Auvitek International : News

AUVITEK’S AU8522 Demodulator IC Drives Hauppauge’s HVR-950Q PC-TV Solution
January 18, 2008

Auvitek’s AU8522 Demodulator Selected by Dasan For Deployment in Korea Telecom MegaPass TV STB
January 05, 2008

Microtune and Auvitek Deliver High-Performance Digital TV Solution for NTIA-Certifiable DTV Converter Boxes
January 04, 2008

Auvitek’s AU8515 Demodulation And Channel-decoding IC Powers Sansonic’s NTIA-Certfied ATSC STB
December 26, 2007

Auvitek Appoints Vice President Jon Zierk
January 8, 2007

Auvitek Launches AU852x Demodulator Family
January 8, 2007

BDA Driver For 32-bit PCI Application Received Microsoft Vista Logo Certification
December 6, 2006

Auvitek Appoints Pete Birch as President and CEO
October 4, 2006

BDA Driver For USB Application Received Microsoft WHQL Certification
September 4, 2006

China to Launch High-Definition Terrestrial Digital TV Broadcast In 2008
August 31, 2006

Auvitek Powers Leadtek and Yuan Technology PCI TV Tuner Cards
June 5, 2006

Auvitek Introduces Durante; Breakthrough Hybrid USB TV Tuner Reference Design
June 5, 2006

BDA Driver For PCI Application Received Microsoft WHQL Certification
March 24, 2006

Premiere sees 500,000 HDTV subscribers by 2008
February 20, 2006

MPEG video IC market to grow through 2008
January 27, 2006

China launches high-definition digital TV channel
January 3,2 006

US digital TV shipments rise by 45%
December 11, 2005

Global digital TV sales up 50%
November 9, 2005

San Jose, CA. – Jan.18, 2008 - Auvitek International Ltd. (Auvitek), a leading supplier of high-performance channel decoder and receiver solutions, today announced that Hauppauge has selected Auvitek’s AU8522 ATSC/QAM/NTSC demodulator for use in its WinTV HVR-950Q PC-TV USB stick.

The WinTV HVR-950Q is designed around Auvitek’s market leading AU8522 ATSC/QAM channel-decoding IC and enables both viewing and recording of live ATSC High definition Digital TV programs in addition to analog and cable TV programs on a laptop or PC through an USB port without the need to open a computer. The HVR-950Q is easy to install and includes a remote control and the Hauppauge WinTV application software as well as support for the Media Center application which Microsoft includes in the Premium and Ultimate editions of Microsoft Windows Vista. The WinTV application software is compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista, and Microsoft Windows XP. In addition, the HVR-950Q also includes a TV scheduler, and support for the Titian TV Electronic Program Guide.

“By switching to the Auvitek solution, we were able to upgrade the features and performance of our WinTV HVR-9xx series products”, noted John Casey, Vice President of Technology at Hauppauge, “We added support for QAM and stereo audio while at the same time achieving greater integration, and lower cost in a very small form factor. We are committed to continuing our leadership in performance and innovation for the PC video market.”

“Auvitek’s patented and proprietary FADETM architecture is enabling new solutions in the digital TV market,” said Auvitek President and CEO Pete Birch. “We are uniquely able to provide our customers consistent, high-quality signal reception in a small form factor low-power solution. It’s ironic that Hauppauge’s new USB stick solution receives more ATSC channels, faster and with more consistency, than most of the receivers incorporated in the HD television sets on the market today.”

The Auvitek AU85xx family of ATSC demodulator solutions is shipping today in a wide range of end products for both the consumer electronic and personal computer markets, including IP-STBs, digital TVs, PCI cards, and USB PC-TV dongles.

About Hauppauge

Hauppauge Digital Inc, (NASDAQ: HAUP) is a leading developer and manufacturer of digital TV and data broadcast receiver products for personal computers. Through its Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., and Hauppauge Digital Europe subsidiaries, the company designs and develops digital video boards for TV-in-a-window, digital video editing and video conferencing. The company is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York with worldwide administrative offices. Further information is available at www.hauppauge.com

About Auvitek

Auvitek International Ltd. is a leading fabless semiconductor company focused on developing ICs for the worldwide Digital Television and Multimedia Convergence markets. With US operations based in Silicon Valley, Auvitek has development sales, and support offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Based on patented FADETM (Fully Adaptive Demodulation and Equalization) technology, and combined with extremely efficient and unique algorithms, these products offer the highest performance demodulation solutions in the industry. This leading edge technology is helping Auvitek revolutionize DTV design by delivering crystal clear video and audio to the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. Auvitek is backed by leading investors including Bank of America Ventures, KLM Capital Group, Storm Ventures, and VenGlobal Capital. (Back To The Top)

Auvitek’s AU8522 Demodulator Selected by Dasan For Deployment in Korea Telecom MegaPass TV STB

San Jose, CA. – Jan 7, 2008 Auvitek, a leader in ATSC receiver/channel decoder ICs and Dasan, Korea’s leading supplier of broadband access equipment, announced today that Korea Telecom’s MegaPass FTTH service is being widely deployed utilizing Dasan’s IPTV set-top box incorporating Auvitek’s AU8522 ATSC/NTSC/QAM demodulator.

