On2 And Equator Extend Relationship
On2's VP5 Codec to be ported to Equator's BSP™-15 Platform
New York, NY and Campbell, CA - May 30, 2002 -- On2 Technologies, The Duck Corporation (AMEX: ONT), the industry leader in video compression technology, and Equator Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of high performance, programmable and power efficient System-on-a-chip processors for video streaming and image processing applications, today announced that On2's VP5 video compression technology will be ported to Equator's high-performance BSP™-15 Broadband Signal Processor (BSP) chip.
The combination of On2's VP5 codec and Equator's BSP-15 processor will be offered on Equator's new Tetra™ Hardware Platform. This new product is ideal for clients looking to deploy low bit-rate real-time TV delivery to set-top boxes.
"On2 is striving to be the de facto standard for low bit rate video delivery initiatives. With its unique ability to deliver DVD-quality video at lower bit rates than other video codecs, VP5 allows clients to maximize the use of network bandwidth. Additionally, VP5 handles real-time encoding and interlaced content," stated Douglas A. McIntyre, President and CEO of On2 Technologies. "The power of VP5 combined with Equator's Dolphin and Tetra platforms open a lot of options for potential clients, lowering cost for service providers as well as set-top box manufacturers."
"Our highly programmable BSP-15 processor is an open platform that is ideally suited for codec technologies such as VP5, which utilizes the performance of our platform to deliver a competitive edge to customers, allowing them to immediately benefit from the latest advances in compression technology," said Avi Katz, President and CEO of Equator Technologies, Inc. "We are excited about this opportunity to partner with On2 to deliver new services at our signature low-bit rate and great video quality."
VP5 is On2 Technologies' newest advancement in video compression technology, containing improvements in quality and efficiency over all other existing algorithms, beating some by over 50% in perceptual quality over a variety of data rates. VP5 is the first low bit-rate codec capable of properly handling interlaced video content (60 fields per second), and is designed to utilize minimal processor power while delivering high-quality video.
The BSP-15 processor is the latest from Equator with performance ranging from 300MHz to 400MHz. Capable of delivering up to 40 billion operations per second (GOPS) of video processing power, BSP-15 chips are designed to provide unmatched price/performance points for a wide range of applications from high-performance head-end video encoding and video streaming applications to low-power broadband video client applications.
The new Tetra hardware platform provides Equator's customers a low cost, compact and modular hardware reference design enabling rapid development and deployment for a range of applications such as IP based set-top boxes and personal video recorders (PVRs). The Tetra hardware platform is a modular design, which includes the Tetra CPU board, an open peripheral interface for add-on modules, and a growing list of add-on 'personality' modules. Extremely compact in size, the Tetra CPU board measures in at 2.75" x 4.00", making it an ideal hardware reference design for applications that require a small footprint and low cost.
About Equator
Equator Technologies is a leading provider of high performance, programmable, power efficient System-on-a-chip processors designed for video streaming and image processing applications across a wide range of consumer and enterprise end markets. Equator offers the BSP™ family of Broadband Signal Processor chips, the iMMediaTools™ software development toolkit, media libraries, and reference platforms for development and deployment of video streaming and video processing systems. With more than 120 customers worldwide, Equator provides solutions to the digital media, digital video communications, video security and surveillance, digital imaging, and automotive video markets. Based on a high-performance VLIW core and optimized for video processing, the BSP-15 family of chips delivers up to 40 GOPS of video processing power. Utilizing Equator's optimizing compiler technology; BSP-15 chips are 100% programmable in C/C++, enabling rapid deployment and field upgradeability of new applications and devices. A software programmable BSP-15 chip can replace multiple fixed-function ASICs, thereby reducing both complexity and cost of system designs. Winner of the "2001 Fabless Semiconductor Association Best Financial Performer - Private Company" award and picked by Cahners Research as one of the 30 best small electronics companies, Equator is a recognized leader in video processing solutions. Founded in 1996, Equator is a privately held company headquartered in Campbell, Calif., with additional offices worldwide. More information about Equator is available at www.equator.com.
About On2 Technologies, The Duck Corporation
On2 Technologies (AMEX: ONT) is a leading technology firm at the forefront of video compression. The Company revolutionized video encoding with the creation of its advanced full-motion, full-screen, video compression and streaming technology (TrueMotion® VP3/VP4/VP5). On2 licenses its high quality video codecs for use in set-top boxes, consumer electronics devices and wireless applications. In addition, On2 offers a suite of products and services, including high-level video encoding, customized technical support, and consulting services. Headquartered in New York City, the Company has an office in Albany, NY, and operations in London, UK, and Seoul, Korea. On2 may be reached at 145 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013, telephone 917-237-0500 or info@on2.com. Investor inquiries should be sent to invest@on2.com.
