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RAVISENT To Support ATVEF In All Its DTV Solutions For Personal Computers
Fully ATVEF-Compliant All Software DTV Solutions To Be Available
RAVISENT Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: RVST), a leading supplier of software solutions to the personal computer and consumer electronics markets, today announced full endorsement of the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) specification for integrating data and interactive content with digital television broadcasts. RAVISENT further announced an ongoing and accelerated software development program within its Broadcast Engineering Group to incorporate ATVEF viewer technology in all of its digital television (DTV) solutions for personal computers (PCs). In addition, RAVISENT indicated that, beginning immediately, all its DTV products will be ""ATVEF-ready,"" requiring only a downloadable software upgrade to incorporate full ATVEF viewer technology. ATVEF viewer technology will first be incorporated into RAVISENT's CineMasterÆ HDTV software product line for software-based viewing of digital HDTV on today's personal computers, including the previously announced HDTV products RAVISENT is jointly developing with Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNXT). RAVISENT will publicly demonstrate a beta version of ATVEF-enabled software-based HDTV on a Pentium(1) III processor-based PC at the Intel(1) Developers Forum (IDF) in February 2000. Current plans call for fully ATVEF-enabled versions of CineMaster HDTV to be available to OEMs for the year 2000 ""back-to-school"" selling season. Users will be able to upgrade any previously-purchased copy of CineMaster HDTV to the full ATVEF version at no charge with a simple software download. ""The emergence of ATVEF as the pre-eminent vehicle for creating enhanced television programming is the reason RAVISENT is incorporating this technology as a common component in all of its DTV offerings,"" commented Mike Harris, co-founder and chief technology officer of RAVISENT. ""CineMaster HDTV with ATVEF- combining support for the enhanced television programming being aggressively developed by U.S. broadcasters with direct Internet connection technology - will enable consumers to enjoy the truly interactive television viewing experience long predicted by industry visionaries."" ""RAVISENT's CineMaster HDTV decoder and the company's clear commitment to deliver a complete software-based ATVEF broadcast solution for Pentium III processor-based PCs enables a cost-effective PC DTV option for OEMs and PC owners,"" said Pat Gelsinger, Vice President and General Manager of Intel's Desktop Products Group. ""PC DTV technology provides the link to an extremely high-speed path for delivery of interactive programming to the home, which means consumers can begin to experience richer, more meaningful television content."" ""Data enhancements and inter-activity will be key elements in the success of digital television,"" stated Greg Fischer, Director of Marketing for Conexant's Digital Infotainment division. ""We are pleased to continue our cooperation with RAVISENT in adding ATVEF capability to our industry leading broadcast PC solutions."" About CineMaster HDTV Based on RAVISENT's award-winning CineMaster MPEG-2 decoder technology, CineMaster HDTV incorporates newly-developed, advanced proprietary algorithms enabling the decoding and playback of all eighteen (18) digital television formats specified by the Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC), including all the high definition television (HDTV) formats. CineMaster HDTV also incorporates proprietary software technology for full transport de-multiplexing with enhanced stream management for audio/video pacing and buffer management. The eighteen ATSC formats were adopted in 1996 by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as the standards for digital television in the USA. A number of television stations throughout the US already broadcast digital broadcast signals. All FCC- licensed stations are required to completely convert to digital television broadcasting by 2006. About ATVEF The Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) is a cross-industry alliance of companies representing the broadcast and cable networks, television transports, consumer electronics, and PC industries. This alliance of companies, led by Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation, has defined protocols for Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)-based enhanced television, which allow content creators such as major television broadcast networks to deliver enhanced programming over all forms of transport (analog, digital, cable, and satellite) to any intelligent receiver. The ATVEF standard for video-plus-data (V+D) services and interactive television is being rapidly adopted by major broadcasters in the United States, as well as by broadcasters in other countries. Specifically, U.S. broadcast networks are adopting the ATVEF standard to complement the move to digital television in the USA, including high definition television (HDTV) based on the Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) specification adopted by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1996. About RAVISENT Technologies, Inc. RAVISENT is driving the digital entertainment revolution with an integrated suite of digital video and audio products for PC and CE manufacturers. RAVISENT enables the convergence of personal computer and consumer electronics devices through software and hardware products designed around a unique, modular software architecture that provides a consistent look and feel across technology platforms. Combining outstanding on-screen quality with high overall system performance and integration, RAVISENT provides flexible and cost-effective solutions to a spectrum of partners in the PC-OEM, CE-OEM and semiconductor markets, including Compaq, Dell Computer, Gateway, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Packard Bell/NEC, Yamaha, Sanyo, ATI Technologies, Intel and ST Microelectronics. Founded in 1994, RAVISENT completed an initial public offering in July 1999. The company is headquartered in Pennsylvania and has offices in the Silicon Valley, Seattle, Germany and Japan.