Milton Keynes, England, October 13th 2004

AVerMedia® Technologies, Inc., a leading technology provider of PC-TV Tuner technology is introducing eight new SKUs of TV-Tuner cards for Microsoft Media Center 2005 Systems.

Recognising the rapid convergence between PC and consumer electronics technologies, AVerMedia has taken a leadership position and have designed multimedia products that bring personal computing capabilities into the digital home. Among the products being shown at the Microsoft Media Center Launch are the Seattle (A169), M180, A180, E502, M105, M033, M150, M113, M17D, M155 TV-Tuner cards.

The Seattle dual NTSC TV-Tuner card (PAL and SECAM also available) is a high performance tuner card, which has been designed specifically to meet the next generation Media Center Edition TV-Tuner specification. The Seattle card offers consumers the ability to take advantage of the Media Center Edition’s capability of simultaneously watching one show while recording the other. To meet performance expectations, the Seattle uses two hardware encoders to alleviate CPU power consumption, resulting in a robust, high quality performance card. At the same time, the built in 3D comb filter, separates the luminance and chrominance of video signal, which delivers to consumers a cleaner, crisper picture quality. Media Center PC ODMs also gain some key benefits with the Seattle card; with dual TV-Tuners designed onboard, ODMs only need one PCI slot to function two TV tuners which reduces their overall hardware costs and provides them with more flexibility for system expansion.

The AVerMedia M180 PCI based TV-Tuner solution has been designed specifically to meet the high picture quality requirements of next generation Entertainment PC systems that represent the type of quality you will find in a $2000 TV today. With more consumers wanting personal computing capabilities in their living rooms, Media Center PC’s offer the ultimate solution with their ability to be a computer and entertainment console. With it’s 3D comb filter, the M180 is the perfect solution to design into today’s Media Center 2005 systems, giving ODMs the ability to design and offer more sleek, stylish and elegant consoles to consumers, making it more appealing to have an entertainment PC in the living room.

Existing system integrators using the NTSC (Analog) TV tuner in their systems today, can simply add another A180 HD-ATSC TV Tuner into the same system so that users can experience the newest features in the upcoming 2005 Media Center Edition. Besides providing the best picture quality possible with the High-Definition TV Tuner, the A180 HD-ATSC TV Tuner enables anyone to “future-proof” their system.

To incorporate the MCE platform into notebooks, AVerMedia’s E502, M105 and M033 are the best solutions. The E502 CardBus TV Tuner Card is a MCE-compliance CardBus TV tuner card. Users can just plug it in to his/her notebook systems incorporating MCE OS and then enjoy TV programs. The M105 mini-PCI TV Tuner Card is a mini-PCI TV tuner card that is a more integrated solution for notebook platforms. The M033 USB TV Tuner Box is another solution not only for notebooks but as a desktop solution too. It will be more flexible to system integrators.

With the growing interest in PC to Consumer Electronics convergence products, the concept of putting a full-featured home entertainment system with computing capabilities into the living room becomes a reality with new innovative designs such as the Entertainment PC, or EPC. The idea of the EPC is to successfully merge computing and entertainment functions into one sleek and attractive system. As a leading supplier of TV-Tuner cards, AVerMedia has been part of Microsoft’s eHome initiative in demonstrating and testing the next generation OS at industry related shows and major ODM customers. AVerMedia’s contribution to Microsoft’s eHome will help educate consumers on the technology convergence to the EPC.

“AVerMedia Technologies is delighted to support Microsoft’s eHome team” says Mr. Allan Yang, CTO of AVerMedia. “We believe that our contribution to provide multiple TV tuner solutions enables ODMs to have more flexibility and choices when it comes to designing PC to Consumer electronics products”.

AVerMedia works with Microsoft by contributing its expertise in digital multimedia to deliver next generation TV tuners today, ensuring leading edge technology designs are available to ODMs and their customers. "Microsoft is very pleased to have AVerMedia Technologies bring its high-quality receiver products to the market with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005," said Kevin Unangst, director of Windows consumer marketing for Microsoft Corp. " AVerMedia's new products play a key role in Microsoft's delivery of a complete entertainment solution for consumers."

AVerMedia Technologies is committed to playing a lead role in this PC-TV convergence technology space. The company’s vision on the future of Entertainment PC aligns with the convergence of the PC and consumer electronics into the digital home. AVerMedia’s Seattle (A169), M180, M150, M113, M105, A180, E502, M033, M17D cards are available to top tier ODM customers worldwide and are offered at a competitive price. AVerMedia continues to take a leadership position in the design and delivery of high quality solutions to its ODM customers.