Sigmatel Licenses Parthus Mediastream Platform To Power Next Gen Mobile Internet Audio And Home Applications - Company Business and Marketing

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, August 20, 2001

Parthus Technologies plc (Nasdaq: PRTH) (LSE: PRH), a developer of platform-level intellectual property (IP), has announced that SigmaTel, a provider of system-level, mixed-signal integrated circuit solutions for the audio codec, audio decoder and wireless infrared markets, has licensed Parthus' MediaStream platform to power its next generation audio decoder integrated circuit for portable audio and home entertainment applications, including MP3-style players.

As part of the agreement, SigmaTel will deploy Parthus' MediaStream platform, which incorporates DSP, associated peripherals and software on a single chip, to deliver ultra-high quality 3D digital audio for the MP3, WMA and AAC standards. SigmaTel will target its single chip audio integrated circuit into the rapidly evolving portable audio (including MP3 players, cell phones, PDAs and digital cameras) and home entertainment markets.

"High-quality audio is an essential component of tomorrow's mobile device," said Ron Edgerton, CEO and president of SigmaTel. "By utilizing Parthus' MediaStream DSP, we can provide our customers with a proven audio technology and a retargetable, field-upgradeable solution that has been designed specifically for the portable environment."

"SigmaTel is a proven leader in the deployment of audio chips to the PC market as well as a variety of other applications markets," said Kevin Fielding, president of Parthus. "Our agreement furthers underpins our MediaStream multimedia franchise and Parthus' leadership position in MPEG technologies as noted by the most recent Gartner Dataquest industry survey."