BridgeCo Silicon and Software Platform Links Mac OS X Applications to Consumer Audio Breakout Boxes

Business Wire, June 28, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO -- New BeBoB 2.0 Platform is First to Let Musicians Connect Breakout Boxes via Plug-And-Play on Mac OS X Using Popular FireWire/1394 Interface

BridgeCo (www.bridgeco.net), a leading provider of wired and wireless digital home entertainment networking solutions, has begun shipping its BeBoB 2.0 breakout box platform, which includes full support for Mac OS X.

"The Mac has long been one of the most popular composition tools for musicians and other creative types," explained BridgeCo CEO Angelo Ugge. "By supporting Mac OS X drivers on our BeBoB 2.0 platform, BridgeCo helps OEMs quickly develop breakout boxes that musicians can connect via plug-and-play to their Macs. The BridgeCo architecture is scalable, permitting the same platform to be used for breakout boxes that satisfy the demands of professional users, as well as the 'sub-US$200' price requirements of the consumer market. This means that any aspiring musician can now afford a breakout box for their home studio that delivers the same high quality as sophisticated professional equipment."

"Mac OS X Core Audio integrates a wide range of audio functionality directly into the operating system, delivering extremely low latency and ease of use to musicians, audio pros and music educators," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "BridgeCo's BeBoB platform allows developers to easily create plug-and play audio devices for Mac OS X, saving the additional cost for driver development, and creating a seamless experience for end users."

The BeBoB 2.0 platform is the world's first audio breakout box solution that uses the FireWire (IEEE 1394) audio drivers built into Mac OS X. BeBoB 2.0 implements the latest version of the applicable AV/C (Audio Video/Control) standard adopted by the 1394 Trade Association (www.1394TA.org). Apple and BridgeCo both worked to enhance the AV/C standard based on their real world experience.

Breakout boxes enable musicians to record audio from multiple sources--instruments, microphones and audio samples--by converting these audio sources into a digital format and transferring them to a computer. Once the raw audio tracks are recorded and stored on a computer, they can be played back, arranged and edited to complete a total musical or audio experience. Nearly a dozen leading OEMs have adopted BridgeCo's comprehensive silicon and software platform to design cost-effective breakout boxes that offer musicians and content creators flexible connectivity options and easy FireWire interface to Mac OS X.

The BeBoB 2.0 platform combines BridgeCo's DM1000 processor and all of the required software to build a complete breakout box product. By eliminating the need for multiple chips and expensive general purpose DSP devices, BeBoB 2.0 enables OEMs to significantly reduce the retail price of breakout box products. And by integrating powerful DSP capabilities, the BeBoB 2.0 solution is capable of low-latency mixing, which allows users to record new tracks while simultaneously playing back previously recorded ones.

BridgeCo's BeBoB 2.0 platform includes a proprietary ARM-based DSP processor, an RTOS, and a comprehensive application software stack that allows BridgeCo's OEM customers to significantly accelerate their time-to-market. The BridgeCo platform interfaces directly to 1394 PHY chips, and incorporates multiple digital and analog inputs and outputs that connect to microphones, loudspeakers, musical instruments and MIDI devices. BridgeCo provides driver support for Mac OS X and Windows XP computers. The BeBoB 2.0 design also enables multiple breakout boxes to be daisy-chained together, allowing consumers to combine an almost unlimited number of discrete audio inputs.

About BridgeCo

BridgeCo is a pioneer of digital entertainment networking solutions. Its BeBoB (BridgeCo enabled Breakout Box) is a highly integrated, cost-effective platform that places audio capture and mix solutions into the hands of musicians and content creators. The company's Entertainment Network Adapters (ENAs) provide consumers with 'more media, less wire, and no hassle' access to rich analog, digital, and Internet media sources. BridgeCo ENAs are used in a wide range of consumer products, including wireless audio adapters, audio/video receivers, DVD players, multimedia loudspeakers and music instruments.

Underlying all BridgeCo solutions are proprietary, integrated semiconductor and software technologies that network PCs to CE devices via widely-used standards and protocols (e.g. IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 1394, UPnP, WiFi, and DHWG) for network and signal processing.

BridgeCo is an ISO 9001-certified company based in Zurich, Switzerland. Its key investors include Benchmark Capital, Earlybird, Infineon Ventures, and Intel Capital. For more information, please visit www.bridgeco.net.