Sigma to Demonstrate State-of-the-Art Video Technology Solutions at CES 2009

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
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Company Demonstrates Premium Blu-ray Players, Tru2Way DOCSIS 3.0 and IPTV-Based Set-Top Boxes, Adobe Flash Embedded Chips, UWB Connectivity, and Z-Wave Home Automation Solutions

LAS VEGAS & MILPITAS, Calif. — Sigma Designs (Nasdaq:SIGM), a leader in digital media processing system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for consumer electronics, today announced it will demonstrate an extensive range of high definition consumer technology solutions powered by the company’s SoC solutions at CES 2009 in Las Vegas. The following solutions will be demonstrated Thursday, January 8 through Saturday, January 10 at Sigma’s Digital Living Demo Room inside a hospitality suite located at the Las Vegas Hilton, Suite #2992.

Industry Leading Technology Featured in Blu-ray Players

Continuing its tradition of technology leadership across multiple consumer entertainment segments, Sigma will be showcasing its latest solutions with best in class video quality and interactive performance featured in two new levels of Blu-ray player solutions, based on the company’s newest media processors. Both solutions offer up to 1840 DMIPs and an eye-popping Caffeine-mark of 5649 coupled with a wide complement of advanced capabilities in a SoC solution with powerful multimedia processing, robust content security system, multiple on-chip CPUs, on-chip system peripherals and Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) support.

Sigma’s new premium Blu-ray player reference design provides a next generation architecture featuring studio quality video output for the finest viewing experience of both Blu-ray and DVD media, along with the highest system performance for a snappier user interface response and the most proven Blu-ray software suite available. This reference design is based on Sigma’s SMP8644 media processor, along with the company’s GF9450 that features studio-quality VXP® image processing technology.

Sigma’s new mainstream Blu-ray player reference design offers a more streamlined approach featuring the same high performance and proven software suite as the Premium player design along with a more cost-effective solution featuring Sigma’s latest Blu-ray media processor, the SMP8642, as well as our latest optimized BD software suite.

Tru2way™ DOCSIS 3.0-based Set-Top Boxes for IP-Cable

Sigma’s Tru2way™ 8654 Cable TV STB Reference Design enables the rapid development of a Tru2way™ DOCSIS 3.0-based set-top box for deployment in existing cable-TV and IP-Cable systems. In addition to making possible a virtually unlimited channel lineup, it provides voice, data and video services and can view and record up to three TV channels simultaneously.

Sigma-powered CE Products using Adobe Flash Lite™ Software

Recently announced, Adobe Flash Lite software will soon be available with Sigma silicon solutions for consumer electronics in order to bring the richest, most engaging interactive experiences and services over high definition televisions, IPTV and cable-IP set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and digital media adapters. It will also bring rich web content and Adobe Flash based applications to the digital home market, and ultimately make the TV the main hub for entertainment and content services.

Multiple Ultra-wideband (UWB)-based Connectivity Solutions

An Ethernet-to-Coax Bridge Adapter powered by the Sigma’s recently announced CoAir® chipset, a whole home networking solution based on the WiMedia™ open standard to achieve wireless and UWB-over-Coax video streaming. Additionally, the company will demonstrate its Wireless HDAV™ technology for wireless A/V cable replacement based on its Windeo® wireless chipset.

Sigma’s Z-Wave Home Automation Wireless Technology showcased inside Z-Wave Alliance Pavilion – Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 1, Booth #20619

Sigma recently acquired Fremont, Calif.-based Zensys, a developer of single-chip RF solutions called Z-Wave, a wireless mesh-networking technology and leading standard for the emerging home automation and remote control markets. The Z-Wave Alliance is an open consortium of over 160 manufacturers who create products and services based on Z-Wave. At CES, 16 member companies will present multiple brands and applications that seamlessly operate together to provide real-world product solutions for safety and security, remote home management, energy conservation and comfort and convenience entertainment control. The wireless modular solutions – all powered with the affordable Z-Wave RF technology – give consumers a choice of over 300 products in lighting, sensors, gateways, access control, HVAC, A/V remotes, and more.

IPTV Set-Top Box Platforms for Microsoft® Mediaroom™ and Linux Middleware

Showcasing today’s leading family of SoCs shipping for the Microsoft® Mediaroom™ platform, this Sigma SMP8654-based solution offers a total of 1330 DMIPs, providing current customers with a substantial increase in performance under a software compatible platform. Sigma dominates the IPTV set-top box market and supports a wide variety of customized Linux platforms where the SMP8654 will quickly provide a boost in performance as well as a decrease in system cost.

“The demonstrations from Sigma’s different solution areas at CES this year will continue to set the bar for HD technology,” said Ken Lowe, vice president of strategic marketing at Sigma Designs. “Our current chips power many major retail brands of consumer products as well as most of the major set-top boxes that deliver IPTV services into the home. The next generation technology solutions being demonstrated at CES today are designed to enable rapid development of the next generation of feature rich consumer products.”