Polaroid Selects Qpixel's Industry-Leading H.264 Codec for Its Freescape(TM) Set-Top Box
Polaroid Selects the QL201B for its Advanced Features, Low Power
Consumption and High Quality Video
LAS VEGAS--(Business Wire)--Qpixel Technology, an innovator in video compression silicon and
software solutions, today announced that Polaroid adopted Qpixel's
QL201B for its new line of Freescape(TM) set-top boxes. Polaroid chose
Qpixel for its market-proven products, advanced encoding capabilities,
and feature-rich H.264 compression technology. When used as a
companion to the main set-top box decoder, the QL201B enables advanced
new features including high-quality analog recording, higher
efficiency PVR storage, and content reformatting for H.264 enabled
portable media players.
Set-top box manufacturers have traditionally focused on the
decoding capabilities of their system and on integrating more
functionality and higher performance into the main video decoding
module. But now, with the addition of a high-quality compression
engine inside the set-top box, there are new opportunities for several
value-add features. By using Qpixel's Main Profile H.264 standard
definition encoder, system designers can achieve very high-efficiency
PVR recording by converting the original MPEG-2 encoded broadcast
content to H.264, and thereby increasing storage efficiency by an
average of 2.5 times.
The analog recording capability allows User-Generated-Content to
be stored on the STB PVR, thereby centralizing the storage and
simplifying the management of both commercial and personal content. In
addition, QL201B's configurable compression parameters enable the
set-top box to process any content on the PVR and convert it to a
format suitable for playback on popular portable media players such as
Sony's PSP and the Apple iPod.
"The introduction of the Freescape(TM) set-top box family marks a
milestone for Polaroid," said Jon Pollock, Vice President and General
Manager New Technology, Polaroid. "Our objective was to enter the
set-top box market with world-class products created by market
leaders. Qpixel had the market credibility, the leading-edge
technology, and the support infrastructure we expect in a
semiconductor supplier."
The new set-top box from Polaroid uses system software from Avtrex
to manage the video capture, transcoding, and device
synchronization process, providing a very user-friendly and
easy-to-use customer experience. "Our focus here at Avtrex is on
developing industry-leading software for a new generation of smart
entertainment products," said Steve Francis, CEO and President at
Avtrex. "Our success heavily depends on close cooperation with leading
silicon vendors, such as Qpixel, whose products are at the heart of
next-generation digital entertainment devices. Their support has been
tremendous."
For details about availability and distribution of the
Freescape(TM) set-top box, visit the Polaroid website at
www.polaroid.com.
About QL201B
The QL201B, Qpixel's second-generation H.264 codec, was introduced
at CES 2007 as the industry's lowest-power standard definition H.264
ASSP with full-feature Main Profile capabilities. Since then, several
top-tier consumer electronics and communication companies have begun
using the chip in a variety of digital home applications, including
flash-based video camcorders, set-top boxes, media servers, and
portable media player cradles. For digital home applications, QL201B
enables a wide range of capabilities including higher efficiency
storage, place-shifting for in-home media distribution and remote
viewing of personal content, reformatting content to enable viewing on
various portable devices, as well as analog recording and video chat
used in social networking applications. For additional information, or
to inquire about pricing, please contact Qpixel sales at
salesinfo@qpixeltech.com.
About Polaroid
Polaroid, the company that pioneered instant photography, has
become a leading consumer electronics brand. Building on its 70-year
heritage of visual innovation, Polaroid is a leading U.S. seller of
mass-market digital cameras and personal DVD players, and ranks among
the top five makers of LCD televisions. Through its new line of
digital entertainment products, Polaroid helps consumers capture,
share, and enjoy their memories in new ways. Polaroid is a company of
Petters Group Worldwide. Learn more at www.polaroid.com.
About Avtrex
Avtrex, Inc. is a silicon valley-based startup focused on advanced
technologies for digital video recording and home media distribution.
Avtrex is an OEM software provider whose customers are leading
innovators in consumer electronics and digital entertainment. Avtrex
is privately held, founded in 2001 by a team that has been working
together for more than a decade. More information about Avtrex is
available at www.avtrex.com.
About Qpixel Technology
Qpixel Technology, an innovator in video compression silicon and
software solutions, specializes in digital consumer applications that
balance superior video quality with extended hours of portable
operation at mass-market prices. Founded in 2003, Qpixel is
headquartered in Cupertino, CA, with offices in Taiwan, Japan, and
China. For more information, visit www.qpixeltech.com.
Qpixel Technology
Kourosh Amiri, 408-252-0475
kamiri@qpixeltech.com
or
Jody Privette, 415-328-4700
jprivette1@comcast.net
Copyright Business Wire 2008