The IPTV market in Korea is exploding and is expected to reach 6M subscribers by 2010. Korea Telecom’s market leading broadband service known as Mega Pass TV provides broadband services at data rates of up to 50Mb/s. MegaPass TV uses FTTH as the WAN connection and enables a multitude of services including real time broadcast of HDTV programming, video-on-demand and a host of interactive services. One of the key differentiators is the “Broadcast Quality” of HD programming, which enables live viewing of HD channels off-the-air without affecting the bandwidth utilization on the network. This not only preserves full bandwidth for commercial services, but also provide consumers with broadcast quality HDTV programming.

The main criteria in the selection of the ATSC receiver are consistent performance across diverse conditions and locations as well as overall system power and cost. “With Auvitek’s high-performance AU8522, we are able to provide a crystal clear, error free, broadcast quality HD programming to the consumer; and it is done without any impact on the network bandwidth.” said DASAN Marketing Director James Park.

“We are honored to be selected by Korea Telecom and Dasan for deployment in the MegaPass service,” said Auvitek President and CEO Pete Birch. “As availability of HDTV content continues to expand, the burden on the “pipe”, be it DSL or cable or satellite, will continue to grow. A high-quality off-air receiver solution, such as being utilized by Dasan, will alleviate the burden and open up bandwidth for many new, exciting services .”

The Auvitek AU85xx family of ATSC demodulator solutions are shipping today in a wide range of end products for both the consumer electronic and personal computer markets, including IP-STBs, digital TVs, PCI cards, and USB TV sticks. ducts to assist in the digital transition.”

Korea Telecom’s New Megapass TV Advanced Video Services

Megapass is the flagship high-speed broadband service of KT, currently providing broadband rates up to 50 mbps, the highest speed among all broadband services in Korea. For their new Megapass TV offering, KT intends to use fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), a fiber-optics deployment that is carried all the way to the customer's home. FTTH is a more upgraded version than the existing copper-line-based ADSL service, ensuring a safer connection and serving as a bridge to the next generation telecom broadcasting convergence services, such as internet protocol television (IPTV).

The new Megapass TV will feature a multitude of services, including live television, pay per view, high definition content, video-on-demand, and a host of interactive services. Video-on-demand is expected to be one of the most compelling aspects of the service and will offer more than 2,500 titles for consumer selection. KT started shipping the box with the Megapass TV service from the third quarter of this year.

About Korea Telecom

Korea Telecom (KT) is the leading telecommunication operator in Korea offering a broad range of telephony, internet and data services with country wide coverage and over 20M subscribers. KT expects high penetration level with expected high volume deployments of Mega Pass TV within one year of the launch.

About Dasan’s STB

Dasan’s EPON solution with the associated IPTV set-top box provides premium grade triple play services to Korea’s fast growing IPTV subscriber base. Powered by Auvitek’s AU8522, Dasan’s STB enables a broadcast quality error free HD programming in addition to other services such as broadband connection and personal video recording. Dasan’s new solution utilizes a passive optical network, which delivers Gbs/sec bandwidth to the consumer using high bandwidth optical fiber instead of copper wires. This bandwidth enables the low cost delivery of bandwidth intensive applications such as VOD with greater data access and VOIP telephone services.

About Dasan

DASAN is the largest broadband equipment manufacturer in Korea. With the acquisition of Dasan by Siemens, Dasan is able to capitalize with expanded resources to target a global expansion in broadband equipment market.

Dasan and Auvitek are working closely together to exploit these unique core competencies and provide state of the art solutions for the broadband market

About Auvitek

Auvitek International Ltd. is a leading fabless semiconductor company focused on developing ICs for the worldwide Digital Television and Multimedia Convergence markets. With US operations based in Silicon Valley, Auvitek has development sales, and support offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Based on patented FADETM (Fully Adaptive Demodulation and Equalization) technology, and combined with extremely efficient and unique algorithms, these products offer the highest performance demodulation solutions in the industry. This leading edge technology is helping Auvitek revolutionize DTV design by delivering crystal clear video and audio to the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. Auvitek is backed by leading investors including Bank of America Ventures, KLM Capital Group, Storm Ventures, and VenGlobal Capital. (Back To The Top)

Microtune and Auvitek Deliver High-Performance Digital TV Solution for NTIA-Certifiable DTV Converter Boxes

NTIA-certified DTV converter boxes, featuring high-performance Microtune and Auvitek technologies, are showcased in Auvitek's suite 2165 at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel during CES in Las Vegas, NV, January 7-10, 2008

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 3, 2008--Microtune(R), Inc. (NASDAQ: TUNE) and Auvitek International Ltd., today unveiled their collaboration in delivering a complete solution that significantly accelerates the time-to-market and time-to-certification for manufacturers targeting the U.S. government's coupon-eligible DTV converter box program. Based on Microtune's MicroTuner(TM) MT2131 high-performance tuner chip and Auvitek's AU8515 ATSC demodulation and channel-decoding IC, the manufacturing-ready system solution has been implemented in two Sansonic DTV converter boxes (models FT-300A and FT-300RT) that have achieved certification from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The performance and quality of these NTIA-certified set-tops will be demonstrated at Auvitek's suite (number 2165) in the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel during the CES show in Las Vegas, NV, January 7-10, 2008.

