Cirrus Logic's Maverick Processor Powers Compaq iPAQ Personal Audio Player.Business Editors & High-Tech Writers AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2000 Highly Integrated System-On-Chip Provides Ultra-Low Power and Flexibility to Support All Popular Internet Digital Music Formats Cirrus Logic Inc. (Nasdaq:CRUS) today announced that Compaq Computer Corporation (company) Compaq Computer Corporation - The largest US manufacturer and vendor of IBM PC compatible personal computers and servers. Compaq was started in 1982 by three ex-Texas Instruments employees. Quarterly sales $2499M, profits $210M (Aug 1994). http://compaq.com/. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CPQ CPQ Compaq CPQ Conseil du Patronat du Québec (Canada) CPQ Configure-Price-Quote CPQ Conseil de Presse du Québec (Québec Press Council, Canada) CPQ Companion Parrot Quarterly ) has selected its Maverick(tm) EP7209 Market Specific Processor (MSP (1) (Management Service Provider or Managed Service Provider) An organization that manages a customer's computer systems and networks which are either located on the customer's premises or at a third-party datacenter. ) to power the new Compaq iPAQ Personal Audio Player PA-1. The Compaq design win extends Cirrus Logic's leadership position in the portable Internet audio arena and reinforces the company's position as one of the industry's most innovative system-on-chip (SOC) suppliers. The iPAQ Personal Audio Player, announced Aug. 15, is a hand-held device that enables users to rapidly download digital music files from the Internet through a USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. interface to a PC, and plays back crystal clear digital audio sound. The iPAQ PA-1 is equipped with 64 MB MultiMediaCard flash memory which can hold up to two hours of digital-quality music and is compatible with multiple music formats, including MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio) An audio compression method from Microsoft. Known originally as MSAudio, this proprietary format competes with the MP3 and AAC methods. WMA encodes rapidly and is known to be especially effective at low bit rates. and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) An audio compression technology that is part of the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 standards. AAC, especially MPEG-4 AAC, provides greater compression and better sound quality than MP3, which also came out of the MPEG standard. . "The new PA-1 utilizes Cirrus Logic's Maverick processor to put CD-quality digital music in the palm of your hand," said Kevin Kyle, general manager, Internet and e-Tronics Division, Consumer Products Group, Compaq Computer Corporation. "The Maverick processor's programmability, ultra-low power consumption and small form-factor enables Compaq to deliver a lightweight, stylish and portable digital music device that provides hours of listening enjoyment on the go." With the Maverick processor's ability to decode MP3, WMA and AAC sound files, the iPAQ Personal Audio Player will be capable of handling the most popular audio compression formats available in the market. In addition, the Maverick processor can be quickly modified to support newly emerging audio compression standards (codecs), or add valuable features such as equalization In communications, techniques used to reduce distortion and compensate for signal loss (attenuation) over long distances. , without redesigning the players. "The Maverick family of MSPs offers the flexibility to design a variety of Internet devices, from portable audio players like the iPAQ PA-1 to complicated, networked home stereo systems," said Matthew Perry, vice president and general manager of Cirrus Logic's Embedded Processors Division. "The highly integrated Maverick MSP delivers the performance, flexibility, security, and time-to-market features needed to create innovative Internet entertainment appliances." The Maverick EP7209 processor provides high-quality audio decoding for the most popular Internet audio coding standards. As an off-the-shelf MSP, the Maverick processor features a programmable ARM(R) processor core, the ARM720T, which not only allows decoding of audio in real time, but also provides the ability to run multiple popular operating systems, including Windows CE, Linux and others. Further, taking into account the latest digital rights management concerns music content providers, Cirrus Logic's Maverick processor is the first chip shipping which conforms to SDMI (Secure Digital Music Initiative) A set of rules for securely distributing digital music over the Internet. Announced in February 1999, it is backed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Sony, Warner, BMG, EMI and Universal, the top five standards and supports both the Windows(R) Media technologies and InterTrust(R) Rights PD management solutions for securing digital rights for artists and music content providers. Cirrus Logic is already one of the top suppliers of embedded processors for portable Internet audio devices for popular brand names like S3 Diamond Rio, Creative Labs and Nike, according to Forward Concepts, an industry research firm. About Cirrus Logic Cirrus Logic is a premier supplier of high-performance analog and DSP (1) (Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal processing applications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction sequences, such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in math-intensive chip solutions for Internet entertainment electronics. Building on its global market share leadership in audio integrated circuits and its rich mixed-signal patent portfolio, the company targets high-volume audio, storage and communications applications. Cirrus Logic sells its products under the Crystal(R), Maverick(tm) and 3Ci(tm) brands as well as its own name. Founded in 1984 in Silicon Valley, Cirrus Logic operates from headquarters in Austin and major sites located in Fremont, Calif. and Broomfield, Colo. as well as offices in Europe, Japan and Asia. More information about Cirrus Logic is available at www.cirrus.com. Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. Provision Any forward-looking statements and all other statements that may be made in this news release that are not historical facts are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. Please refer to Cirrus Logic's current Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for more information on the risk factors that could cause actual results to differ. NOTE TO EDITORS: Cirrus Logic, Maverick, MaverickLock and MaverickCrunch are registered trademarks of Cirrus Logic Inc. All other product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders. |
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