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Combines Audio and Video On a Single Board

Gary Marsh, vice president of sales and marketing, said, ``The new ZL-330 is a remarkably powerful digital encoding tool for Linux systems. It simultaneously compresses video and audio into MPEG 2 and Dolby digital data streams then multiplexes these into a single transport-stream.

``To multiplex video and audio on a single PCI card is a significant engineering achievement, eliminating lip-sync concerns inherent with separate component systems. We are the first company to achieve Dolby certification for this type of encoder.''

All encode functions are performed by the ZL-330, achieving minimum utilization of the CPU and memory. The new product joins the other Zapex family of MPEG encoders which are designed for WindowsNT platforms.

``Linux is a robust platform, perfect for delivering mission-critical network services,'' stated Shun Masuda, vice president of technology, ``especially since Linux is not limited to specific hardware configurations. The ZL-330 is an open solution that is easily integrated with a variety of interface cards such as a SMPTE-310, TCP/IP, or DVB-ASI, and compatible with standard, cost-effective, computers,'' added Masuda.

``Our goal is to provide customers with the capability to better utilize their existing bandwidth while maximizing video output,'' continued Marsh. ``The ZL-330 processes incoming video signals by combining our patented encoding algorithms with our proprietary Adaptive Filtering techniques, to optimize noise reduction and achieve the highest quality video at the lowest bit rates. Having a powerful encoder with these features and quality has been cost prohibitive for most companies. Now those seeking to move from analog to digital will have an economical path to an encoder with these capabilities, priced less than $9,000.''

Pre-production units are currently being field tested. General availability of the ZL-330 begins early April.

The new ZL-330 will be demonstrated at the National Association of Broadcaster's convention, Las Vegas, April 10-13, Booth M7962 (Sands)

Zapex Technologies Inc., a company of Brother International, and a leader in compression technology, designs and manufactures MPEG encoding systems for PC platforms, providing digital video and audio solutions for networking, broadband and storage applications.

The company's U.S. headquarters are located at 2432 Charleston Road, Mountain View, Calif., 94043. Telephone is 650 930-1300 and Fax is 650 930-1399. Web address is www.zapex.net.

     Linux is registered trademark of Linus Torvalds
     Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Labs

Memo to editors: A PDF image of the ZL-330 is available on the Zapex web site: www.zapex.net under the products category.

Contact:

     Zapex
     David C. Harder, 650/930-1314
     david@zapex.com
     or
     PR Contact
     Carter Elliott, 408/997-9660