ARC's Sonic Focus Audio Technology Now Available on ViXS XCode 3290 SoC to Enable a Rich Audio/Video Consumer Experience

- ARC International (LSE: ARK) today announced that its processor IP and audio subsystem embedded in the feature-rich ViXS Systems XCode® 3290 system on chip (SoC) is now available and will be demonstrated at Computex 2009.  The demonstration is the first embedded SoC solution to have ARC's Sonic Focus™ audio enhancements.  Visitors will have the opportunity to experience ViXS's advanced video processing technology in combination with ARC's true surround sound audio providing music on a virtual sound stage as the artist originally intended, and finally hear vocals and dialog clearly with music, movies, and games.
 
The XCode® 3290 SoC has recently enabled over a dozen new Hitachi HD Flat Panel TV Recorder products featuring the industry's longest HD recording times and the most advanced audio/video (A/V) processing available in a DTV product to date.  In addition the ViXS XCode® 3OOO series has been used by numerous consumer electronics providers including Sharp, Toshiba, and Pioneer to provide advanced video processing capability, including HD transcoding, in combination with video networking such as DNLA/DTCP support.
 
"ARC's Sonic Focus audio enrichment software provides an incredible listening experience that provides for audio what 1080p HD provides for video," said Sally Daub, President and CEO of ViXS Systems Inc. "Sonic Focus technology has the capability of reducing bill-of-materials costs while being tailored to TV, PVR, STBs and PCs so as to deliver a unique, signature sound experience.  The combination of ViXS's advanced HD video processing SoC with the Sonic Focus audio technology is a winning combination that we are proud to offer exclusively to our customers."
 
"With HD technology Consumer Electronic (CE) manufacturers can deliver the consumer a viewing and listening experience that resembles a live performance and also store much more of this incredibly high quality content than ever before," said Geoff Bristow, president and CEO of ARC International, "ViXS's Xcode SoC's is a perfect platform to demonstrate the quality and value of the Sonic Focus solution."
 
Experience ARC's Sound-to-Silicon solutions for yourself during Computex 2009 in Taipei from June 2 to June 6.
 
About ViXS Systems Inc.

ViXS Systems Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company enabling advanced video processing technologies for top-tier Consumer Electronic (CE) and Set-top (STB) companies.  The company has developed advanced video codecs for processing, managing, protecting and distributing broadcast-quality video.  ViXS supplies IC solutions to the world's top OEMs and ODMs for a variety of designs such as IPTV/cable set-top boxes, multimedia PC boards, digital TVs, PVRs, and Blu-ray DVD products.  Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, ViXS is a global company with offices located worldwide.  For more information, visit www.vixs.com.

About ARC International plc

ARC International is a world leading provider of consumer IP to OEM and semiconductor companies globally.  ARC's award-winning, vertically integrated audio and video solutions enable high quality multimedia content to be captured, shared, and played on a wide range of electronics devices.  ARC's 150+ customers collectively ship hundreds of millions of ARC-Based™ chips annually in products such as PCs and laptops, digital and mobile TVs, portable media players, flash storage, digital cameras, network appliances, and medical and government systems.
 ARC International maintains a worldwide presence with corporate and research and development offices in San Jose and Lake Tahoe, Calif., St. Albans, England, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Hyderabad, India.  For more information visit www.ARC.com.  ARC International is listed on the London Stock Exchange as ARC International plc (LSE: ARK).