Sigma Announces First MPEG-4 Decoder Card for PC Use; New X-Card supports high fidelity TV playback of DivX, ISMA, and DVD content

Business Wire, Feb 5, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2002

Sigma Designs (Nasdaq:SIGM), a leader in IP video streaming solutions, announced the first MPEG-4 client player add-in card for the PC. Marketed under the name X-Card, Sigma's newest MPEG-4 offering turns a PC into a home theatre solution, providing TV playback of top entertainment content from DivX Networks, DVDs and new Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) compliant video streams. Sigma's X-Card will retail for $99.95 and will be available initially from the company's REALmagic Online store at www.buyrealmagic.com starting March 2002.

The X-card is a PCI plug-in card for the PC that supports full hardware decoding of MPEG-4 and MPEG-1 or 2 files, as well as high quality audio/video output to your TV and surround sound receiver. The X-Card turns the PC into a client player for content from DivX Networks, DVD or VideoCD discs, and ISMA compliant video streams. Providing home theatre quality output, the X-Card enables users to enjoy their content in standard, wide-screen, high-definition, or progressive formats with high-quality component video and Dolby Digital surround sound. Included with X-Card is a TV-like remote control that mimics the convenience of a DVD player. With plug-n-play set-up under Windows 98SE, Me, or XP, X-Card is expected to be in demand for users that are creating their own PC-based entertainment libraries.

"It's gratifying to be a pioneer in the emerging MPEG-4 industry and enable PC users to enjoy high-quality playback of their content collection on TV," said Ken Lowe, vice president of business development, Sigma Designs. "Moving from a small PC monitor with low-end speakers to a full-screen quality TV with surround sound is a dramatic shift in sensation."

Sigma is quickly becoming the dominant provider of IP video streaming solutions, based on its new EM8470 series of MPEG-4 decoder chips, the technology behind the X-Card. The new EM8470 series, based on the company's award-winning REALmagic(R) Video Streaming Technology, is the industry's first, and so far only MPEG-4 chip to support full-resolution (720x576) and streaming video based on ISMA specification 1.0. The EM8470 series provides highly integrated solutions for decoding of MPEG-4, as well as DVD, MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 formats.

MPEG-4 is the next-generation digital video standard, enabling content developers to create sophisticated content containing audio, video, text, graphics and interactivity. The object-oriented environment of MPEG-4 provides for complex scene manipulation at low bit rates, making it ideal for streaming content over today's 300-1500bps broadband connections and more than doubling the capacity of existing MPEG-2 services.

"The proliferation of consumer MPEG-4 content across the internet is a milestone in the expansion of demand for streaming video," stated Phil Graham, vice president of ISMA. "We're excited to see Sigma Designs take a leadership role in support of the ISMA specification with their new products."

About Sigma Designs, Inc.

Sigma Designs specializes in silicon-based MPEG decoding for streaming video, progressive DVD playback and advanced digital set-top boxes. The company's award-winning REALmagic(R) Video Streaming Technology is used in both commercial and consumer applications providing highly integrated solutions for high-quality decoding of MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. Headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., the company also has sales offices in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.sigmadesigns.com/.

REALmagic(R) is a registered trademark of Sigma Designs, Inc. Other product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.