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New Home Theater, Consumer Electronics, 1394 PCs, Peripherals Demo the Multimedia Standard

Led by international industry leaders including Sony Corporation, Texas Instruments, Matsushita, Apple Computer and many others, the IEEE 1394 standard is now available in a broad range of advanced consumer electronics products, PCs, and peripherals, supplying the industry's best and simplest connection for video and audio.

James Snider, the chairman of the 1394 Trade Association, said the standard is now `exploding' onto the worldwide electronics markets. ``1394 will be available on almost 40 percent of all new PCs this year, as the PC expands its role in networking and consumer applications,'' he said. ``All new camcorders made after 2000 will have 1394. Peripherals such as printers, scanners and hard drives are coming out with 1394 now, and digital still image systems represent a very popular application of the technology.'' Snider added the advent of the new 1394b version of the standard, which improves bandwidth, speed and ease of use, will ratchet up new designs this year. ``Silicon based on the new 1394b specification, which runs at 800 Megabits/second, is available now from leading IC vendors,'' he said.

Softacoustik Inc., Zayante Lead Exciting 1394 TA Home Theater

At the center of the 1394 Trade Association's first-ever appearance at the CES is a home theater section featuring leading-edge product demonstrations shown continually throughout CES. Softacoustik Inc. and Zayante, two fast growing companies dedicated to the development of products using IEEE 1394, are in the forefront of the TA's theater.

Softacoustik Inc. of Quebec - an emerging leader in digital audio components -- is introducing the world's first FireWire high fidelity digital acoustic system. It deploys an Apple iMAC computer as a home entertainment center with Softacoustik's version 2.0 Network Digital Active Studio Reference Monitor for complete computer/audio integration.

Softacoustik also has the industry's first 1394 hi-fi digital gateway, using Sony's VAIO i.Link computer as a home entertainment center, with SA version 1.0 Network Interface to link legacy analog audio components to the notebook. McIntosh amplifiers and Bose loudspeakers access media content such as MP3 via a direct digital connection. The Digital Engine in the gateway eliminates any need for analog sound cards.

In addition, the company is presenting a 1394-based Dolby digital home theater using a Compaq Presario with a Soft DVD from Mediamatics. Klipsch loudspeakers with Softacoustik's Digital Engine inside are digitally networked to the PC, and achieve superior audio rendering streaming digital data. The architecture eliminates the need for any analog sound cards, set top boxes, or AC-3 receivers.

Another featured demo in the 1394 TA's home theater combines Kenwood's Mini disc recorder and Dolby Digital/DTS AV receiver with a DVD CD player, multiple compact disc player, monitor and speakers -- all interconnected via IEEE 1394 using systems developed by Zayante Corporation. All are operated using a single touch screen controller.

Zayante, a leader in 1394-based architectural development, products, and services, also has teamed with Teralogic to design a FireWire HDTV system comprised of a digital VCR connected via 1394 to a set top box and high definition TV.

Home Networking/Office, DV Editing

The Home Networking/Office section features a broad range of new 1394-enabled peripherals from a diverse set of industry leaders. Epson's new 1394-enabled printer is in this area. So are hard drives from a variety of vendors, including Fujitsu Computer Products and VST, a leader in storage products for the Apple platform. The NEC Simplem Desktop PC communicates with the notebook PC, transferring files, playing back Microsoft AVI or MPEG video from source to destination PC through the 1394 network.

The demonstration is equipped with NEC's Versa-VX notebook PC; a PC card built around NEC's OpenHCI chip; a CD-RW drive with SBP2 support, and camcorders from Sony and Panasonic. NEC also has planned to demonstrate the world's first 400 Megabit/second wireless transfer over RF wireless technology.

Sony Corporation has brought a special attraction: the prototype of an Audio-Video hard disk drive, key 1394 enabling technology that applies all of the specific capabilities of 1394/i.Link.

The Digital Video Editing section of the 1394 TA booth includes a group of product and technology demonstrations by some of the best-known leaders of IEEE 1394 technology in the world. Apple Computer's latest iMacs are in the booth, along with DV edit demonstrations from Sony Corporation and Panasonic Corporation.

In addition to the demonstrations, the Trade Association is featuring a consumer retail product section stocked with new consumer electronics products, PCs, peripherals, software, 1394 add-on cards, and 1394 `plumbing,' such as cables and connectors.

The 1394 Trade Association includes more than 170 members worldwide dedicated to the proliferation and advancement of the IEEE 1394 multimedia standard. For more information, please call the Trade Association office at 1-408-748-9416 or visit the TA's web sites at www.1394ta.org or www.askfor1394.com

Contact:

     Independent Public Relations Assoc.
     Dick Davies, 415/777-4161
     ipra@netcom.com