Sigma Showcases New Range of 3D Technologies at CES 2010

Next Generation 3D Video and 3D Graphics Technologies Set the Stage for Upcoming Consumer Trends

MILPITAS, Calif. — 2010 International CES — Sigma Designs (Nasdaq:SIGM), a leading provider of system-on-chip (SoC) solutions used to deliver entertainment and control throughout the home today announced that they will be showcasing a new range of 3D video and 3D graphics technologies – highlighting the emergence of next generation consumer products. Product demonstrations are available at this week’s CES 2010 Show, Thursday, January 7 through Saturday, January 9 at Sigma’s hospitality suite located at the Las Vegas Hilton, Suite #2990.

Stealing some scenes from the premium 3D theatres and interactive game industry, the consumer industry is taking aim at introducing an all around 3D experience over the next few years. Even though industry standards and specifications are still coming together, the technology treadmill is already set on high to propel consumers into the next generation. This coming year, a wide range of 3DTVs will be introduced that support full 1080p per eye. Hot on their heels, the next generation Blu-ray players will likely be the first consumer products to drive these new displays with eye-popping content. Meanwhile, next generation set-top boxes are looking at how to use 3D graphics to upscale their navigation and download more compelling applets while also accommodating the eventual emergence of 3D video telecasts. To enable these trends, Sigma is providing an exciting showcase of 3D technologies that are expected to power a wide range of these next generation consumer products.

“3D technology has become the next hot category for the consumer electronic market,” said Ken Lowe, vice president of strategic marketing for Sigma Designs. “As we have in the past with Blu-ray and IPTV set-top boxes, Sigma is committed to supporting emerging markets long before they become mainstream. Our next generation of media processor solutions will showcase the power of the 3D and ultimately enable a whole new user experience.”

At CES, Sigma will demonstrate 3D video capability that takes advantage of advanced 3D video algorithms and content from RealD to show stereoscopic output on a 3D equipped television. This 3D video platform is based on Sigma’s SMP8644 media processor combined with Sigma’s GF9452 VXP video processor which will output full HD left eye/right eye interleaved images. Additionally, the demonstration will provide image enhancement of the 3D content using proprietary VXP detail enhancement and adaptive contrast enhancement algorithms.

As a second demonstration, there will be also a showcase of the robust 3D graphics capability that operates over the OpenGL ES interface to render high performance 3D imaging. This 3D graphics platform is based on Sigma’s latest silicon that offers a new 3D engine – featuring a tile-based architecture with a universal shader engine supporting multi-threaded operations with both pixel and vertex shading. It is capable of rendering 16 million polygons/second, pixel fill rates of 500 million pixels/second, and texture element fill rates of over 100M texels/second.

“Sigma Designs is continuing to push the envelope with their aggressive strategy to support and improve the 3D video experience in the home,” said Steve Shannon, Executive Vice President for RealD. “We share a common vision to bring unparalleled full-resolution HD 3D experiences to the home, unlocking a new world of 3D entertainment.”

This 3D demonstration from Sigma is another milestone toward the creation of a chipset that will power next generation platforms for set-top box and consumer electronics products.