Visit Escient on the World Wide Web at www.escient.com.
EscientÆ Accelerates Research And Development With Acquisition Of avACTIVE
Strategic Acquisition Of Former Cirrus Logic Product Group Further Solidifies Escient As A Leader In Convergence Technologies
Escient, a leading force in developing products that merge Internet power with home entertainment devices, has announced that the company has acquired avACTIVE. The announcement was made by Scott Jones, President, Chairman, and CEO of Escient, Inc. Formerly a research and development arm of Cirrus Logic (NASDAQ: CRUS), South Carolina based avACTIVE has been at the forefront of developing PC/TV convergence technologies for more than two years. Escientís strategic acquisition of avACTIVE follows and complements the companyís recent acquisition of a Los Gatos, California, based research and development company previously called StarMatix. Now known as the Escient Digital Storage Group, it is managed by A/V industry veteran Chris Stevens. The acquisition of avACTIVE, coupled with the formation of Escient Digital Storage Group, illustrates Escientís commitment to investing heavily in research and development in order to rapidly deliver the most user-friendly and technologically advanced home entertainment convergence products available in the marketplace. With the avACTIVE transaction, Escient acquired the technology related to avACTIVEís next-generation set-top box that eliminates the need for multiple home entertainment devices. This state-of-the-art set-top box has already been synergistically incorporated into Escientís newest product offering, PowerPlayô, the companyís DVD home theatre solution making its trade debut at CEDIA Expo í99. This unified platform will be the basis of many products scheduled for release in 2000. Escientís PowerPlay and avACTIVEís set-top box both utilize Firewireô IEEE-1394 technology, resulting in one of the first complete entertainment convergence solutions incorporating audio, video, and control through one cable. In making the announcement, Mr. Jones stated, ""We are happy to welcome avACTIVE into the rapidly-growing Escient family. This acquisition is in keeping with our plan to strategically assemble and merge synergistic technologies that complement our existing award-winning products in order to offer the ultimate in home entertainment convergence solutions. Our ongoing investments in research and development will ensure that Escient continues to provide the market with cutting-edge products in 2000."" Frank Greer, Escientís new Vice President of Business Development and former President of avACTIVE, added, ""We are pleased to be a part of the Escient team and to be able to participate in the realization of its vision and continued phenomenal growth. avACTIVEís assets complement Escientís extraordinary development team and we are proud to be able to contribute to the companyís fast-tract product development schedule."" Using compelling Internet-based technologies, Escientís mandate is to simplify notoriously complex home electronics while providing new and innovative sources of entertainment to consumers. In a few short years, the Carmel, Indiana, based company has emerged as a pivotal player in the convergence marketplace, developing products and services that seamlessly merge the Internet with consumer electronics in powerful, yet simple, ways. Currently these products and services include the companyís critically acclaimed TuneBase family of audio CD management solutions, home theater server video products, Escient Digital Storage Groupís C200 disc media changer for personal computers, and Escientís CDDBô World Wide Web site (www.cddb.com), featuring the worldís largest and most comprehensive music CD database on the Internet. Through a vision keenly attuned to the end-user, Escient makes technology behave.