IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 25, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Quartics, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company focused on the development of codec and transport agnostic media processors and applications, today announced the launch of its PC2TV brand and PC2TV Chip(tm) to revolutionize the way users interact with digital content stored on their PCs. For the first time, consumers can take any PC-resident content and view it on the display of their choice -- wirelessly. Quartics' PC2TV Chip is the only processor on the market that is codec and transport agnostic, meaning it can handle all types of video and audio regardless of how it has been encoded.
"There is a large amount of Internet-based and user-generated content on the web now and users need a hassle-free way to port content to the displays of their choice," said Safi Qureshey, chairman and CEO of Quartics. "While other companies have made attempts to bridge the 'last 10 feet' of connecting the digital home, none have done it with the simplicity and elegance of the Quartics PC2TV solution."
The rise of Internet video and audio has opened the floodgates on a new generation of Web-based content. No longer do content and media companies transmit material to subscribers solely through proprietary portals and coded receivers. In fact, over the last few months, major studios and media companies have made significant announcements about providing new content via the Web.
The ways in which consumers enjoy media content have changed dramatically as well: consumers demand immediacy. The only restraints lie in the reproduction devices themselves -- the viewing screens or audio devices that play back material. Since consumers now have increased control over how to display and consume media content, Quartics gives them the power to bring it to the displays of their choice. Not only can they transmit their own content, such as digital photos, PowerPoint presentations, and e-mail, they can essentially unlock the massive digital jukebox of video and audio content they already have at their fingertips thanks to the Internet.
The Quartics PC2TV Chip is a comprehensive media processing system that functions in the following manner: a Quartics hardware adapter plugs into the video input line of a television, monitor, or projector, and emits a Wi-Fi signal for PCs to detect. Then, in a matter of seconds, the PC is able to download the necessary software from the adapter and the PC is able to project rich quality video and audio to the screen of choice.
"The digital living room is ready for a pivotal change by taking advantage of Web-based and user-generated PC entertainment experiences," said IdaRose Sylvester, senior analyst at IDC. "Companies that facilitate the fluid integration of media applications and devices are well-positioned to take advantage of the changing media distribution landscape."
Quartics differentiates itself from competitors primarily based on its open platform, which addresses an unparalleled 95% of the online market. While there are competing solutions on the market for specific audio and video applications, Quartics' PC2TV Chips process any viewable content from any source, including DVDs, music files, and the Internet. Quartics also supports 720p video, by far the richest quality in the industry.
Quartics' technology is being incorporated in a number of OEM products currently being shipped and planned for introduction in the coming months. An early adopter of the breakthrough architecture is Orange County-based Addlogix who has been shipping products based on Quartics' technology over the past year through major online distributors such as Dell.com, Ingram Micro, CompUSA, HP.com and PCMall.com. Quartics also has a growing list of content partners, which the company expects to announce in the coming weeks.
About Quartics
Quartics leverages breakthrough semiconductor architectural advantages to provide dominant media processing and media extension solutions for laptop computer and display markets. The company's codec- and transport-agnostic semiconductors enable the flawless transmission of video and audio for wireless PC2TV, wireless monitors, PC tuner cards, docking stations, wireless projectors, HD-networked PVRs, and video conferencing. In addition, Quartics provides OEMs and ODMs with complete, low-cost, easy-to-use solutions that they can quickly take to market-including systems on chips (SoCs), software, modules, and reference designs. For more information please visit www.quartics.com.
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