Zoran Announces New Generation9 Elite HDTV Processor Sampling to Leading Worldwide Digital TV Makers

SUNNYVALE, Calif., August 26 - SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 26 Zoran Corporation (Nasdaq: ZRAN) announced that its Generation9 Elite integrated HDTV high performance, network-enabled system is now sampling to qualified
manufacturers, including Daewoo, Digital Stream Technology, Humax and Zinwell, among others, targeting major U.S. and worldwide digital television markets.

"The new Generation9 Elite processor gives digital television manufacturers the increased performance they need to deliver more affordable high performance televisions. Not only does the Generation9 Elite double the performance of previous products, the scalable architecture of this IC allows OEMs to build televisions that can easily connect with other digital devices in the home, including digital cameras and printers, DVD players and recorders, PCs and other display devices located throughout the home. Consumers will be able to enjoy their digital photographs in very high resolutions on their television screens and print or store them on a DVD disc. Zoran's Connect-and-Share technology is improving the consumers' digital lifestyle while also making it more affordable," said Dave Pederson, vice president and co-general manager at Zoran's DTV division. "Many of our customers are already adapting this new high performance processor so they can deliver high end applications at more affordable price points later this year. We've seen customers transition to the Elite within a couple of weeks, it's a small investment to gain a significant increase in performance."

Generation9 Elite delivers double the CPU performance of the previous generation processor and further enhances the graphics, scaling and display processing capabilities for high definition televisions. Performance improvements in the multimedia DSP engine enable support for dual audio decoding, including the AAC standard. This compliments the ability of the device to simultaneously decode and display two high definition video streams.

Other benefits of the Generation9 Elite include a significant reduction in power consumption making it highly suitable for environments where low heat
dissipation is also important, such as LCD and Plasma TVs. The use of narrow width memory systems is also fully supported allowing OEMs to further reduce the bill of materials by trading memory and system requirements and to deliver  affordable high definition televisions for consumers.

Available with an optimized reference platform that can be manufactured with little, if any, changes and a complete ATSC middleware stack including a  customizable user interface, OEMs can build Generation9 Elite based products  with a minimum of effort and costs.

About Zoran Corporation
Zoran Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, California, is a leading provider of digital solutions in the growing digital entertainment and digital imaging markets. With two decades of expertise developing and delivering digital signal processing technologies, Zoran has pioneered high-performance digital audio and video, imaging applications and Connect and Share technologies for the digital home. Zoran's proficiency in integration delivers major benefits for OEM customers, including greater capabilities within each product generation, reduced system costs, and shorter time to market. Zoran-based DVD, digital camera, DTV, multimedia mobile phone, and multifunction printer products have received recognition for excellence and are now in millions of homes and offices worldwide. With headquarters in the U.S. and operations in Canada, China, England, Germany, Israel, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. 

NOTE: Zoran and Generation9 are trademarks of Zoran Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.