Packard Bell brandishes MPEG strategy

Electronic News, July 17, 1995

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. - In rolling out its latest multimedia systems for the home personal computer market last week, Packard Bell said the new Pentium-based machines will ship MPEG-1 ready based on Compcore Multimedia Inc.'s SoftPEG technology.

However, Packard Bell said it expects to put MPEG-2 devices onto motherboards in future systems - a move likely tied to Japan's NEC Corp. buying 19.9 percent of the company (EN, July 10). Built around 120- and 133MHz Pentium processors, Packard Bell's new systems will run MPEG-1 encoded applications such as games, CD-ROMs and video CDs.

Fred H. Kern, Packard Bell VP of product marketing, said the PC maker will wait for "real MPEG" before building decoder hardware directly into its motherboards. Asked what real MPEG is, he added: "MPEG-2."

Packard Bell represents a major licensing deal for CompCore, which has also partnered with NEC to port the SoftPEG technology to Mips microprocessors. George Haber, president of CompCore Multimedia, last week said in a statement, "We are also very happy to see the union of two of our best customers. This alliance suggests that MPEG-2 technology may soon also be available to Packard Bell customers."

It could not be determined whether NEC is also using the Compcore technology to develop more efficient MPEG decoder devices. Compcore, Sunnyvale, Calif. has also licensed its technology for other hardware implementations to Hitachi, Cirrus Logic, Zilog, and others.

In addition to designing MPEG-1 capability into its new multimedia systems, Packard Bell the machines will come pre-loaded with a more advanced version of its popular Navigator software interface; a remote control unit; an ergonomic keyboard; and Fast Media, a special function key.

In addition to its new relationship with NEC, Packard-Bell is attempting to leverage the momentum it built in Q1 1995, when it ranked first in U.S. PC shipments and fourth worldwide, according to International Data Corp. The company began picking up steam last year when it rolled out its first multimedia systems for the home market.

Some of the new models also include a built-in TV and FM radio as well as features such as coming standard with a CD player and telephone answering system capabilities. The new systems include a slim-line model, a wedge-shaped machine and "designer" mini-towers. "Computers are evolving to look more like furniture and Packard Bell is leading the way," said Mal Ransom, Packard Bell VP of marketing.

Hard drive storage options range from 540MB to 2.1GB with 8MB or 16MB of RAM. Pricing for the new systems will range between $1,399 and $2,999, Packard Bell said.