3DsoundSurge Press Release: C-Media Brings Advanced 7.1 Channel Home Theater to Mainstream PCs at CES 2004

C-Media Brings Advanced 7.1 Channel Home Theater to Mainstream PCs at CES 2004

C-Media Demonstrates Dolby Pro Logic IIx Technology Capability at CES Industry Insider Session and at Intel Booth

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- C-Media Electronics today demonstrated advanced 7.1 channel home theater functionality on the PC for the first time. At the CES Industry Insider Session, "Uni Fi -- Intel in the House," Intel President and COO Paul Otellini demonstrated the first implementation of Dolby Pro Logic IIx for the PC, running on C-Media's Advanced Driver Software Architecture (ADSA) and CMI9880 codec hardware.

This is also the first public demonstration of Intel's next generation audio specification, High Definition Audio, known by its former codename, "Azalia."

The demonstration is also at Intel's CES booth (LVCC #7145).

"With this demonstration, C-Media is pioneering advanced applications of Intel's new High Definition Audio specification, and enabling the PC to truly take its place among consumer electronics products in the home," said Len Layton, C-Media's Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing.

"High Definition Audio is a major step forward in functionality, quality and stability for PC audio," said Thomas Loza, Intel technologies initiative manager for Intel Corporation. "The technology demonstration at CES illustrates just how mainstream PCs can now provide an enriched playback experience previously only available in advanced home theater products."

"High Definition Audio elevates PC audio to an authentic home theater surround experience -- listening to Dolby Pro Logic IIx on PCs equipped with High Definition Audio sounds fantastic," said Greg Rodehau, director of PC technology marketing at Dolby Laboratories. "Dolby Pro Logic IIx provides up to 7.1 channels of audio from stereo and 5.1 channel content while maintaining all the richness and clarity of the original material."

This technology demonstration takes advantage of Intel's latest CPU power within C-Media's Advanced Driver Software Architecture (ADSA(TM)). C-Media ADSA(TM) is an Intel Hyper Threading optimized software environment allowing a wide range of advanced features to be implemented within the software driver which makes advanced features available to all audio applications on the PC system.

The CMI9880 is C-Media's first Intel High Definition Audio hardware codec and supports:

--    8 universal re-taskable jacks, all with C-Media's exclusive
        AccuDetect(TM) audio device identification technology

--    up to 8 channels of 192kHz/16-bit audio output

--    exceeds PC2001 requirements with a better than 92dB SNR

--    4 channels of 96kHz/16-bit audio input

--    ADSA(TM) Driver for advanced features licensed from Dolby and other
        vendors.

About C-Media Electronics

C-Media Electronics Inc. is one of the world's leading providers of PC Audio solutions. For more than 12 years, C-Media has supplied pioneering and innovative products from PCI to USB to AC'97 and HD Audio (Azalia). Based in Taipei, Taiwan, C-Media is a public company listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under the code 6327. Please visit www.cmedia.com.tw

   More Information:

   Len Layton
   Senior Vice President
   C-Media Electronics (USA)
   5214-F Diamond Hgts Blvd #736, San Francisco, CA, 94131-2118, USA.
   Phone (415) 647 2480    Fax (415) 651 8926
   email len.layton@cmediausa.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.

CONTACT: Len Layton, Senior Vice President, C-Media Electronics (USA),
+1-415-647-2480, or Fax +1-415-651-8926, or len.layton@cmediausa.com

Source: C-Media Electronics Inc.