New York
City – June 12, 2008 – Monster, the world’s leading manufacturer of audio and video
connectivity solutions, and Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM), a leader in digital
media processing system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for consumer electronics, today
announced a collaboration to create advanced wireless solutions for HDMI™ home
entertainment distribution.
The first
fruit of the Monster/Sigma Designs partnership will be the new “Monster®
Wireless Digital Express HD” system, which will use Sigma’s Wireless HDAV™ for High-Definition (HD)
A/V cable replacement as well as its UWB-over-Coax technology to offer
consumers an elegant “wireless and no new wires” combination solution for
enjoying HD content throughout the home. In addition to letting users stream HD
video content with full 1080p resolution between their HDTV displays, DVD
players (including Blu-ray), and/or set-top boxes within a room (or to an
adjacent room), Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD system will allow
room-to-room HD entertainment streaming, transmitting A/V contents up to 330
ft. over a home’s existing coaxial cables. Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD line of products was
officially announced at Digital Downtown 2008, a CES showcase running June
12-14 in New York City. Monster® Wireless Digital Express HD
products are scheduled to reach the market by October 2008.
“After
evaluating other wireless solutions for A/V cable replacement, we chose Sigma
as a partner for our entry into the wireless distribution arena simply because
the company’s solutions proved to be the most reliable and because they meet
Monster’s strict quality parameters,” said Noel Lee, The Head Monster. “In
addition, Sigma’s UWB allows us to continue offering our customers the quality
service levels they’ve come to expect. Together, we are achieving a “virtual
wireless” solution for the whole home by combining wireless for in-room HD
content streaming and UWB-over-Coax for room-to-room streaming.”
Monster’s
Wireless Digital Express HD is powered by Sigma’s Wireless HDAV™ which features
Sigma’s UWB Windeo® chipset and its Intelligent Array Radio™ (IAR) technology. Sigma’s
IAR technology incorporates three antennas to deliver the industry’s most
reliable wireless link that is uninhibited by walls, objects or people, also
referred to as non-line-of-sight activity. Sigma’s Wireless HDAV solution will
ultimately enable Monster’s customers to mount their HDTVs on walls without the
need for multiple HDMI and A/V cables spread throughout the room or hanging
across the walls. Meanwhile, users will experience the same advanced high
definition signal quality they have come to expect via traditional wires.
Sigma’s
Wireless HDAV and UWB-over-Coax combination solution also powers the Monster
Wireless Digital Express HD product with long range capability to cover the
whole home with wireless connectivity that achieves mobility and flexibility
for in-room video streaming. At the same time, the solution maintains the
highest quality of service that is required for HD content that travels from
room-to-room. Finally, Sigma’s UWB technology is
based on the most preferred WiMedia™ Alliance standard supported by many of the
world’s leading technology companies. The WiMedia standard-based architecture
and interoperability enables economies of scale and rapid market adoption.
“We are excited that Monster has chosen
Sigma’s wireless HDAV and “no new wires” UWB-over-Coax solutions to power the
new Wireless Digital Express HD product,” said Hung Nguyen, vice president and
general manager at Sigma’s Wireless Products Division. “Monster’s selection of
Sigma’s UWB technology further validates that advanced wireless home
connectivity is here now, ready for our home high def products. We are
delighted to offer Monster customers a simple way to set up and experience
broadband wireless connectivity between their home entertainment products, and
once and for all eliminate the need for any new complex wiring.”
More about Monster Wireless
Digital Express HD
Monster’s Wireless Digital Express
HD product includes transmitter and receiver elements inside box equipment that
encodes older video formats to 1080P HDMI, can upscale all inputs to 1080p
format, and offers in-room and adjacent room wireless connectivity, and 330 ft.
plus range of coax connectivity room-to-room. In addition, the product offers a
fully integrated Infrared (IR) distribution solution as well as inputs for two
HDMI ports, two component, one composite video/S-video with audio, coax
digital, optical digital with outputs of coax digital, optical digital F-connector
for coax, 3 IR emitters and a serial communication input. The input switching
is IR controlled for advanced whole home control capability. The Wireless
Digital Express HD can be software updated through its included USB port.
More about Sigma’s Wireless HDAV Solutions
Sigma’s Wireless HDAV
streaming is a technology for transporting HD multimedia using standard-based
encoding technologies over Ultrawideband (UWB) to replace high definition
audio/video cables.
Sigma enables developers of home networking systems to eliminate cables between
a television and set-top box or High-Definition DVD player using wireless HDAV,
the first technology solution to support both the H.264 format and UWB based on
the WiMedia® standard. Wireless HDAV streams high-definition content from
device to device at distances up to 330 feet.
Sigma’s wireless solution combines
the Fujitsu H.264-compliant MB86H52CODEC with Sigma Designs’ SMP8634 Secure
Media Processor decoder and UWB Windeo® chipset, the only UWB chipset that uses
Intelligent Array Radio (IAR) technology. IAR ensures the highest reliability
in wireless connections between devices and also delivers through-wall and
range extension capabilities. Using the MB86H52
to compress raw video allows wireless HD video streaming without compromising
visual quality.
About Monster
Monster,
under its Monster Cable® brand, is the world's leading manufacturer of
connectivity solutions for high-performance audio, video, computer, mobile
audio, iPod, iPhone and MP3 as well as console and computer gaming,
professional audio and sound reinforcement. The company also offers a variety
of innovative accessory products designed to enhance the enjoyment of portable
electronics devices. Monster, under its Monster Power® brand, is also the leading
manufacturer of high performance power line conditioning and protection
products for audio/video systems. Explore the world of Monster at www.MonsterCable.com
About
Sigma Designs, Inc.
Sigma Designs is a leading fabless semiconductor
provider of highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) solutions that are used to
deliver multimedia entertainment throughout the home. Sigma’s SoC solutions
include media processing, wireless communications, and video image processing
along with system software to form the critical components of consumer
electronic products that include Internet protocol TV (IPTV) set-top boxes,
Blu-ray players, high definition televisions (HDTV), and media communication
devices. Headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., Sigma Designs has direct sales representatives
in the United States, Europe (Belgium), China, Japan, Taiwan and a third-party
distributor in Korea. For more information, please visit Sigma Designs’
web site at www.sigmadesigns.com.
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