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Conexant Expands Video Semiconductor Product Offering with Two New Decoders-New Integrated Circuits Further Enhance Industry's Most Complete Portfolio of Analog and Digital Audio Video Codecs
Business Wire - May 24, 2004

RED BANK, N.J., May 24, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNXT), the worldwide leader in semiconductor solutions for broadband communications, enterprise networks and the digital home, today expanded its video processing portfolio with the introduction of the CX25836 analog video decoder and the CX25840 audio/video decoder families. Decoders convert analog signals to a digital format and provide the means for rendering analog audio and video content from a broadcast source, VCR, DVD or camcorder on a wide range of consumer devices. Conexant's two new highly integrated devices provide substantial quality advances in audio and video performance on personal computers, set-top boxes, flat panel displays, high definition television, and recordable devices such as personal and digital video recorders (PVRs/DVRs). Both devices are compliant with all major worldwide broadcast video standards including NTSC/PAL/SECAM. The CX25840 family also supports all associated broadcast audio standards.

"Our new decoders provide industry-leading performance and integration, enabling the next generation of high fidelity video and PC products for the digital home," said Greg Fischer, vice president of Convergence Video Products for Conexant. "We produced the world's first single chip video decoder in 1992, and we pioneered the first chips capable of providing the decoding function in a PC video application. Since then Conexant has introduced the world's most complete portfolio of analog and MPEG audio/video codecs. We remain focused on providing our global customer base with next-generation semiconductor solutions that further enhance our market-leading video processing portfolio."

"As the number of digital display and recording devices proliferates in the home, the signal they are displaying or recording is still analog in many cases, which means that these devices must include an analog-to-digital decoder," said Michelle Abraham, a senior analyst with In-Stat/MDR. "The growth in multimedia PCs, PVRs, DVD recorders, and flat panel TVs will ensure a 100 million unit annual market by the end of 2006."

The sixth-generation CX25836 offers superior performance through advances in technology and integration, and is the smallest video decoder available today. The chip is based on an 11-bit analog/digital (A/D) algorithmic architecture and uses a true 10-bit data path to preserve and maintain overall end-to-end video quality. Additional quality enhancing features include integrated anti-alias filters that improve the video decoding process, and an adaptive 4H luminance and chrominance comb filter that improves the color separation process to provide crisper video images. The CX25836 also supports user-defined programming from up to eight video sources, allowing video to be captured from a wide range of consumer electronic sources. The flexibility afforded by the programmable inputs, combined with fast camera locking capabilities, also make the chip applicable for the security camera market.

The single-chip CX25840 is the smallest and lowest power integrated audio/video decoder available today, which makes it well suited for mobile and universal serial bus-powered applications. The device substantially advances broadcast stereo performance, with as much as 10dB improvement in signal-to-noise and stereo separation when compared to current products. It can automatically detect and configure both broadcast audio and video, and accepts a wide array of inputs including composite video baseband signal, S-Video and component video. Baseband audio can be supported via an I2S or AC 97 audio codec. Audio features include a flexible I2S I/O port that can accept up to 24 bits of audio resolution and a sample rate of 96 kHz, the ability to manage both broadcast and baseband audio, and an embedded graphic equalizer that can adjust both broadcast and baseband to the user's liking. Together, these features reduce bill-of-material costs for system developers without compromising audio and video performance. The CX25840 also includes eight programmable inputs to maximize configuration flexibility.

Conexant offers a complete suite of components and system solutions for all major consumer video applications ranging from standard and high-definition video to interactive consumer entertainment services delivered through a set-top box, PC, digital video recorder or game console. The company's video and multimedia product offering includes analog and digital video encoders/decoders, PCI video decoders, software and complete reference designs.

Pricing and Availability

Samples of the CX25836 and CX25840 are available now, with volume production scheduled for the third quarter of 2004. Both devices are packaged in a 12mm x 12mm, 80-pin thin quad flat pack (TQFP). The CX25836 is also offered in a 7mm x 7mm 64-pin TQFP. The CX25836 and CX25840 are priced at $8 and $11.75 in quantities of 10,000, respectively. Reference designs and evaluation kits for both product families are also offered.

About Conexant

Conexant's innovative semiconductor solutions are driving broadband communications, enterprise networks and digital home networks worldwide. The company has leveraged its expertise and leadership position in modem technologies to enable more Internet connections than all of its competitors combined, and continues to develop highly integrated silicon solutions for broadband data and media processing networks.

Key products include client-side xDSL and cable modem solutions, home network processors, broadcast video encoders and decoders, digital set-top box components and systems solutions, and dial-up modems. Conexant's suite of networking components includes a leadership portfolio of IEEE 802.11a/b/g-compliant WLAN chipsets, software and reference designs, as well as solutions for applications based on HomePlug(R) and HomePNA(TM). The company also offers a complete line of asymmetric and symmetric DSL central office solutions, which are used by service providers worldwide to deliver broadband data, voice, and video over copper telephone lines.

Conexant is a fabless semiconductor company with annual run-rate revenues of $1.2 billion. The company has approximately 2,400 employees worldwide, and is headquartered in Red Bank, N.J. To learn more, please visit us at www.conexant.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements relating to our future results (including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by the company's and its customers' products; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development of new products; the timing of new product introductions; the availability of manufacturing capacity; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; changes in product mix; product obsolescence; the ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the uncertainties of litigation; and the risk that the businesses of Conexant and GlobespanVirata will not be integrated successfully, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Note to Editors: Conexant is a registered trademark of Conexant Systems, Inc. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Conexant Systems, Inc.

CONTACT: Conexant Systems, Inc.

Gwen Carlson, 949-483-7363

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