Inventor of the single-chip silicon TV tuner, Microtune is a market leader in radio frequency (RF) silicon and systems products for the consumer electronics and automotive electronics markets. Auvitek is a fabless semiconductor company that develops demodulator integrated circuits (ICs) for the worldwide digital television and multimedia convergence markets. Together the Microtune TV tuner and Auvitek demodulator ICs comprise the sophisticated electronics 'heart' of the DTV converter set-top box solution.

"The underlying RF and demodulation/channel-decode technologies are the determining factors in the capability of a DTV converter set-top box to receive, under a diverse range of conditions, all broadcast TV signals cleanly and reliably," said Pete Birch, Chief Executive Officer, Auvitek International Ltd. "Based on our proprietary and patent-pending FADE(TM) architecture, Auvitek's DTV demodulator ICs, combined with the sophisticated high-performance TV tuner of Microtune, ensure the absolute best possible reception of digital television signals. Together, we enable digital TV converter set-tops to receive more channels, more consistently and more often for an excellent user experience. We will be demonstrating that performance and quality edge with our set-top models in our booth at CES."

"By working together, Microtune and Auvitek provide a high-performance, affordable, yet flexible, time-to-market solution for the DTV converter box market," said Albert Taddiken, Microtune's Chief Operating Officer. "Microtune offers the only silicon tuner deployed in multiple DTV converter boxes. Additionally, we can help eliminate the initial upfront investments in engineering design and hardware-and-software system integration, while providing the test-verification facilities to confirm that customer designs meet the tuner-related technical specifications dictated by the NTIA. We are proud of our leadership in offering the enabling RF technology that is helping to drive the digital TV transition not only in the U.S., but also worldwide."

Targeted for American consumers for use during the historic switchover from analog-to-digital TV transmission slated in the U.S. early 2009, the DTV converter boxes receive over-the-air digital ATSC broadcast signals and convert them for use on conventional analog television sets.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: U.S. DIGITAL CONVERTER SET-TOP BOX PROGRAM

The NTIA is the agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that is charged with overseeing the consumer coupon program for digital-to-analog converter set-top boxes. This $1 billion program will subsidize the purchase of converter set-tops for consumers who wish to continue to use their analog TVs after February 2009, when U.S. analog broadcasts will be shut off. The converter box enables viewers to extend the life of current analog TV sets by ensuring that American households do not lose access to free, off-air broadcast television. The NTIA certification and approval process ensures that converter boxes meet feature and performance specifications, including the challenging tuner-related requirements of the NTIA's technical parameters.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: AUVITEK INFO ON AU8515

The AU8515 is a high-performance channel decoder specifically designed for the Converter Box market. The AU8515 consists of an ATSC, A/74 compliant 8-VSB demodulator and is based on the patent pending FADE(TM) architecture. With its unique architecture, the AU8515 is able to provide a much superior performance exceeding the NTIA and A/74 specification. Additionally, consumers are able to experience reception of more channels enabling consumer's access to their favorite local programs; faster lock and channel change times, and; consistent performance irrespective of signal strength or location of the receiver. Thus the AU8515 seamlessly enables the digital transition with superior performance.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: MICROTUNE 3-IN-1 TECHNOLOGY DESIGNED FOR DTV TRANSITION

Microtune's MT2131 a multi-standard miniature silicon tuner that is engineered to support all three U.S. standards: analog (NTSC), digital (ATSC) and cable (Digital-Cable Ready). It is designed to exceed the radio frequency (RF) performance requirements specified by the NTIA, helping to drive very high-end digital TV reception quality into the consumer-TV and TV-peripherals mass market. Manufacturers can deploy the MT2131 as a single, flexible tuner to cost-effectively smooth the digital transition across all kinds of TV electronics, while bridging the multiple standards that co-exist today. (Back To The Top)

Auvitek’s AU8515 Demodulation And Channel-decoding IC Powers Sansonic’s NTIA-Certfied ATSC STB

San Jose, CA. – December 26, 2007 - Auvitek International Ltd. (Auvitek), a leading supplier of high-performance digital television receiver solutions, today announced that two of Sansonic’s AU8515-based Coupon Eligible Converter Boxes (CECBs) designed by Falcon Digital have been formally certified by the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) as passing the most stringent standards for ATSC reception.

