Samsung And LG Select Silicon Image As Preferred HDMI Supplier For 2005 Consumer Electronics Models

21-Jan-05

Silicon Image, Inc. announced that LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics have both selected Silicon Image as their High-Definition Multimedia Interfaceô (HDMIô) supplier for their 2005 consumer electronics product lines. The supplier agreements span Silicon Imageís PanelLinkÆ HDMI transmitter and receiver ICs, which will be designed into 2005 models of DVD players, set-top boxes (STBs), digital video recorders (DVRs), A/V receivers and digital TVs (DTVs) offering HDMI functionality from both manufacturers. ìHDMI has quickly become a checklist item for DTVs and high-end source devices. Samsung and LG are members of our PanelLink Cinemaô Partners Program, and these supplier agreements further demonstrate their commitment to adopting HDMI across their product lineups and offering their customers the highest quality HDMI-HDCP technology available today. In addition, these agreements affirm Silicon Image's position as the leading HDMI supplier to the top consumer electronics manufacturers in the world, who are rapidly embracing HDMI,î stated Rob Valiton, Silicon Image Vice President of worldwide sales. HDMI is being adopted most rapidly in the DTV market, which is projected to grow from 21.4 million units worldwide in 2004 to 83 million units worldwide in 2007 according to IDC. Approximately 80 percent of the DTV models shipped to the U.S. market in 2003 featured a DVI connector, and HDMI DTVs are projected to out-ship DVI models by the end of 2004. According to IDC, Samsung is the second largest supplier of LCD TVs worldwide, a market that will grow from 7.7 million units in 2004 to 34.4 million units in 2007. IDC also noted that Samsung and LG together supplied nearly 24 percent of the worldís 1.41 million LCD TVs shipped in Q1 2004. ìHDMI with HDCP enables us to provide our customers access to the newest digital content and services available in the digital age, and we are committed to adopting HDMI across our lineup of DVD players and DTVs,î said Dr. Choon Lee, VP, Digital TV Laboratory at LG Electronics. ìSilicon Image is the recognized leader in HDMI technology, and their proven HDMI solutions include HDCP functionality that will enable our customers to view premium digital content.îìSamsung is committed to offering our customers the highest quality, all-digital audio visual experience with HDMI technology, and we are aggressively outfitting our DTV and DVD player product lines with HDMI-HDCP capability,î stated Mr. CW Hong, VP of Visual Display Division at Samsung. ìAs an HDMI founder and the first supplier of production HDMI silicon, Silicon Image has a proven track record of HDMI quality and reliability. Silicon Imageís PanelLink HDMI ICs incorporate HDCP content protection, which helps future-proof our customersí equipment purchases.î The FCC has mandated that all Digital Cable-Ready TVs sold after July 1, 2005 feature an HDMI-HDCP or a DVI-HDCP input. In addition, the DVD Copy Control Association requires that all DVD players playing CSS-protected content at resolutions higher than 480p/576p have an HDMI-HDCP or a DVI-HDCP output. Cable industry association CableLabs also requires that all OpenCable HD STBs must have HDMI-HDCP or DVI-HDCP outputs, and satellite operators DIRECTV and EchoStar require HDMI-HDCP or DVI-HDCP on all HD STBs. Samsung and LG are charter members of Silicon Imageís PanelLink Cinema Partners Program, which provides consumers with a simple means of identifying High-Definition (HD) TVs and other consumer electronics devices capable of receiving and playing the most valuable digital content. LG and Samsung are committed to HDMI interoperability and are submitting products to the PanelLink Cinema Test Center for testing of HDCP functionality and interoperability with HDMI/HDCP devices from other manufacturers.