I/OMagic Launches New Sound Card Line-up; Three New Sounds Cards Are Based On Canyon3D-2 Technology

Business Wire, Sept 6, 2001

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 6, 2001

I/OMagic Corp. (OTCBB:IOMC), a leading developer and marketer of digital entertainment and peripheral PC products, today announced that it has launched a new line-up of sound cards products into the retail marketplace.

The three new cards -- the "Storm Surge," the "Hurricane Extreme," and the "Typhoon Theatre" -- are based on ESS Technology's (Nasdaq:ESST) Canyon3D(TM)-2(TM) PCI audio accelerator family.

"We're excited about bringing a new line of high quality sound cards into the retail channel," said Tony Andrews, vice president of engineering/product development for I/OMagic Corp. "There is something for everyone in this line-up. Quality of sound, engineering expertise and rich 3D digital audio -- all at extremely affordable prices."

William K. Wong, ESS Technology's vice-president of marketing stated: "We are proud to team with I/OMagic on this fantastic portfolio of home-theater sound cards. Canyon3D-2 based cards deliver the most powerful audio acceleration for PC gaming that is currently available in the market. ESS Technology is focused on providing high-end digital entertainment products and is pleased that I/OMagic is using our solution to offer unrivaled audio performance at price points that everyone can afford."

The I/OMagic "Storm Surge" is an entry level, multi-channel PCI sound card. It is a four-speaker solution and features up to 48 DirectSound3D hardware accelerated streams. Other highlights include front and surround analog outputs, up to 48 kHz playback/record. MSRP is $39.99 for the "Storm Surge."

The I/OMagic "Hurricane Extreme" is a premium audio solution for four-speaker applications and features up to 64 DirectSound3D hardware accelerated streams. It includes award winning PowerDVD playback software with Dolby digital decoding of DVD on four speakers and Dolby headphone technology. The Hurricane Extreme also includes a five-band hardware equalizer, S/PDIF-Out and is bundled with music and games. MSRP is $49.99.

And finally, the "Typhoon Theatre" is a 5.1 Channel PCI sound card that is a first-class audio solution for six-speaker applications such as DVD home theater. This multi-channel card has up to 96 DirectSound3D accelerated streams and also packs the award-winning PowerDVD software, featuring Dolby digital decoding of DVD on six speakers and Dolby headphone technology. The Typhoon Theatre also includes S/PDIF digital output for Dolby digital AC-3 via a universal RCA connector and is bundled with music and games. MSRP is $69.99.

Each of the three new sound cards is based on the ESS Canyon3D-2 family that uses Sensaura's True HRTF 3D positional MultiDrive(TM) technology for rich multi-speaker and three-dimensional sound effects and audio placement. Additionally, Sensaura ZoomFX(TM), MacroFX(TM) and EnvironmentalFX(TM) deliver precise magnification and placement of background audio. Yamaha's S-YXG50 wavetable SoftSynthesizer is also included for acoustic instrument sound reproduction that is compatible with General MIDI and Yamaha XG standards.

The Canyon3D-2 digital signal processing is also optimized for DirectX(R) 8 and a broad assortment of today's gaming APIs including I3DL2, A3D 1.0, EAX 1.0, EAX 2.0 and DirectSound3D(R). The Hurricane Extreme and the Typhoon Theatre cards will also provide Sony(R)/Philips(R) digital interface output and hardware speaker equalization. The software drivers will operate under the Windows 95/98/98SE/ME/2000/NT4 family of Microsoft operating systems (OS). The WDM driver will be updated to run under the Windows XP OS when the OS is released.

About ESS Technology

ESS Technology Inc. a leader in digital video, communications, and digital home systems, provides advanced semiconductor products enabling the convergence of communications, computer, consumer, and Internet markets. With headquarters in Fremont, Calif., ESS has R&D, sales, and technical support offices worldwide. ESS Technology's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol ESST. ESS Technology's Web site address is: http://www.esstech.com.

About I/OMagic

I/OMagic develops and markets digital entertainment products and a variety of multimedia and peripheral PC products. Product categories include MP3 Players and accessories, Optical Storage Drives, Digital Imaging Products, Multimedia/Adapter Cards and Input/Output Devices. The company sells its many products through nationally recognized computer retail outlets. Visit the I/OMagic Web site at www.iomagic.com. For more information, contact Nancy Andrews at 714/953-3000.