MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kasey Holman
Media Relations - HDMI Licensing, LLC
Phone: 408-616-4192
kholman@hdmi.org
HDMI LICENSING REPORTS 60 PERCENT INCREASE IN NUMBER OF HDMI™ ADOPTERS SINCE CES 2006
HDMI Licensing Announces Mandatory HDCP Testing
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2007 – HDMI Licensing, LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface™ (HDMI™) specification, today announced that more than 500 manufacturers have adopted the standard, a 60 per cent increase since the International Consumer Electronics Show in January 2006. In addition, HDMI Licensing recently announced the availability of version 1.3a of the Compliance Test Specification, which includes mandatory High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) testing. At CES 2007, HDMI Licensing, LLC and members of the HDMI community will be demonstrating the latest HDMI 1.3 capabilities, including Deep Color, at the HDMI TechZone, located at LVCC South Hall 2, booth #25911.
HDMI is the de facto standard connector for high-definition consumer electronics devices, including TVs, set-top boxes, DVD players and A/V receivers. In addition, HDMI is enjoying rapid growth in the game console, PC and mobile markets, as manufacturers meet consumer demand for multimedia convergence. More than 130 million devices featuring HDMI are expected to ship in 2007, according to market researcher In-Stat.
As more and more HDMI products are coming to market, manufacturers are now including multiple HDMI ports on HDTVs. Consumers are demanding the simplicity of connecting several source devices to an HDTV, such as a game console, set-top box and a Blu-ray Disk or HD DVD player. In addition, manufacturers are starting to include HDMI ports on the front of HDTVs, responding to the growth in PC notebooks, camcorders and digital cameras with HDMI ports. HDMI is particularly poised for growth in the PC market: HDMI has been integrated into all major graphics platforms (e.g. ATI (AMD), NVIDIA and Intel), numerous add-in card vendors and products from over 9 major OEMs. In-Stat has projected a cumulative average growth rate of 224% for HDMI in the PC market in the period from 2005 to 2010. By delivering crystal-clear, all-digital audio and video via a single cable, HDMI dramatically simplifies cabling and helps provide consumers with the highest-quality home theater experience.
HDMI is entering 2007 after a very eventful year. In June 2006, the HDMI Founders announced the HDMI 1.3 specification, the most significant upgrade yet in the interface. Products with HDMI 1.3 connectors are starting to appear on the market, starting in November with the PlayStation 3 (PS3) from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Also in 2006, HDMI Licensing reduced the annual administration fee for HDMI adopters from $15,000 to $10,000, and announced that the China Video Industry Association has pledged to promote and support the use of HDMI by the consumer electronics industry in China.
“HDMI is rapidly becoming a household name, as consumers are seeing a clear advantage of the standard for its simplicity and superior capabilities,” said Leslie Chard, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. “In 2007, we expect a rapid proliferation of devices with HDMI 1.3 features, such as Deep Color™, new audio standards and the xvYCC color gamut. HDMI is continually evolving to meet the needs of the market, and products implementing new versions of the HDMI specification will continue to be fully backward compatible with earlier HDMI products.”
HDMI Licensing Announces Compliance Test Specification version 1.3a
HDMI Licensing recently announced the availability of version 1.3a of the Compliance Test Specification (CTS). The new CTS mandates that HDCP testing be included in the HDMI Compliance testing procedure, responding to market plea for conformity of all HDMI devices. HDCP is a technology developed by Digital Content Protection, LLC (a subsidiary of Intel) to protect digital entertainment content. HDCP has been implemented across both DVI and HDMI interfaces. The HDCP specification provides a cost-effective and transparent method for transmitting the highest quality digital entertainment content to HDMI-compliant digital displays.
The Compliance Test Specification was developed by the HDMI Founders to assist manufacturers in ensuring the compliance of their products with the HDMI Specification. It consists of numerous tests designed to check for compatibility of various HDMI-related aspects of a product, including audio, video, EDID, electrical signaling, protocols, etc. The HDMI Compliance Test Specification represents the minimum compliance testing required for HDMI products, and it is up to each manufacturer to fully test product functionality and interoperability.
About HDMI
HDMI is the first and only consumer electronics industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. By delivering crystal-clear, all-digital audio and video via a single cable, HDMI dramatically simplifies cabling and helps provide consumers with the highest-quality home theater experience. HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, or A/V receiver and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV), over a single cable.
About HDMI Licensing, LLC
HDMI Licensing, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Silicon Image, Inc., is the agent responsible for licensing the HDMI specification, promoting the HDMI standard and providing education on the benefits of HDMI to retailers and consumers. The HDMI specification was developed by Hitachi, Matsushita (Panasonic), Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson and Toshiba as the digital interface standard for the consumer electronics market. The HDMI specification combines uncompressed high-definition video and multi-channel audio in a single digital interface to provide crystal-clear digital quality over a single cable. For more information about HDMI, please visit www.hdmi.org
Forward-looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of federal securities regulations. These forward-looking statements include statements related to anticipated adoption and consumer acceptance of HDMI, shipments of products featuring HDMI, the anticipated features, benefits, capabilities, implementation, performance and evolution of the HDMI standard and the HDMI 1.3 specification and the role of HDMI Licensing, LLC. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those described from time to time in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings of Silicon Image, Inc., the parent corporation of HDMI Licensing, LLC, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements. In particular, adoption and consumer acceptance of HDMI , and shipments of products featuring HDMI, may be less than we currently anticipate, and the anticipated features, benefits, capabilities, implementation, performance and evolution of the HDMI standard and the HDMI 1.3 specification, and the role of HDMI Licensing, LLC, may differ materially from what is currently anticipated. In addition, see the Risk Factors section of the most recent Form 10-K or Form 10-Q filed by Silicon Image with the SEC. Silicon Image assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release.
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HDMI™ and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC in the United States and other countries, and are used under license from HDMI Licensing, LLC. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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