The Sansonic FT-300A and the Sansonic FT-300RT CECBs, designed around Auvitek’s market leading AU8515 ATSC demodulation and channel-decoding IC, are the first in a number of models from Sansonic expected to receive formal approval from the NTIA, and will be available at major retail outlets in the US from Q1 2008.

The NTIA is certifying converter boxes that meet a stringent set of performance criteria, making them eligible for purchase using the $40 retail credit vouchers being offered by the US government as part of the upcoming transition from analog to digital broadcast television. The coupon program begins on January 1 2008, and it is estimated that as many as 40 million NTIA certified CECBs will be sold at retail in the US during the 18 month period over which the coupon program operates. The government funded DTV Coupon Program is intended to offset much of the cost associated with ensuring the estimated 23 million US households that today rely solely on analog television reception will be able to receive digital broadcast programming using their existing analog TV sets when the analog broadcasts end in the US on February 17th 2009.

“The NTIA ATSC receiver performance specifications are very challenging, and designing the Sansonic CECBs around the AU8515 was the only way we could guarantee surpassing the NTIA requirement,” noted Jun Liaw, CEO of Falcon Digital, the design and manufacturing company behind the Sansonic brand. “Working closely with the Auvitek team, our engineers developed and tested the platform over a 12 month period. Field tests throughout the United States have demonstrated that we consistently outperform other digital receiver solutions available today.”

“Auvitek’s patented and proprietary FADETM architecture is setting new standards for performance metrics in digital television reception,” said Auvitek President and CEO Pete Birch. “We are able to provide our customers consistent, quality signal reception in even the most difficult broadcast reception environments. Our CECB reference design is guaranteed NTIA-certifiable, and we are very pleased to have worked with Falcon to be one of the few companies able to deliver products to assist in the digital transition.”

The Auvitek AU85xx family of ATSC demodulator solutions is shipping today in a wide range of end products for both the consumer electronic and personal computer markets, including IP-STBs, digital TVs, PCI cards, and USB TV sticks.

For more information, contact: sales@auvitek.com

Auvitek will be exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 8 -10, 2008, in Booth #HE2165. Demos of the company’s products will be presented at the Hilton Hotel, East Tower, Suite #2165.

For more information about the DTV Coupon Program visit www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon or www.dtvtransition.org

About AUVITEK
Auvitek International Ltd. is a leading fabless semiconductor company focused on developing ICs for the worldwide Digital Television and Multimedia Convergence markets. With US operations based in Silicon Valley, Auvitek has development, sales, and support offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Based on patented FADETM (Fully Adaptive Demodulation and Equalization) technology, and combined with extremely efficient and unique algorithms, these products offer the highest performance demodulation solutions in the industry. This leading edge technology is helping Auvitek revolutionize DTV design by delivering crystal clear video and audio to the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. Auvitek is backed by leading investors including Scale Venture Partners, KLM Capital Group, Storm Ventures, and VenGlobal Capital.

About Falcon Digital
With offices in Taiwan and Shenzhen, and manufacturing facilities in China, Falcon Digital Limited is a company registered in Hong Kong. Falcon Digital has five R&D teams in Shenzhen, China and a sales & marketing team in Taipei, Taiwan. The R&D teams are focused on developing Wireless, Digital TV system and Portable media player market segments. The main products are HDMI Switch Box, A/V Sender (802.11n), ATSC Converter Box, ATSC USB Dongle, WiFi TV, Portable ATSC/ DVB +GPS+ PMP Receiver and Multi-functional LCD TV.
Contact information: Sales@falcondgt.com (Back To The Top)

Fremont, Calif. - January 8, 2007 - Auvitek International Ltd. today announced the appointment of Jon Zierk to the position of vice president world wide sales, effective immediately.

Zierk, 43, served since 1998 as vice president of sales & marketing for TeraLogic, a pioneer in digital television semiconductor solutions. He remained as vice president sales through TeraLogic's acquisition by Oak Technology, and again through Zoran's (Nasdaq: ZRAN) acquisition of Oak. Prior to TeraLogic, Mr. Zierk held a number of executive sales and marketing positions including vice president of sales at Information Storage Devices prior to its acquisition by Winbond. He began his career as an integrated circuit designer and Member, Technical Staff, with Mosel-Vitelic Corporation. Mr. Zierk received both bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University, where he received the Skilling Award for excellence in teaching from the Stanford Electrical Engineering Department.

Auvitek President and CEO Pete Birch said, "We are all very pleased to have Jon aboard. Jon has managed both large and small scale sales organizations, and brings a wealth of experience in consumer semiconductor sales to Auvitek. His in-depth knowledge of the DTV market and experience in dealing with the major brands on leading-edge products makes him a great fit for our team. I expect that Jon will have a major impact in shaping and supporting our continued growth, and in managing our expanding revenue stream and customer base."

Zierk noted, "It is my privilege to have the opportunity to work with the world-class team at Auvitek and I look forward to doing my part in moving Auvitek to a leadership position in both the PC and DTV markets."

