CE Industry Heavyweights Proclaim DVI HDCP As The Interface For HDTV - Further Propelling Silicon Image Into The CE Space

Silicon Image Showcases Premium Hollywood Studio Content Enabled By Digital Set-Top Boxes, VHS Players And HDTVs Featuring DVI HDCP Technology

25-Jan-01

Silicon Image (NASDAQ: SIMG), a price/performance leader in high bandwidth semiconductor solutions for mass markets, showcased prototype digital set-top boxes, digital VHS players and HDTVs featuring premium, high definition Hollywood studio content during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). These breakthrough consumer electronics devices are enabled by Digital Visual Interface (DVI) technology with High bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), which elevates the home entertainment experience to unprecedented levels by allowing consumers to view first-rate Hollywood movies in high definition formats without leaving their living room. High-definition (HD) consumer electronics devices showcased in Silicon Image's booth at CES included digital set-top boxes from Echostar, Scientific Atlanta and Samsung. In addition, a prototype D-VHS player from JVC will play high definition premium digital content from Universal Studios and Fox that has not been released to VHS or DVD - some of which is currently playing in theatres around the country. D-VHS is a new breed of VCR that is all digital and capable of playing HD-formatted videotapes. Andrew G. Setos, Executive Vice President of the Fox News Technology Group said, ""The entire Twentieth Century Fox library of motion pictures and our future productions released in digital, high-resolution formats will represent a whole new viewing experience on widescreen digital TVs. Up until now, few motion pictures have been available in consumers' homes in this high quality form. We look forward to making our motion pictures widely available using new consumer electronics devices such as D-VHS and digital set-top boxes, as these products begin to embrace DVI output connections that only transmit HDCP content to displays for an all-digital, high resolution experience."" Consumers prefer HD content, which has dramatically better image quality than that currently offered by DVDs. Major motion picture studios such as Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. have movies in HD formats that consumers will want to rent or purchase for viewing on their HDTVs or home theatre projection systems. Until the advent of HDCP for DVI, studios have been reluctant to release this premium digital content for fear of unauthorized reproduction and distribution of perfect digital copies. By encrypting premium HD video between digital consumer electronics host and display devices, DVI with HDCP provides an effective defense against piracy, while providing the home viewer with the highest quality visual experience. Paving the way for the release of this content, satellite broadcasters and consumer electronics manufacturers have indicated their support for HDCP and willingness to incorporate DVI with HDCP in their products. Silicon Image's PanelLinkÆ is the leading DVI implementation - having proven its robustness in high-volume mass markets with more than 15 million units shipped. DVI is the only digital interface with enough bandwidth to accommodate uncompressed high definition digital video. Lower bandwidth alternatives must first compress the video before transferring it to a digital display, which requires additional components - including an MPEG decoder in the TV. Furthermore, HDCP, which has been endorsed by Fox, Universal, Warner Bros. and Disney, is only available over the DVI link. Jerry Pierce, Senior Vice President, Universal Pictures, said, ""High definition movies will offer consumers the ultimate in a home theatre experience. DVI ensures the highest quality image in a home system. HDCP provides a secure environment that offers content providers the necessary protection for the HD format. Systems that require HDCP can expect the highest quality content in the future."" Kazuo Kohda, General Manager of Digital Strategy, JVC AV & Multimedia Company noted, ""JVC is planning to adopt DVI with HDCP as an output connection for pre-recorded D-VHS content in the future. We believe that high definition uncompressed digital signals are essential to providing the highest quality home viewing experience for consumers. DVI/HDCP is the only practical, secure solution today for those uncompressed digital connections and will be essential when transmitting high value, high definition content. Likewise, we will aggressively pursue the adoption of DVI/HDCP inputs on all future high definition displays."" Michael Harney, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Scientific-Atlanta's Subscriber Networks said, ""As a leading supplier of set-top boxes for cable operators, Scientific-Atlanta is at the forefront of technology that will enable cable operators to deliver the best possible entertainment content to their customers. The DVI digital connection with HDCP copy protection fits this strategy, and we are pleased to work with Silicon Image to provide a demonstration of this technology on our ExplorerÆ 8000HD high definition set-top box."" Because it is a high-bandwidth, all-digital solution, DVI offers new possibilities for home entertainment system architecture, which were previously unavailable. DVI has the bandwidth to address each pixel in a digital TV display individually - enabling the highest possible picture quality. This is achieved without concern that the internal electronics will be made obsolete by changing interface or compression technologies. Steve Tirado, Chief Operating Officer for Silicon Image noted, ""HDTV represents the next revolution in home entertainment, and DVI with HDCP is the logical choice for the last critical connection between digital hosts, such as D-VHS players and set-top boxes, and digital TVs. We are thrilled to see so many examples of consumer electronics products featuring DVI/HDCP at CES. Once consumers see premium high-definition content on an HDTV and experience its unparalleled visual quality, we don't think they will want to go back to the status quo. In order for HDTV adoption to really take off, the industry needs to rally around a new standard. Key players at all levels of the HDTV supply chain, including consumer electronics manufacturers, satellite broadcasters and Hollywood studios, have already endorsed DVI with HDCP, bringing us all a step closer to more widespread proliferation of HDTV."" Silicon Image was the first to demonstrate HDCP technology in February 2000 when Intel introduced the HDCP specification for DVI. In June 2000, Silicon Image introduced the first HDCP-compliant transmitter and monitor controller. For more information about Silicon Image, visit www.siimage.com.

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