1997-11-05 , S/IC-730/460

Business unit established to drive development of TriMedia-based video phones

TELECON - Anaheim, Calif. - November 5, 1997 - Philips Semiconductors today announced that it has established a Video Communications business unit within the TriMedia Product Group to support video telephony applications for its award winning TriMedia processor. Philips Semiconductors is currently working with more than 15 OEMs developing video telephony applications based on the TriMedia processor. This new group will provide silicon and software to major OEMs in the rapidly growing video phone market, and expects to announce product in Q1 of 1998.

Fuad Abu Nafal, newly appointed General Manager of the TriMedia Video Communications business group said, "The TriMedia processor and software are an ideal solution for video telephony applications. For the first time, a single low-cost processor provides the computational power to support video and audio encode, decode and communications processing on a single chip. We believe the TriMedia processor, along with more sophisticated video compression software, will enable a new generation of consumer video phones that work on existing analog phone lines. A TriMedia processor is also ideal for ISDN and Internet video phones."

In addition to providing OEMs with the TriMedia processor and software development tools, Philips will be announcing a hardware reference design and video phone software modules to support development programs for TriMedia-based video phones.

TriMedia handles a variety of tasks in video phones, including encoding/decoding of video images and telephone communications functions -- as well as offering the future capability to integrate screen phone and Web browser technology. With this broad feature set, TriMedia enables each OEM to differentiate its video phone with custom features, while maintaining highly competitive prices. OEMs are also supported by Philips' own video telephony development center located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, which provides technical support and design assistance for TriMedia solutions. Growth in the Video Telephony Market

Industry experts have been predicting that the market for analog-based video telephony will rapidly grow in 1998 and beyond. The creation of standards, such as H.324 for POTS video telephony and development of media processors like TriMedia, means that de facto industry standards for interoperability will emerge and build critical mass for consumer markets. According to InQuest Market Research, interoperability and standardization are the keys to rapid market growth in video phones.

"H.324 and other standards provide the framework for compatibility," stated Bert McComas, president and lead analyst for InQuest. "But true interoperability is elusive. As more and more video telephony systems are built on a single dominant platform such as TriMedia, interoperability increases and the user experience is enhanced. This creates market elasticity because consumers can trust that video telephones will work well together."

More About TriMedia-Based Video Phones
In a typical video phone, multiple chips are required for the complex processes that must occur. Separate chips must be developed to manage video encode/decode, as well as processing of sound and other modem-related communications issues. The TriMedia architecture enables OEMs to handle these numerous processing functions with a single, programmable chip. With TriMedia, designers are not limited to "hardwired" solutions that require custom silicon. By leveraging TriMedia's software development environment, OEMs can design video telephony solutions that can be rapidly optimized to meet changes in the market, as well as develop "global" products that can be adapted to telephone systems around the world.

The TriMedia processor is based on an innovative implementation of VLIW processing technology. Unique to the TriMedia implementation is a VLIW compiler that handles the instruction scheduling during compilation, eliminating the cost and programming complexity of run-time scheduling. The compiler, along with the complete TriMedia Software Development Environment support programming and optimization in C, instead of the machine-level program development and optimization required on most media processors.

Philips Semiconductors
Philips Semiconductors' TriMedia product group was established in 1994 and is based in Sunnyvale, California. The mission of the product group is to bring to market high-performance, programmable multimedia processor technology that will power the next generation of multimedia products at an affordable price.

Philips Semiconductors, Inc., a subsidiary of Philips Electronics North America and an affiliate of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by regional customer applications labs. Additional information on Philips Semiconductors can be found on the home page at www.semiconductors.philips.com.