NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sept. 12 2005 – Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNXT), a worldwide leader in semiconductor solutions for broadband communications, enterprise networks and the digital home, today announced that its high-definition television (HDTV) semiconductor system solution for satellite set-top boxes (STBs) received the Cable and Satellite International magazine’s Products of the Year award in the “Best HDTV Technology or Project” and the “Best Silicon Innovation” categories. The comprehensive system solution encompasses a range of advanced new technologies, and three “world’s first” chips including an H.264 decoder, a DVB-S2 demodulator, and a dual-channel satellite tuner. The company’s MPEG-2 decoder and an engineering reference design are also a part of the award-winning HDTV integrated platform. This solution provides manufacturers with a cost-effective, robust and flexible technology solution that enables them to bring a new generation of HDTV STBs to market more quickly.
The award was presented to Conexant yesterday evening at a ceremony at the RAI convention center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, during the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC). The 173 entries in the third annual competition were judged by an independent panel of experts including current and former heads of engineering and operations at some of the world's largest network operators, well-respected consultants, and senior industry analysts.
“It is an honor to have our new HDTV solutions selected by a panel of distinguished judges for these prestigious awards,” said Jeff Crosby, vice president and general manager of Conexant’s Broadband Media Processing business. “We employed our systems expertise to develop a complete HDTV solution that integrates new and complex compression and modulation technologies into a single engineering design platform. This approach reduces our customers’ technical risk and design challenges, while providing them with the flexibility to scale feature-sets across a range of set-top box models. We’re very proud of this accomplishment, and look forward to delivering equally innovative solutions to the marketplace.”
John Moulding, editor of Cable & Satellite International commented, “The expansion of HDTV on US satellites and its launch by major European DTH operators this autumn is being made possible by a new generation of set-top boxes that support advanced decoding and especially AVC decoding. Advanced encoding is a genuine business enabler when it comes to HDTV and the market has been waiting for the decoder technology to make it a reality. Conexant’s silicon solutions are innovative, timely and much needed – all factors taken into account when these awards are judged.”