ABOUT AUVITEK
Auvitek International Ltd. is a leading fabless semiconductor company focused on developing ICs for the worldwide Digital Television and Multimedia Convergence markets. With US operations based in Silicon Valley, Auvitek has development sales, and support offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Auvitek recently launched its latest generation of DTV/HDTV demodulation processors. Based on patent pending FADE^TM (Fully Adaptive Demodulation and Equalization) technology, and combined with extremely efficient and unique algorithms, these products offer the highest performance demodulation solutions in the industry. This leading edge technology is helping Auvitek revolutionize DTV design by delivering crystal clear video and audio to the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. Auvitek is backed by leading investors including Bank of America Ventures, KLM Capital Group, Storm Ventures, and VenGlobal Capital. (Back To The Top)

Fremont, Calif. - January 8, 2007 - Auvitek International Ltd. today announced the AU852x family of 6^th generation HDTV and ATV Demodulators. All of the new ICs provide leadership performance in ATSC (8-VSB), digital cable (QAM) and legacy analog TV applications.

The new products, sampling now and available for mass production in Q1'2007, include the AU8521 optimized for PC-TV applications, the AU8522 targeted at dual ATSC/NTSC systems, the AU8523 cost-optimized for systems with external analog decoders, and the AU8524 cost-optimized for digital only receivers. All employ Auvitek's patent-pending FADETM (Fully Adaptive Demodulation and Equalization) technology to deliver optimal performance across the continuum of infinitely diverse signal conditions existing today. Building on the recognized performance of the earlier AU850x family, released these new ICs were recently described by the CRC, an independent DTV testing authority, as achieving "the longest echo span that CRC have tested."

For PC applications, Auvitek provides reference designs, software and WHQL and/or Vista certified drivers which are all available now. For CE applications, Auvitek offers a complete software driver suite as well as development boards and reference designs.

Auvitek President and CEO Pete Birch noted "Demodulator Performance can make or break the customer experience in DTV. The AU852x family of ICs follows the Auvitek philosophy of delivering optimized solutions that allow customers to maximize their enjoyment of the exciting display technologies available both today and in the future."

In addition to extremely low power, the 852x family offers full compliance with the ATSC A/74 recommendations for digital TV receiver performance metrics. The 852x products provide outstanding performance not only in the lab but also in the infinitely diverse range of real world reception conditions making this family the leading VSB solutions on the market.

AU852x performance will be demonstrated at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the Sands Hotel at Auvitek's Booths 68341 and 68342. Additional information is available at www.auvitek.com.

ABOUT AUVITEK
Auvitek International Ltd. is a leading fabless semiconductor company focused on developing ICs for the worldwide Digital Television and Multimedia Convergence markets. With US operations based in Silicon Valley, Auvitek has development sales, and support offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Auvitek recently launched its latest generation of DTV/HDTV demodulation processors. Based on patent pending FADETM (Fully Adaptive Demodulation and Equalization) technology, and combined with extremely efficient and unique algorithms, these products offer the highest performance demodulation solutions in the industry. This leading edge technology is helping Auvitek revolutionize DTV design by delivering crystal clear video and audio to the consumer electronics and personal computer markets. Auvitek is backed by leading investors including Bank of America Ventures, KLM Capital Group, Storm Ventures, and VenGlobal Capital. (Back To The Top)

BDA Driver For 32-bit PCI Application Received Microsoft Vista Logo Certification

On Dec.06, 2006, Auvitek received the Microsoft's Vista Logo certification for its BDA driver. The BDA driver was developed for the PCI ATSC/NTSC HDTV board based on Auvitek’s highly integrated AU8501 chip.

Auvitek currently provides PCI reference design to many PC and PC peripheral manufacturers. With the BDA driver passed the Vista Logo test, our products are fully compatible with Microsoft’s operation system.
(Back To The Top)

Fremont, Calif. - October 27, 2006 - Auvitek International Ltd. today announced that its board of directors has named Pete Birch to serve as the company's president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Peter Mok, Auvitek's chairman, said that the Auvitek board selected Birch based on his broad-based involvement with digital television semiconductor products and his track record of business development leadership.

Pete Birch, 41, previously served since August 2002 as vice president of consumer products with Genesis Microchip (Nasdaq: GNSS) where he was responsible for corporate development activities and strategic technology management, and was instrumental in building Genesis's first DTV product development team. Pete Birch joined Genesis via the company's acquisition of the MPEG and DVD businesses from VM Labs. He served as executive vice president of business development at VM Labs.

Birch said, "This is a very exciting opportunity for me. Auvitek has tremendous potential for growth. The team is extremely talented and has a deep knowledge of channel and audio/video processing algorithms, and has employed some exceedingly unique technologies to develop a range of DTV demodulator products that demonstrably outperform the competition. By building on our existing market acceptance, I fully expect Auvitek to expand its position as a leading supplier to PC and consumer electronics manufacturers."

