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Adobe and Broadcom Bring HD Flash Video to Intel(R) Atom(TM) Processor Based Netbook Platforms

Posted on: Monday, 1 June 2009, 23:02 CDT

Broadcom(R) Crystal HD Solutions to significantly Improve Netbook User Experience

TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Computex 2009 -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, and Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq: ADBE) today announced an engineering collaboration to enable hardware accelerated playback of high definition (HD) Adobe(R) Flash(R) technology based video content on platforms powered by Intel(R) Atom(TM) processors. This collaboration paves the way for rich, seamless entertainment experiences on Intel Atom processor enabled netbooks and nettops, offering users new options for accessing and engaging with Web content from popular online providers worldwide.

As a result of this work, Adobe Flash Player software, a key component of the Adobe Flash Platform, will be optimized and supported in Broadcom(R) Crystal HD netbook solutions and further accelerate the transition to H.264 video delivery on netbooks. Users of Intel Atom processor powered netbooks, like the recently announced HP Mini 110XP incorporating Broadcom's Crystal HD Enhanced video accelerator, will be able to view rich Flash technology based content and applications from sites such as YouTube, CBS, BBC iPlayer, Pandora.tv and others. The smooth, high quality playback of HD video is expected to yield very low system power consumption and low CPU utilization. Flash Player with support for Broadcom's Crystal HD solutions is expected to be available in the first half of 2010.

"Enabling Adobe Flash Player with our industry-leading Crystal HD video technology provides an essential advantage in accessing and viewing online multimedia content," said Dan Eiref, Vice President & General Manager of Broadcom's Consumer Electronics Group. "Our Crystal HD solutions will optimize the playback performance of Adobe Flash technology based videos, at lower power consumption, paving the way for more exciting mobile Web content and entertainment experiences for netbook users."

"With 80 percent of all videos online delivered with Flash technology today, netbooks are one of the platforms that are ideal for users to experience the vast amount of rich multimedia Web content on the go," said David Wadhwani, Vice President & General Manager, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. "Broadcom's low cost, high performance media processing engine for netbooks combined with Adobe Flash Player will deliver great video experiences."

"We are pleased to see industry partners like Broadcom innovating and developing solutions around the Intel Atom processor," said Noury Al-Khaledy, General Manager of netbook and nettop platforms at Intel.

To address the growing consumer demand for HD content playback on cost effective netbooks, Broadcom features a family of low power, high performance netbook solutions driven by its Crystal HD Enhanced Media Accelerator. The technology enables OEMs to expand product capabilities to include flawless playback of all Internet streaming video. Support for 720p and 1080p (H.264 video) content playback will enable users to enjoy a mobile media player experience with no frame drops or jitter, even with a 100% CPU load. Additionally, Broadcom's Crystal HD Enhanced Media Accelerator solutions provide the highest quality video playback of multi-format (VC-1, H.264 and MPEG-2) HD content for the mainstream PC, netbook and nettop markets. The solutions are available in add-in card formats that include PCI Express(R) mini-cards and ExpressCard(R) 34, and are in full production today.

About Adobe Flash Platform

The Adobe Flash Platform is a complete system of integrated tools, frameworks, clients and servers for the development of web applications, content and video that runs consistently across operating systems and devices. Adobe Flash Player content reaches over 98 percent of Internet-enabled desktops, and Adobe Flash technology is the number one platform for video on the web. In addition, the mobile runtime has shipped and delivered Flash technology based content on close to 40 percent of all new mobile phones and devices in 2008. For more information about the Adobe Flash Platform visit www.adobe.com/flashplatform.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything(R).

Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2008 revenue of $4.66 billion, and holds over 3,300 U.S. and over 1,300 foreign patents, more than 7,500 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video, data and multimedia.

A FORTUNE 500(R) company, Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at www.broadcom.com.

Cautions regarding Forward Looking Statements:

All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry and business, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the demand for high definition Web content and entertainment experiences for netbook users and our position in that market. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with Broadcom media PC technology include, but are not limited to

• General economic and political conditions and specific conditions in the markets we address, including the volatility in the technology sector and semiconductor industry;
• Trends in the broadband communications markets in various geographic regions, including seasonality in sales of consumer products into which our products are incorporated;
• The rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets;
• Competitive pressures and other factors such as the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; and
• The effects of natural disasters, public health emergencies, international conflicts and other events beyond our control.

Additional factors that may cause Broadcom's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the list that can be found at http://www.broadcom.com/press/additional_risk_factors/Q22009.php.

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.

Broadcom, the pulse logo, Connecting everything, and the Connecting everything logo are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. Adobe and Adobe Flash (TM) are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Intel and Atom(TM) are trademarks of Intel Corporation. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Broadband

Source: PR Newswire

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