General Instrument's New DigiCipherÆ II High Definition Decoder Makes High Definition Television A Reality For C-Band TV Subscribers

General Instrument Corporation (NYSE: GIC - news) Tuesday announced its new DigiCipherÆ II High Definition Decoder, the HDD-200, a state-of-the-art consumer decoder that enables C-Band TV subscribers to get crystal high definition television (HDTV) in all major high definition (HD) formats. Employing the latest in MPEG-2/High-Definition digital technology, the HDD-200 recovers MPEG-2 input at transport bit streams up to 27 mbps from the Multimedia Access Port (MMAP) or High Speed Interface (HSI) of any receiver utilizing DigiCipherÆ II technology, including all 4DTVÆ Digital Satellite Receivers.GI's HDD-200 provides an add-on solution for C-Band TV consumers with a 4DTV receiver who want high definition television's superior picture and sound quality. Consumers can access over 500 channels of digital and analog programming with a 4DTV receiver. Now with the HDD-200, these customers will also have access to high definition channels. HBO East and West are currently available in a high definition format, and Showtime East and West are scheduled to launch in January 2000, with other high definition channels expected to launch throughout 2000. Because C-Band TV systems can access over 30 satellites, they have the capacity to continue to add hundreds of HD channels without sacrificing current programming.``The HDD-200 is ideally suited to bring HDTV to today's satellite consumers,'' said Dorian Simpson, Director of C-Band Sales and Services at GI's Satellite & Broadcast Network Systems business unit. ``C-Band TV subscribers with a 4DTVÆ receiver already have the ultimate in video performance, the most programming choice and flexibility, and the long-term value of digital technology. Now they can also have a full high definition picture and the best available sound quality with 5.1 channel Dolby DigitalÆ audio.''The HDD-200 was designed to adapt to evolving HD technology so that it will be compatible with varying HD delivery formats and a wide variety of televisions and consumer reception equipment. Consumers can specify HD delivery formats as 1080i, 720p or 480p, or select ``native,'' which automatically matches the delivery format to whatever input is received. The HDD-200 supports RGB+ sync and YprPb outputs for compatibility with front projection and professional-quality CRT monitors to display the high definition image. In addition, consumers can output RGB video, YprPb video and DolbyÆ brand AC-3Æ compressed audio for Dolby DigitalÆ sound. The HDD-200 provides superior video quality even for standard definition programming by nearly doubling the number of scanning lines passed on to the television, giving the picture a smoother, more homogeneous and film-like look.The DigiCipherÆ II HDD-200 is scheduled for release in late 1999 at a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $1,599.About General InstrumentGeneral Instrument is a leading worldwide provider of integrated and interactive broadband access solutions, teaming with its business partners to lead the convergence of the Internet, telecommunications and video entertainment industries.Source: General Instrument CorporationWeb Site: http://www.gi.com