Prior to 1995, Birch held various engineering and management positions with GEC Plessey Semiconductors' Consumer Electronics Division, which was recently acquired by Intel. He subsequently managed the sales and marketing operations for a leading audio licensing company before joining VM Labs.

ABOUT AUVITEK
Auvitek International Ltd. is a leading fabless semiconductor company focused on developing ICs for the worldwide Digital Television and Multimedia Convergence markets. With US operations based in Silicon Valley, Auvitek has development and sales support offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, and Seoul. Auvitek recently launched its latest generation of DTV/HDTV demodulation processors. Based on patent pending technology, combined with extremely efficient and unique algorithms, these products offer the highest performance demodulation solutions in the industry. This leading edge technology is helping Auvitek revolutionize DTV design by delivering crystal clear video and audio to the consumer electronics market. Auvitek is backed by leading investors including Bank of America Ventures, KLM Capital Group, Storm Ventures, and VenGlobal Capital. (Back To The Top)

On Sep. 4,2006 ,The BDA driver for USB ATSC/NTSC HDTV board passed the Microsoft's certification test. Auvitek received the Microsoft's WHQL certification. The BDA driver was developed for the USB HDTV board based on Auvitek's highly integrated AU8502 chip. (Back To The Top)

China will launch high-definition terrestrial digital TV broadcasts in 2008, according to a national five-year (2006-2010) guideline on cultural development which was publicized on Wednesday.China also aims to replace the existing analog cable television with digital cable television in all the cities in its eastern and central regions and most of those in the western area by 2010, the guideline says.China will adopt a terrestrial digital TV broadcast standard, the mandatory broadcast signal for Chinese broadcasters on August 1, 2007.Terrestrial digital TV transmissions can deliver signals to fixed TV sets and mobile televisions such as the ones on buses. They are designed to replace the existing analog system through which the majority of viewers in China watch the TV networks.

Digital TV broadcasting can be conducted by satellite, cable and terrestrial television, which increases the efficiency of operators and provides better quality pictures for viewers.Statistics from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television show that the number of households with digital broadcasting facilities rose from one million in 2004 to 4.13 million in 2005.

The guideline also underscores the importance of accelerated development and application of new and high technology, especially digital technology and web technology over the next five years. Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS (Back To The Top)

Fremont, California - June 5, 2006 - Auvitek International announced that its AU8501 integrated ATSC/NTSC HDTV demodulator IC has been selected to power Leadtek Research's and Yuan Technology's HDTV tuner cards for the Multimedia PC. Both Leadtek and Yuan will be exhibiting at Computex Taipei, June 6 - 10, 2006.

The breakthrough design of the AU8501 enables Leadtek and Yuan to offer a PCI-based hybrid tuner card capable of tuning both analog and digital channels. The AU8501 is the main chip included in both Leadtek's and Yuan's HDTV tuner cards.

"Our new ATSC PCTV product, which is based on Auvitek's AU8501 highly integrated ATSC/NTSC demodulator, addresses several key market requirements. For new PCTV products, hybrid ATV and DTV functionality is a must. In addition, Auvitek's AU8501 delivers a cost-effective solution that has ATSC/NTSC/BTSC and PCI all integrated into a single chip with a very small form factor," said Richard Chou, general manager of Computer Product B.U. of Leadtek Research, Inc.

Stephen Chuang,Yuan Technology's vice president of sales added, "Our close collaboration with Auvitek has resulted in a feature-rich, cost-effective PCTV product for the ATSC market. The channel tuning performance and the high integration of the AU8501 mean that our PCTV card has a level of functionality and a price point that is unique in the industry."

"We are very pleased that industry leaders such as Yuan Technology and Leadtek have selected Auvitek's demodulator as the main chip for their ATSC PCTV products. Our complete reference design, together with our solid Windows device driver, enabled both companies to quickly deliver an exciting product to the market - allowing the consumer to view both digital HDTV and traditional analog TV on a PC," said Victor Ren, Auvitek's executive vice president and chief operating officer.

ABOUT LEADTEK RESEARCH
Founded in 1986, and earning renown for its cutting-edge, award-winning IT hardware solutions, Leadtek Research, Inc. is a research and development company that specializes in the design and manufacture of a wide range of high-performance graphics and video solutions. These products include 3D graphics, multimedia, motherboard, video-conferencing, video surveillance, GPS navigation and wireless communication. Additional information is available at www.leadtek.com.

ABOUT YUAN TECHNOLOGY
Yuan (GTSM: 5474), established in 1990, and headquartered in Taiwan, is principally engaged in the design, development, and manufacture of high-quality graphics accelerators, TV tuner cards, and MPEG2/4 encoder/decoder products. As a competitive PC peripherals manufacturer, Yuan has developed a worldwide sales network and customer base. Along with manufacturing success and ISO 9000 certified facilities, Yuan provides the latest technology and full range of solutions to the multimedia market.

