Conexant Introduces Interactive TV Decoder Chip Optimized for Personal Video Recorder Set-Top Boxes.Business Editors and High-Tech Writers NEWPORT BEACH Newport Beach, residential and resort city (1990 pop. 66,643), Orange co., S Calif., on Newport Bay and the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1906. It is a popular seaside resort and yachting center. Manufactures include electrical and medical equipment, computers, boats, and adhesives. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2001 Solution Offers Unique Array of Advanced Interactive Features For Manufacturers Addressing Multiple Worldwide Cable, Satellite and Terrestrial Networks Conexant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT), a worldwide leader in semiconductor system solutions for communications applications, today announced the expansion of its portfolio of set-top box solutions with its third-generation interactive TV decoder chip. Conexant's new CX22492/3 decoder offers a unique combination of features for set-top box manufacturers targeting the rapidly growing market for personal video recorders (PVRs) on digital pay TV networks. PVR See DVR. functionality allows consumers to store live television and rewind, fast-forward or pause it during playback. In addition, the CX22492/3 will enable users to record one TV show while watching another, or record two shows simultaneously. "Our latest TV decoder solution is a key enabler for a new generation of cost-effective set-top appliances that include the latest interactive features, such as PVR capability," said Stephen Blake, vice president of consumer products for Conexant's Digital Infotainment Division. "Our solution is optimized for the fast-growing, digital pay TV PVR market segment, and our latest decoder offering helps manufacturers bring full-featured products to market quickly, while streamlining development time and bill-of-materials costs." According to Cahner's In-Stat Group, a market research firm, consumer interest in PVR technology is growing rapidly, with shipments of PVR-enabled set-top boxes expected to reach 8 million units by 2003. Conexant's new interactive TV decoder joins the company's broad portfolio of set-top box components for worldwide cable, satellite, and terrestrial networks, which includes cable modems, silicon tuners, demodulators, TV encoders and analog modems. Conexant is the only supplier providing a complete set-top box solution with support for worldwide digital broadcast satellite (DBS (Direct Broadcast Satellite) A one-way TV broadcast service from a communications satellite to a small round or oval dish antenna no larger than 20" in diameter. ) and European terrestrial set-top boxes. In addition to supporting multiple global standards, Conexant's set-top box solution provides the flexibility to adapt to new operator multiplex requirements with a programmable transport stream demultiplexing architecture. Conexant has integrated NDS' (Nasdaq:NNDS NNDS Norsk Nettverk for Down Syndrom (Norway) )(Nasdaq Europe:NNDS) advanced XTV(TM) PVR technology into the CX22492/3 IC and will develop device drivers that support NDS' XTV system software. The CX22493 version also incorporates additional functionality to support the Videoguard(TM) Conditional Access System A conditional access system (CAS) is a system by which electronic transmission of digital media, especially satellite television signals through cable, is limited to subscribed clients. This is called conditional access. developed by NDS See eDirectory. NDS - Netware Directory Services . "Conexant's system solutions are a perfect complement to our XTV software, and we are pleased to continue our collaboration on the development of this next-generation set-top platform," said Dr. Jas Saini, vice president, Consumer Devices, NDS Group plc. "Our combined offering will enable the creation of a new generation of cost-optimized set-top boxes targeted at the rapidly growing PVR market." Key product features for CX22492/3 include input for two tuner/demodulators and three independent transport stream demultiplexers, so users can simultaneously record two different programs while playing back a third program. In addition, the product incorporates a high-speed hard disk drive controller interface for fast data transfers in PVR applications such as pause and instant replay. To optimize security for audio/video content recorded on the hard disk, the decoder includes data encryption standard See DES. Data Encryption Standard - (DES) The NBS's popular, standard encryption algorithm. It is a product cipher that operates on 64-bit blocks of data, using a 56-bit key. It is defined in FIPS 46-1 (1988) (which supersedes FIPS 46 (1977)). (DES) ciphering at the hard disk interface. Conexant's CX22492/3 interactive TV decoder chip incorporates a high-performance 2D graphics rendering engine to enable PC-quality user interfaces and advanced electronic program guides. The solution also features a dedicated 32-bit RISC processor with up to 220 MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second) The execution speed of a computer. For example, .5 MIPS is 500,000 instructions per second; 100 MIPS is a hundred million instructions per second. performance to support demanding interactive TV applications. All of Conexant's interactive decoders offer hardware cost savings to OEMs through complete integration of front panel control interfaces, V.22bis software modem controller/datapump and voltage-controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO VCXO Voltage Controlled Crystal Oscillator ). The CX22492/3 also includes analog video support with up to six high quality CVBS/S-Video/RGB output signals for all worldwide NTSC/PAL/SECAM broadcast standards. In addition, Conexant's CX22492/3 will be offered with fully integrated middleware and run-time operating system (RTOS (1) (RealTime Operating System) An operating system designed for use in a real time computer system. See real time system, embedded system, process control and OS-9. ) support including optimized hardware abstraction layer (operating system) Hardware Abstraction Layer - (HAL) The layer of Microsoft Windows NT where they have isolated their assembly language code. solutions for Liberate, OpenTV EN2, OpenTV 1.2, Nucleus+ and VxWorks. Conexant's system-level approach reduces development costs and time-to-market for OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and customers by incorporating the CX22492/3 and software into a comprehensive set-top box system reference design. The product provides superior flexibility with a generic device driver set that can be adapted to alternate middleware platforms by the manufacturer. Pricing and Availabilty Packaged as a 328-pin BGA (Ball Grid Array) A popular surface mount chip package that uses a grid of solder balls as its connectors. Available in plastic and ceramic varieties, BGA is noted for its compact size, high lead count and low inductance, which allows lower voltages to be used. , samples of the CX22492/3 will be available in June 2001, with production quantities available in Q4 2001. The CX22492/3 will be priced at $25 for the 133MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. 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. version, $27 for the 160MHz version, and $29 for the 200MHz version in OEM production quantities. About Conexant Systems, Inc. Conexant Systems is a worldwide leader in semiconductor system solutions for communications applications. Conexant leverages its expertise in mixed signal processing to deliver integrated systems and semiconductor products through two separate businesses: Conexant and Mindspeed Technologies. Conexant's personal networking business is focused on digital infotainment, personal imaging, wireless communications and personal computing products that are used in mobile communications and the broadband digital home. Mindspeed Technologies is focused on Internet infrastructure products including WAN transport, multiservice access and broadband access for applications that extend from the edge of the Internet all the way to its optical core. Conexant has headquarters in Newport Beach, and delivered revenues of $2.1 billion for fiscal 2000. The company is a member of the S&P 500 and NASDAQ-100 indices. To learn more, visit the company at www.conexant.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. Statement This news release contains statements relating to future results of Conexant (including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: maintaining a consistent and reliable source of energy; global economic and market conditions, such as the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by the company's and its customers' products; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development of new products; the timing of new product introductions; the availability and extent of utilization of manufacturing capacity; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; changes in product mix; fluctuations in manufacturing yields; product obsolescence ob·so·les·cent adj. 1. Being in the process of passing out of use or usefulness; becoming obsolete. 2. Biology Gradually disappearing; imperfectly or only slightly developed. ; the ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the successful separation of the company's Internet infrastructure and personal networking businesses; the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; labor relations of the company, its customers and suppliers; and the uncertainties of litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. , as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Note to Editors: Conexant is a trademark of Conexant Systems, Inc. XTV is a trademark of NDS plc. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners |
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