Submitted by GristyMcFisty:
AUSTIN, Texas '“ June 24 , 2003
'“ The era of affordable consumer DVD recorders is near reality today as
Taiwanese consumer electronics giant Mustek began volume shipments of its first
DVD Recording devices, the DVD-R100A/B. The products, which will soon be
available in retail outlets across Europe under the Mustek brand and in North
America under the Classic brand at expected retail prices below $ 450, are
powered by Cirrus Logic's DVD+RW integrated silicon/software
platform.
Cirrus' +RW platform, based upon its flagship
CS98200 DVD processor and CS92288 audio/video (A/V) codec, offered Mustek a
comprehensive solution that encompasses the hardware, software and manufacturing
tool kit necessary to help establish the DVD-R100A as the DVD recorder market's
standard-bearer product for reaching mass-market consumers. The DVD-R100B is
expected to provide consumers with high-quality A/V record and playback and an
IEEE 1394 connection that enables a high-speed connection to digital media for
long-term storage and playback on the installed base of DVD players worldwide.
DVD recorders play standard DVD discs while also allowing consumers to record
video content '“ such as broadcast television or home movies '“ onto DVD disc
media.
DVD recorders and other devices that can record
digital content are expected to become the fastest-growing segment in digital
entertainment during the next several years, with expected unit sales of up to
40 million by 2006 (source: IDC). These devices will allow consumers to
upgrade more than 30 years of VCR technology and begin to store and view content
in the digital domain. Until now, most DVD recorders have been priced too
expensively for widespread consumer adoption. Cirrus' reference platform is
designed to help customers such as Mustek drive volume production of more
affordable DVD recording products.
'Mustek sees a tremendous opportunity in 2003 to
penetrate the mass market for DVD recorders as replacements to consumer VCRs,"
said Jack Chang, director of Engineering for Mustek. 'Mustek has the product
design experience, manufacturing power and channel presence to succeed in this
new market. Cirrus Logic is providing us with all the technology we need in
chips, software and systems to make a very competitive entry into the
market."
The showpiece of Cirrus' DVD+RW recording platform
is the CS98200, which is the industry's highest performance DVD processor. DVD
recording devices featuring the CS98200 can utilize its support of a wide range
of enhanced consumer features such as DVD-Audio, MPEG-4 simple profile support
and Enhanced DVD technology, which provides access to Web-based interactive
content through a broadband-enabled DVD device. Cirrus' CS92288 encoding
solution provides high-quality video recording over a wide range of bit rates,
enabling consumers to enjoy up to six hours of high-quality content on DVD
recordable media while retaining compatibility with the installed base of DVD
players. Companion Cirrus audio codecs complete the reference
platform.
'Cirrus has taken an early leadership position in
enabling the volume DVD recording market through the strength of our reference
platform, which is helping customers such as Mustek accelerate the market for
affordable digital video recording products," said Brian Heuckroth, vice
president of DVD Recording, Cirrus. 'With its established retail distribution
channels, we believe that Mustek is poised to become a DVD recording market
leader, and we're delighted to be a key part of that success."
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
Cirrus Logic is a premier supplier of
high-performance analog, mixed-signal and digital processing solutions for
consumer entertainment electronics, automotive entertainment and industrial
product applications. Building on its global market leadership in audio ICs and
its rich mixed-signal patent portfolio, Cirrus Logic targets audio, video and
precision mixed-signal applications in these growing markets. The company
operates from headquarters in Austin, Texas, with offices in California,
Colorado, Europe, Japan and Asia.
Mustek Systems
Mustek Systems is a supplier of entertainment and
computer products. The goal of Mustek is to supply high-quality,
high-performance human-interface products at affordable price. The product
portfolio of Mustek mainly consists of scanner, digital camera, DVD player,
wireless LAN, notebook PC, and many others. Mustek Systems is headquartered in
Hsin-Chu Science Park of R.O.C., with factories and offices in Europe, U.S., and
mainland China.
Source: Cirrus Logic
