Sigma Designs Demonstrates Progressive DVD Player Reference Design At CES 2000

Sigma DesignsÆ, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGM), a recognized leader in digital video solutions, demonstrated a new advanced DVD player reference design at last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.Sigma's new progressive DVD player reference design is a very low-cost solution for producing a complete, standalone DVD player for both traditional interlaced TV output as well as progressive scan output for HDTVs and projectors. The design can be manufactured for the same cost as most standalone DVD players sold today, making progressive DVD a ""no brainer"" upgrade.When used on an HDTV set, the progressive DVD feature results in twice the video resolution and the complete elimination of interlace artifacts. The improvement in picture quality can easily be discerned by the average consumer. Consumers and retailers are quickly realizing that progressive DVD players are ""have-to-have"" accessories for consumers purchasing HDTVs.Virtually all MPEG decoder chips designed for today's DVD players were engineered to decode at an interlaced 480i rate. Sigma's REALmagicÆ EM8300 and EM8400 decoders, by comparison, were designed especially for progressive 480p decoding and display.This feature alone makes Sigma's DVD playback silicon the favored solution for DVD players in the PC industry, where non-interlaced VGA screens are the norm. Other on-chip features, such as 8-tap scaling and frame rate conversion, are essential features for matching DVD's 480p resolution to the precise resolution and frame rate of the HDTV display.""Just as features such as component video and 5.1 channel audio output have become standard features on all mid-range DVD players, we're convinced that progressive-scan output will soon become a check-list feature as well,"" stated Marshall Goldberg, Sigma's Director of Marketing.About Sigma DesignsSigma Designs is an acknowledged leader in the fast-growing digital video market. Sigma specializes in digital video encoding/decoding for the PC DVD market, for video streaming over corporate Intranets and extranets, and for the emerging set-top box/information appliance market.Sigma is a driving force in advancement of digital video technology used in high-speed, high-bandwidth transmission for business, home, and education markets. Sigma Designs' products, marketed under the REALmagic trade name, are sold worldwide through a direct sales force, distributors, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

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