chips and Technologies, San Jose

Tim Erjavec or Cecelia Town, 408/434-0600

or

MQPR 

Matthew Quint, 510/651-9744