ABOUT AUVITEK
Auvitek International Ltd. is a fabless semiconductor company founded in March 2004 with U.S. operations based in Silicon Valley, California. Auvitek designs high-performance, cost-effective DTV/HDTV demodulation processors and provides multimedia solutions for the fast-growing digital television market. Auvitek's patent-pending technology and extremely efficient algorithms create unique products that deliver crystal-clear video and audio to digital television, set-top-boxes, personal computers and DVD player/recorders. (Back To The Top)

Fremont, California - June 5, 2006 - Auvitek announced its breakthrough Durante reference design, a hybrid USB TV tuner device utilizing the company's highly successful AU8502 demodulator.

Auvitek's attractive USB reference design is already being adopted by several cutting-edge ODMs and OEMs such as Leadtek International, Yuan Technology, Ya-Hsin, VVmer, Goodway, Itemstech, and Prolink, all of whom will be showcasing their products this week at Computex Taipei.

The AU8502, an ATSC/NTSC HDTV demodulator, is the world's only demodulator IC for both digital ATSC 8-VSB and analog NTSC/BTSC TV broadcasts, and builds on Auvitek's patent-pending AccuTuneTM technology. The Durante reference design has the smallest form factor on the market today.

"Today's technology is in transition from analog to digital TV, and this transition is occurring in every part of the world. We believe that a successful TV tuner device must therefore be a hybrid device that can receive both analog and digital TV signals," said Victor Ren, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Auvitek. "Our AccuTuneTM technology makes the Durante capable of tuning in weak or noisy TV signals. Last but not least, as a hybrid USB device, the Durante has the world's smallest form factor due to the high integration of AU8502. These factors all contribute to a high performance and low cost device."

ABOUT AUVITEK
Auvitek International Ltd. is a fabless semiconductor company founded in March 2004 with U.S. operations based in Silicon Valley, California. Auvitek designs high-performance yet cost-effective DTV/HDTV demodulation processors and provides multimedia solutions for the fast-growing digital television market. Auvitek's patent-pending technology and extremely efficient algorithms create unique products that deliver crystal-clear video and audio to digital television, set-top-boxes, personal computers and DVD player/recorders. (Back To The Top)

On March 24, 2006, Auvitek received the Microsoft's WHQL certification for its BDA driver. The BDA driver was developed for the PCI ATSC/NTSC HDTV board based on Auvitek’s highly integrated AU8501 chip.Auvitek currently provides PCI reference design to many PC and PC peripheral manufacturers.

With the BDA driver was developed for passing the WHQL test, it means that we are fully compatible with Microsoft Windows, and our customers can benefit from it now by providing Windows compatible products.

With digital broadcast becomes more popular and more digital contents are available, the multimedia centric PC is shifting from analog TV tuner card to digital/analog hybrid TV tuner card Consumers can enjoy digital TV content and high quality display through such a hybrid TV tuner card with minimum added cost to the PC. Auvitek believes that the market will explore and this hybrid TV tuner card will quickly replace the traditional analog TV tuner card, and becomes an essential element in the multimedia centric PC (Back To The Top)

BERLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere is to launch digital high-definition television (HDTV) channels in November as it tries to gain more revenues from its subscribers, it said on Wednesday. Premiere aims to win 500,000 subscribers by mid-2008, who will pay additional fees and need more expensive TV sets and receivers to watch the service, which offers much sharper images than traditional TV, the company said at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. The station will offer its 3.3 million subscribers in Germany and Austria sport, movies and documentaries on HDTV for an additional fee, starting at 12 euros ($14.64) per month. Until the start of next year, HDTV will be free. Premiere Chief Executive and co-owner George Kofler said HDTV receivers would become available in volume only in early 2006, but he expected the 2006 soccer World Cup in Germany next year would push HDTV as a mass-market technology. "Ahead of the 1974 World Cup, many TV households swapped their black-and-white TV sets for a color TV. We are expecting a similar drive through next year's World Cup," Kofler said at a news conference. Kofler said that with 500,000 subscribers in 2008, HDTV would generate less than 5 percent of Premiere's revenues. Premiere said HDTV will initially be available only by satellite because there are no suitable cable receivers, and it is still negotiating with cable operators. Half its subscribers receive Premiere by satellite, half by cable. Cable transmission will be available in time for the World Cup, Premiere said. To watch HDTV, viewers have to buy special TV sets and receivers. Premiere said Philips of the Netherlands, Human of Korea and Britain's Pace Micro will initially provide receivers for Premiere subscribers. The receivers will cost between 250 and 300 euros, depending on the subscription plan. As part of the cooperation with Philips, Premiere will brand the sports HDTV channel as Premiere Philips HD Sport, it said. Rudy Provost, chief executive of Philips' consumer electronics unit, said it would market Premiere's HDTV service at major retail chains in conjunction with its flat TV models. "This is pretty much an exclusive deal we have with Premiere, and there will be more of such partnerships in other countries," Provost told Reuters on the sidelines of IFA. (Back To The Top)

