QDesign
Acquires Key Security IP from Zoran
Zoran
Corporation receives equity interest in QDesign
Collaboration To Develop & Deliver Secure Media Technologies
For Digital Music Industry
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — January 17, 2001 - Zoran Corporation (Nasdaq: ZRAN), a leading
provider of digital solutions-on-a-chip for applications in the growing multimedia
and consumer electronics markets, today announced it is acquiring an unspecified
equity stake in QDesign Corporation, a leading provider of advanced digital audio
compression technologies, based in Vancouver, Canada, for an exclusive license
to Zoran's state-of-the-art media security intellectual property. QDesign will
integrate the licensed intellectual property from Zoran with its own advanced
digital audio compression technology to enable the secure delivery of digital
music over the Internet and via wireless networks.
Paul Goldberg, Vice President of Audio Products and Intellectual Properties
at Zoran, is leaving Zoran to become Senior Vice President, Professional
Products at QDesign.
"This strengthens our ability to deliver the most advanced solution for
digital music commerce on any media and over any network," said Richard J.
Beaton, President of QDesign Corporation. "The Zoran technology is an ideal
complement to our portfolio of next-generation digital audio solutions.
Together our technologies will enhance the consumer music experience while
expanding business opportunities in digital music distribution."
"Leveraging Zoran's technologies through partnership with a synergistic company
like QDesign is implementing our strategy," said Levy Gerzberg, President and
CEO of Zoran Corporation. "QDesign is uniquely positioned to utilize and combine
these technologies and to develop a solution that offers the quality, flexibility,
and security needed to advance the future of the digital music industry. We look
forward to collaborating with QDesign to deliver these solutions and to benefit
from them in our future products as well."
About Zoran:
Zoran Corporation, based in Santa Clara, California, is a leading provider of
digital solutions-on-a-chip for applications in the growing multimedia and consumer
electronics markets. With almost two decades of expertise developing and delivering
digital compression technologies, Zoran has pioneered high-performance processing
into various audio, video, and imaging technologies. Zoran's proficiency in integration
delivers major benefits for OEM customers, including greater capabilities within
each product generation, reduced system costs, and shorter time to market. Zoran
is a leading supplier in the rapidly expanding DVD and digital camera markets
and in related digital audio and video applications. With headquarters in the
U.S. and operations in Canada, China, Israel, Japan, and Taiwan, Zoran may be
contacted on the World Wide Web at www.zoran.com
or at 408-919-4111.
About QDesign
With the release of the world's first real-time MPEG-2 audio compression software
in 1996 and the subsequent introduction of its own MP3, QDesign Music and QDX
technologies, QDesign has established itself as the leading provider of the most
advanced audio compression solutions in the broadcast, new media and Internet
delivery markets. From the inclusion of the QDesign Music Codec in Apple QuickTime
as the audio compression solution for Internet streaming, multimedia authoring
and digital music, to the cross-platform MVP jukebox application, QDesign has
received numerous industry accolades for delivering the best web audio technology.
QDesign's audio technologies appear in hardware processors, digital audio production,
automation and distribution systems as well as consumer multimedia software. QDesign
is a founding member of the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI). For more information
on QDesign and its products, please visit: www.qdesign.com
Contact:
QDesign Corporation
email: media@qdesign.com
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