Sigma Unveils X-Card

[J.A.F._Doorhof]

Sigma Designs announced the first MPEG-4 client player add-in card for the PC. Marketed under the name X-Card, Sigma's newest MPEG-4 offering turns a PC into a home theatre solution, providing TV playback of top entertainment content from DivX Networks, DVDs and new Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) compliant video streams. Sigma's X-Card will retail for $99.95 and will be available initially from the company's REALmagic Online store at www.buyrealmagic.com starting March 2002.

The X-card is a PCI plug-in card for the PC that supports full hardware decoding of MPEG-4 and MPEG-1 or 2 files, as well as high quality audio/video output to your TV and surround sound receiver. The X-Card turns the PC into a client player for content from DivX Networks, DVD or VideoCD discs, and ISMA compliant video streams. Providing home theatre quality output, the X-Card enables users to enjoy their content in standard, wide-screen, high-definition, or progressive formats with high-quality component video and Dolby Digital surround sound. Included with X-Card is a TV-like remote control that mimics the convenience of a DVD player. With plug-n-play set-up under Windows 98SE, Me, or XP, X-Card is expected to be in demand for users that are creating their own PC-based entertainment libraries.

"It's gratifying to be a pioneer in the emerging MPEG-4 industry and enable PC users to enjoy high-quality playback of their content collection on TV," said Ken Lowe, vice president of business development, Sigma Designs. "Moving from a small PC monitor with low-end speakers to a full-screen quality TV with surround sound is a dramatic shift in sensation."

"The proliferation of consumer MPEG-4 content across the internet is a milestone in the expansion of demand for streaming video," stated Phil Graham, vice president of ISMA. "We're excited to see Sigma Designs take a leadership role in support of the ISMA specification with their new products."

CONTACT: http://www.sigmadesigns.com