ViXS and sMedio join forces to launch Ultra HD Blu-ray player solution

ViXS and sMedio Join Forces to Launch Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Player Solution Based on the XCode 6830 SoC

TORONTO, ON — In response to the imminent availability of multiple Ultra HD Blu-ray™ disc titles in early 2016, ViXS Systems Inc. (TSX: VXS), a pioneer and leader in media processing solutions and sMedio Inc. (Headquarters Minato-Ku Tokyo; CEO Shunsuke Tanaka; Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers 3913) announce the availability of an Ultra HD Blu-ray™ player solution. With multiple Ultra HD Blu-ray titles to be released in early 2016 by studios such as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and with the recent explosive growth in Ultra HD Television sales, the emerging Ultra HD Blu-ray market is primed for rapid growth.

ViXS and SMedio are working with a lead customer to bring a complete Ultra HD Blu-ray player solution to market by mid-2016, in addition the platform will be available late Q1`2016 for other manufacturers. Both ViXS and sMedio will be showcasing a demonstration of the Ultra HD Blu-ray player solution at CES 2016. The demonstration will be using the latest Ultra HD Blu-ray titles from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. ViXS will be located in the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), South Hall 2, Lower Level, Booth# MP26055. sMedio will have an invite only suite in the Venetian Tower 11-306.

At the heart of the Ultra HD Blu-ray player solution is the ViXS XCode 6830 12-bit Ultra HD HEVC System on a Chip (SoC) with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and support for HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2. The XCode 6830 SoC has been specifically designed for the Ultra HD Blu-ray player market, providing all the necessary security and Ultra HD video processing required to meet the needs of the Ultra HD Blu-ray market. Samples of the XCode 6830 will be available February 2016.

In combination with the high performance XCode 6830 SOC, sMedio is delivering a full stack Ultra HD Blu-ray solution with the best compatibility of commercial discs found within this ecosystem. The latest content protection technologies, AACS2, and BD-J menu interaction are fully supported. The 4K HDR playback capability, enabled in sMedio solution, brings the highest quality digital experience to the consumer.

Ultra HD Blu-ray is a new generation Blu-ray format regulated by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). Ultra HD Blu-ray introduces higher quality through 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 dots) content playback on the rapidly popular consumer ultra-high definition TVs; playback of rich colors; and higher dynamic range video.

“4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with High Dynamic Range empowers an unrivaled home entertainment experience,” said Danny Kaye, EVP, Global Research and Technology Strategy, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Ultra HD Blu-Ray players will give consumers an unparalleled immersive movie experience.”

“We are pleased to announce the partnership, which adds strong value to ViXS’ high performance SoC lineups by our multimedia software technology,” said Shunsuke Tanaka, CEO, sMedio, Inc. “sMedio is expanding our business to the global market, especially for connected home solutions. The full-stack Ultra HD Blu-ray solution we provide, from 4K playback to secure export, will greatly reduce the time to market for CE manufacturers and optimize consumers’ movie-watching experience.”

“The ViXS and sMedio Ultra HD Blu-ray player solution being announced today is an example of the strength of sMedio’s multimedia software and ViXS’ SoC technology leadership in media processing and media security,” said Sohail Khan, President and CEO, ViXS Systems Inc. “Today ViXS has been has been able to demonstrate Ultra HD Blu-ray playback, offering CE manufacturers the quickest path to market, based on the most advanced video processing and secure SoC in the market today.”