CES 2006, LAS VEGAS, NV, January 5, 2006 - WISchip International Ltd., a Micronas group company and global provider of digital video and audio semiconductor solutions, today unveiled its DeCypher 8100 IPTV reference design, the first in a series of reference designs the company plans to produce based upon its revolutionary DeCypher 8100 real-time streaming media decoder SoC. Combining advanced, network-ready video and audio decoding, hardware accelerated security and a robust software ecosystem, the Micronas/WISchip IPTV reference design offers makers of consumer electronics products a turnkey solution they can use to reduce the cost and speed time-to-market for the next generation of IPTV set-top boxes, digital TVs and HDTVs.

Micronas/WISchip is available for private briefings and demonstrations of the DeCypher 8100 IPTV reference design at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show being held in Las Vegas Jan. 5-8, 2006.

The highly integrated reference design decodes high- and standard-definition video formats including H.264 (AVC/MPEG-4 part 10), VC-1/ WMV9 and MPEG-4/-2/-1, and also supports audio decoding for Dolby Digital, WMA, WMA Pro, AAC and MPEG audio layers I, II and III (MP3) audio. Security and digital rights management for current and emerging standards are provided through a dedicated security processor and hardware acceleration for cryptographic functions. The reference design will be supported by a broad array of operating systems, middleware and application software.

“As the IPTV market ramps up, integration is the name of the game for producing new products quickly and cost effectively. This new reference design builds upon our unique DeCypher 8100 SoC to make it easier than ever for manufacturers to get to market fast with highly differentiable product offerings,” said Jim Nguyen, director of marketing with Micronas/WISchip. “With IP networking and advanced video compression rapidly becoming the backbone for next-generation broadband video and interactive services from Baby Bells, MSOs and others, our IPTV reference design will deliver virtually everything needed to ensure consumer electronics products are ready for it.”

Researchers at Infonetics Research predict that worldwide IPTV revenue will hit $44 billion by 2009 with 53 million subscribers. The company said $304 million was spent on IPTV infrastructure last year, and that figure is expected to grow to $4.5 billion in 2009. Additionally, U.S. and other governments around the world are currently drafting legislation that will mandate the conversion to all-digital TV in their respective countries over the course of the next several years.

Working with its software partners, Micronas/WISchip will be able to offer a flexible, robust software ecosystem that supports both Linux and Windows CE operating systems, various middleware stacks, wired and wireless network protocols, application-level solutions, as well as a wide variety of DRM and access control schemes. The Micronas/WISchip platform is also DLNA compliant, and supports Microsoft UPnP and Apple Rendezvous for zero-configuration network support.

The Micronas/WISchip DeCypher 8100 IPTV reference design offers comprehensive connectivity, from wired and wireless networking to analog and digital video and audio outputs, as well as other I/O capabilities. Network I/O includes two USB 2.0 ports, an RJ-45 10/100 wired Ethernet port and 802.11a/b+g/n wireless Ethernet via the onboard mini-PCI. The onboard Micronas ATSC digital TV demodulator DRX 3942H supports free-to-air digital broadcast reception. HDMI (YCbCr or RGB output), component video, composite video, S-video, SCART and channel 3/4 RF video outputs are provided, as well as 2-channel stereo and 5.1-channel analog audio, optical and coaxial S/PDIF digital audio and digital audio to HDMI. Other I/O includes an ATAPI/IDE controller/connector, IR remote control input/receiver, front panel connector, Mini-PCI connector and flash media connector supporting all popular formats, as well as JTAG and serial interfaces for development and debugging.

Availability and Pricing
The Micronas/WISchip DeCypher 8100 IPTV reference design will be available in the first quarter of 2006. For pricing information, please contact Micronas/WISchip sales at (408) 625-1200.

About Micronas/WISchip
Since December 2005, WISchip International Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of the Micronas Group. Visit www.micronas.com for more information.

WISchip is a global provider of digital video and audio semiconductor solutions that enable new classes of powerful multimedia products. The company’s portfolio of high-performance, low-power stand-alone and system-on-chip integrated circuits incorporates next-generation standards that enable system developers to quickly bring leading-edge products to market. Patented WISchip technology maximizes digital video and audio quality in a wide range of end-user computing, surveillance, and electronic entertainment products. For more information, visit www.wischip.com.