Broadcom Announces Industry's Most Advanced High Definition AVC Encoder/Transcoder that Transforms the PC into a Multimedia Server

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- International CES 2008 -- Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) , a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced the industry's most advanced high definition (HD) AVC/MPEG encoder/transcoder that enables the personal computer to function as a multimedia gateway in the connected home.

The new Broadcom(R) single-chip system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution enables users to transfer audio/video content in real-time across several classes of consumer devices to and from the PC. Additionally, the SoC allows for advanced video editing and compression on the PC, enabling personal video recorder (PVR) and camcorder functionality, video conferencing and support for other audio/video applications that users may desire in the future.

Announced today is the Broadcom BCM70020, providing the foundation for personal computers that support H.264/AVC, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4SP, as well as home entertainment and network applications. It furthers the advancement of real-time HD media encoding and transcoding by providing digital rights management and enhanced hardware based security that is important to content providers such as movie studios, broadcasters, record labels, etc.

Designed in a 65 nanometer (nm) CMOS process, the BCM70020 enables PC makers to develop new classes of PC applications. For example, consumers now have a solution that gives them the ability to transfer non-compatible video and audio content to various playback devices for advanced video editing, for space savings on hard drives or memory devices, or to convert content for easier transmission over the Internet. The 65nm process provides lower power consumption, smaller footprint size and higher levels of integration and functionality than other CMOS processes.

"The new BCM70020 provides our customers with the industry's most advanced, highest performance video and audio transcoding solution for PC applications supporting file transfer, video editing and compression, and video conferencing," said Dan Marotta, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Broadband Communications Group. "With new transcoding capabilities designed specifically for PC applications, Broadcom will enable several new applications in the PC space and a new generation of product and service offerings that incorporate the vision of seamless mobility, while positioning the PC as the main multimedia gateway in the connected home."

Technical Information

The BCM70020 incorporates a new and advanced encoding engine that leverages Broadcom's market leading experience in encoding/transcoding, and utilizes a broad range of in-production capabilities currently found in the company's set-top box and digital TV SoCs. This includes an advanced video decoder that supports high definition AVC, MPEG-2, VC-1, MPEG-4, and DVD playback; a security processor; an advanced video pre-processor; and audio codecs that enable the highest performing platform for robust, high quality encoding and transcoding of connected home devices.

Availability and Pricing

The BCM70020 high definition video/audio real-time encoder/transcoder chip is sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request for manufactures of PCs and consumer electronics devices.

About Broadcom's Broadband Communications Group

Broadcom offers manufacturers a range of broadband communications and consumer electronics SoC's that enable voice, video and data services over residential wired and wireless networks. These highly integrated silicon solutions continue to enable the most advanced system solutions on the market, which include digital cable, satellite and IP set-top boxes and media servers, broadband modems and residential gateways, high definition and digital televisions, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc(R) players, DVD recorders and personal video recorders.

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 2006 revenue of $3.67 billion, and holds over 2,300 U.S. and 1,000 foreign patents, more than 7,100 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data.

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.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

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. 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 BCM70020 video/audio encoder/transcoder products 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, and possible disruption in commercial activities related to terrorist activity or armed conflict in the United States and other locations; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets for media PC applications; delays in the adoption and acceptance of industry standards in those markets; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders and our ability, as well as the ability of our customers, to manage inventory; the gain or loss of a key customer, design win or order; our ability to scale our operations in response to changes in demand for our existing products and services or demand for new products requested by our customers; our ability to specify, develop or acquire, complete, introduce, market and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a cost- effective and timely manner; intellectual property disputes and customer indemnification claims and other types of litigation risk; the quality of our products and any remediation costs; changes in our product or customer mix; the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; the effectiveness of our expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; our ability to timely and accurately predict market requirements and evolving industry standards and to identify opportunities in new markets; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies and in achieving higher levels of design integration; our ability to retain, recruit and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees in the positions and numbers, with the experience and capabilities, and at the compensation levels needed to implement our business and product plans; the risks and uncertainties associated with our international operations; 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; the timing of customer-industry qualification and certification of our products and the risks of non-qualification or non-certification; the availability and pricing of third party semiconductor foundry, assembly and test capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party semiconductor foundries and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly facilities; the effects of natural disasters, public health emergencies, international conflicts and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a fiscal quarter; and other factors. 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 for any reason.

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