The MPEG video IC market grew 48 per cent in units and 36 per cent in revenues in 2003, according to a new report from market analysts¡¯ In-Stat/MDR. Increases in shipments of DVD players and set top boxes were responsible for much of the unit growth. While DVD player shipments will level off, growth in other products consuming MPEG video ICs, like DVD recorders, digital television sets, and digital terrestrial set top boxes, will keep the total market growing every year through 2008. "MPEG-4 ICs, both ASP and H.264, will become a force in the market over the next several years as broadcasters use more efficient compression to deliver video to mobile devices and other receivers," said Michelle Abraham, a senior analyst with the research firm. The mobile handset market will be one of the largest markets for MPEG-4 ICs - particularly those handsets with cameras able to capture video and those with digital TV tuners for mobile broadcast reception. DVD players are adding support for MPEG-4, as are set-top boxes connected to bandwidth-limited networks. MPEG-4 ICs will grow at a triple digit rate reaching more than 100m units in 2007. While MPEG-2 decoders for Super Video Compact Disc (SVCD) and DVD will decline as the devices are replaced in the market by DVD recorders, MPEG-1 decoders have found a new market in CD players with MP3 support, as they are a very economical solution for CD player manufacturers wishing to add MP3 playback. DVD recorders and PVRs (Personal Video Recorders) will push shipments of consumer MPEG-2 encoder ICs to more than double in 2004 over their 2003 shipments. In the Online Networks arena, Main Profile@Main Level (MP@ML) MPEG-2 decoders are a rapidly maturing market, but Main Profile@High Level (MP@HL) MPEG-2 decoder shipments are rising quickly. Shipments will grow over 150 per cent in 2004 and continue rising over 50 per cent, per year, through 2007. For the fourth year in a row ST Microelectronics had the largest share of MPEG IC revenue for 2003. ESS Technology again held the top spot for total MPEG units and ST came in second in total units. MediaTek jumped from fourth in revenue in 2002 to second in 2003. (Back To The Top)

Hangzhou viewers can enjoy high-definition television (HDTV) programs via a new movie channel launched by China Central Television (CCTV) beginning Thursday.

The channel, the first of its kind in China, features movies, TV series, documentaries and 3-dimensional animated pictures, according to the two incumbent service providers, CTV Media and China DTV Media, both under the CCTV.

After a four-month trial operation in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, the HDTV service will be formally launched nationwide in January 2006, and the time of play will extend from current 15 hours per day to 18 hours.

"To have an access to the new channel, you must have a high-definition television set and a set-top box which costs 2,500 yuan (about 301 dollars)," said Shen Xiangjun, general manager with the China DTV Media. In comparison with analogue TV, digital TV has clearer pictures and more channels. China has opened nearly 100 digital TV channels. Digital TV users will number 1.2 million by the end of this year, statistics from the Ministry of Information Industry show.

At present, cable TV in China, however, is still very popular. People can receive over 30 channels with cable TV by paying only two US dollars per month.

China is to air the 2008 Summer Olympic Games via high definition TV programs, Shen said.

China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has made a timetable for popularizing digital TV, saying that China will start direct digital satellite TV services from 2006, promote digital terrestrial TV by 2008, and switch off analogue TV broadcasting in 2015 when digital TV will cover the whole country. (Back To The Top)

Figures released this week by the US Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) show 3.8m digital television sets were shipped from manufacturers to dealers in the first half of 2005. That's a 45% increase on the first six months of 2004, and brings the total value of digital set sales to more than $4.6bn. The CEA said falling prices of digital sets had driven consumer adoption. Since January the average price of a digital set has fallen by more than $200 to $1,159. "It is a great time to buy¡ªthe number of DTV products and the wide range of prices have created a truly competitive marketplace," said CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. "There is increased competition among retailers, manufacturers and the technologies. "More high-definition (HD) programming is announced each day and Congress continues to keep this issue a top priority. This year, it is predicted that consumers will buy more digital sets than analogue. As consumers choose to go digital, 86% are choosing the best digital has to offer¡ªHDTV." (Back To The Top)

According to the latest research from the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service, Manufacturers sold 49.3m digital TV receivers worldwide in 2004, a 50 per cent increase on the previous year and an all-time record, according to research from the market analysts Strategy Analytics. Revenue growth was even higher, at 70 per cent, due to the growing importance of higher value integrated digital TVs. Global demand will continue to soar in 2005 and beyond as new services are launched and the user base expands, say the researchers. New digital terrestrial television and IPTV services will be key drivers of device sales over the next five years. 'After a couple of years of stagnation, digital TV is once again one of the shining stars of the consumer electronics industry,' said Peter King, an analyst with the firm. The research group predicts that 2005 sales of digital TV receivers (set-top boxes and integrated digital TVs) will grow a further 38 per cent to reach 68.2m units. By 2010 annual sales will have reached 181.3m units, worth €58bn in retail revenues. Because of the strength of its integrated digital TV market, North America will account for 65 per cent of revenues in 2010. Asia-Pacific will account for 19 per cent and Europe 14 per cent. (Back To The Top)