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Hantro Joins the MIPS Alliance Program to Provide MPEG-4 Solutions For Advanced MIPS-Based Applications
OULU, Finland and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 10 --
Hantro Products Ltd., a leading developer of two-way video technology for
wireless communications, and MIPS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: MIPS, MIPSB - ) a
leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for
digital consumer and network applications, have today announced a co-operative
agreement under which Hantro joins the MIPS Alliance Program (MAP) and
integrates its scalable MPEG-4 codec with the MIPS32 4K(tm) family of
processor cores.
Together, the codec and processor cores form a
high-performance media platform for next-generation screen phones, set-top
boxes, Internet appliances, and video conferencing equipment. Hantro's technology, to be demonstrated at UMTS 2000 in Barcelona (from
October 11 through October 13, 2000), provides high-quality video decoding and
encoding at 15 frames per second.
It is designed to scale from handheld-sized
displays to full television size.
The licensable MPEG-4 codec also scales
from mostly software to predominately hardware, which, together with the range
of MIPS' licensable cores, leads to a wide range of differentiated chips for
cost-sensitive battery-powered devices.
These applications also include
advanced set-top boxes running sophisticated real-time operating systems
(RTOSs), network protocol stacks, and processor-intensive applications. ``Hantro is pleased to enter the MIPS Alliance Program and partner to
deliver next generation codec technology,'' says Mr. Eero Kaikkonen, president
and CEO of Hantro Products Ltd. ``We supplement MIPS' product portfolio with
the attractive wireless video solution, and through the MIPS Alliance Program
we are able to broaden our customer base as well as facilitate our product
development.
We chose MIPS due to its strong presence in relevant product
categories such as handheld PCs, set-top boxes, and Internet infrastructure.
Tomorrow's convergence devices require the integration of building blocks
which are each successful in today's stand-alone devices.'' The MIPS Alliance Program provides members with broad marketing
assistance, such as Internet and traditional marketing and promotional
activities, as well as sales and technical assistance. ``Two-way video transfer will become a standard function in next-generation
consumer devices,'' explains Brian Knowles, vice president of marketing at MIPS
Technologies.
``Hantro's technology complements our microprocessor cores for
wireless multimedia solutions. We are pleased to welcome Hantro to our
Alliance program. Its MPEG-4 technology is an asset for our community of
licensees who design and market chips for the consumer electronics market.'' About Hantro Hantro Products Ltd. specializes in the latest video coding technologies
and wireless communication. The company's main product is an MPEG-4 codec, the
world's first commercially available two-way wireless image transfer for
wireless appliances. For more information on Hantro and its products, please
visit at www.hantro.com. About MIPS Technologies, Inc. MIPS Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of industry standard
processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and network
applications. The company drives the broadest architectural alliance that is
delivering 32- and 64-bit embedded RISC solutions. The company licenses its
intellectual property to semiconductor companies, ASIC developers, and system
OEMs. MIPS Technologies, Inc. and its licensees offer the widest range of
robust, scalable processors in standard, custom, semi-custom and
application-specific products. Licensees currently include:
Alchemy Semiconductor, Inc.; Altera
Corporation; ATI Technologies, Inc.; Broadcom Corporation; Centillium
Communications, Inc.; Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing; CommQuest (IBM);
Conexant Systems, Inc.; empowerTel Networks, Inc.; ESS Technology, Inc.;
Gemplus, General Instrument Corporation; Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
(IDT); LSI Logic Corporation; Macronix; Metalink Ltd.; NEC Corporation;
NeoMagic Corporation; NKK Corporation; Philips Semiconductors; QuickLogic
Corporation; Sandcraft, Inc.; SiByte, Inc.; Sony Corporation; Synova; Texas
Instruments Incorporated; Toshiba Corporation; Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Company; and Virata Corporation. Numerous companies utilize
MIPS-based(tm) intellectual property. MIPS Technologies, Inc. is based in
Mountain View, California, and can be reached at 650-567-5000 or www.mips.com. MIPS is a registered trademark and MIPS-based, MIPS32, and 4K are
trademarks of MIPS Technologies, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property
of their respective owners. All press materials are available on the World
Wide Web via: http://www.mips.com.
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