Cirrus Logic enables high-quality PC application on the TV

Business Wire, Jan 3, 1995

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 3, 1995--Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ:CRUS) bridges the gap between PC desktop and consumer set-top graphics with the announcement of the CL-GD5425, a TV-output true color VGA graphics controller.

The new chip solution integrates TV processing for output that is NTSC/PAL/SECAM-compatible, while maintaining full DOS and Windows software compatibility. This brings an enormous selection and variety of PC applications to the emerging consumer market for set-top devices.

"The CL-GD5425 represents our initial entry for enabling full compatibility between VGA monitors and consumer TVs," said Douglas J. Bartek, president of the Visual & Systems Interface Company of Cirrus Logic. "With the expansion of the set-top entertainment market, and the future emerging interactive cable market, it's a natural progression to extend our successful graphics technology to the television."

"Parents would like an inexpensive solution for their children to take advantage of the many info- and edu-tainment titles available on the PC, but the kids are screaming to play games" said Rick Sizemore, principal analyst at Total Research in Multimedia. "The CL-GD5425 generates high quality TV output from a PC, delivering the tremendous variety of PC applications to the set-top, making the entire family happy."

The CL-GD5425 brings TV processing and output capabilities into the very popular fully integrated CL-GD542x family of graphics controllers. The TV processing support features a patent-pending flicker-filter which effectively reduces the flicker that many computer graphics generate when displayed on a television. An output scaler compensates for overscan on consumer TVs, restoring the full viewable area that DOS and Windows require. In addition to the consumer market, the CL-GD5425 fits well into professional television applications with its RS-170A compatibility, line locked subcarrier and genlock capabilities.

"There are two advantages to this product," said Keith Uhlin, director and general manager of Cirrus Logic's entertainment graphics group. "You can purchase the set-top PC with the CL-GD5425 and attach it to your television for family entertainment and educational software. In the future, you can optimize the PC by adding a VGA monitor to the same device for one-on-one software applications such as word processing or spreadsheets. It's a perfect family solution because it's modular and can be upgraded according to the needs of the family."

The CL-GD5425 has a direct interface to inexpensive TV encoders reducing the system cost for VGA-TV output potentially up to several hundred dollars. The CL-GD5425 is sampling now at $25 and will be in production in March, 1995 for $20 in 1,000 quantities.

Cirrus Logic Inc. is a leading supplier of advanced integrated circuits for desktop and portable computing, telecommunications and consumer electronics markets. The company applies its system-level expertise in analog and digital design to innovate highly integrated software-rich solutions. Cirrus Logic has developed a broad portfolio of products and technologies for applications spanning multimedia, graphics, communications, mass storage, and data acquisition.

CONTACT: Cirrus Logic Inc.

              Janet Freeman, 510/226-2227
              Keith Uhlin , 510/226-2249