1997-11-17 , ESC-9744

Philips Semiconductors' TriMedia™ Product Group and Polyspan Teleconferencing®, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM) today announced the first implementation of the Philips Semiconductors TriMedia processor in a videoconferencing product. The TriMedia chip is the processing core of the new Polyspan Teleconferencing ViewStation™, the world's first high-end, low-cost, group videoconferencing system.

Through its use of high performance TriMedia processors, ViewStation provides the highest quality audio and video, an intuitive graphical user interface, and the lowest delay (latency) codec in a group videoconferencing system. The TriMedia processor also supports an embedded Web server for remote systems management and a voice-tracking camera. In addition, the open, programmable TriMedia architecture allows Polyspan Teleconferencing to write additional applications and enhancements for future ViewStation products.

At this year's TeleCon show the new Polyspan ViewStation won the top award for the "Most Significant Advance in Teleconferencing in 1997".

"The TriMedia design makes it extremely well suited to serve as the core component in a videoconferencing system such as Polyspan Teleconferencing's ViewStation," said Fuad Abu Nofal, general manager of Philips Semiconductors' TriMedia Video Communications product sector. "We expect this market to make significant progress beginning in the first half of 1998, and it will be one of our key areas of focus for next year."

"The TriMedia processor allowed us to deliver exactly the system our customers have been requesting: a high-performance, feature-rich, low-cost group videoconferencing system," said Craig Malloy, general manager, videoconferencing division, Polyspan Teleconferencing. "The flexibility of the programmable TriMedia processor allowed us to bring our product to market quickly, and will also allow us to add powerful new applications in future ViewStation products, without costly changes in the fundamental design of our platform. It's the only processor on the market that could meet our requirements."

Philips Semiconductors' TriMedia Product Group was established in 1994 and is based in Sunnyvale, California, USA. 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. More information on TriMedia can be found at trimedia

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world and the third largest supplier of discretes 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 systems labs.

TriMedia is a trademark of Philips Electronics NV.