Broadcom and RealD Collaborate to Bring Bluetooth® Technology to 3D Glasses

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that its Bluetooth® technology is being adopted for active shutter 3D glasses by RealD Inc. (NYSE: RLD), a leading global licensor of 3D technologies. At present, most active 3D glasses utilize infrared technology to synchronize the shutter mechanisms used by active glasses to create a three dimensional effect for television viewers in the home. Broadcom Bluetooth technology allows a greater sense of freedom for wearers, with no line-of-sight restriction and much longer battery life than glasses based on other technologies, including infrared (IR) and other radio frequency (RF) based 3D glasses.

Broadcom and RealD plan to demonstrate how Bluetooth can transform the home 3D experience with technology demonstrations at the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas, January 6-9, 2011.

Highlights/Key Facts:

• 3D continues to grow in popularity among consumers as a new and exciting way to enjoy an enhanced television viewing experience, with 35 million 3D-enabled televisions and home consumer electronics devices expected to be sold in 2014, according to market researcher ABI. With an expectation of 2 to 4 glasses sold per 3D TV, this is a market potential of 140 million 3D glasses.
• Of the various technology approaches that currently provide the 3D experience in the home, so-called "active" 3D glasses are the most prevalent.
• Serving as a reliable and convenient wireless connection between the 3D glasses and the associated device, Broadcom Bluetooth technology allows the active 3D glasses to synchronize its shutters with the action on the screen to create a 3D effect for the viewer.  This technology is being adopted by RealD because it provides several advantages over other 3D approaches that rely upon IR technology to connect the glasses to digital televisions:
  • The Bluetooth standard includes a unique clock synchronization feature that allow 3D glasses to maintain synchronization with a 3D TV with substantially fewer updates, reducing power needs and prolonging battery life over competing IR glasses.
  • In addition, Broadcom (a leader in innovative Bluetooth implementations for consumer electronics applications) has developed proprietary technology that it has integrated into its Bluetooth products designed specifically to reduce power requirements of 3D glasses, optimizing its products to deliver a compelling user experience.
  • Because Bluetooth uses radio waves rather than light waves to connect to other devices, it avoids any line-of-site restrictions or interference from other household light sources (such as fluorescent bulbs, among others).
• RealD is a leading global licensor of 3D technologies.  RealD's extensive intellectual property portfolio is used in applications that enable a premium 3D viewing experience in the theatre, the home and elsewhere.
• Broadcom® Bluetooth technology has a long history in CE devices, enriching the consumer user experience, with millions of Broadcom chips and software already shipping in some of the industry's most popular video game consoles, digital televisions, remote controls, Blu-Ray players and set-top boxes.

Supporting Quotes:

Craig Ochikubo, VP, Broadcom's Wireless Personal Area Networking line of business

"As Bluetooth continues to expand into the consumer electronics arena, it consistently delivers a more innovative, intuitive and exciting user experience. Our collaboration with RealD is the latest example of how our wireless technologies continue to redefine the CE experience, now delivering an enjoyable 3D experience with the broadest array of home electronics devices."

Steve Shannon, Executive Vice President of Consumer Electronics, RealD

"Our active 3D glasses technology is made even more compelling by the addition of Bluetooth, which provides a reliable connection between the glasses and other electronics, and Broadcom's experience in CE user experience provides us confidence that the technology will be popular with consumers. We look forward to further developing this technology and bringing products to this fast growing market segment."

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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®.

Broadcom, one of the world's largest fabless communications semiconductor companies, with 2009 revenue of $4.49 billion, holds more than 4,050 U.S. and 1,650 foreign patents, and has more than 7,900 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® 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.

About RealD Inc.

RealD Inc. is a leading global licensor of 3D technologies. RealD's extensive intellectual property portfolio is used in applications that enable a premium 3D viewing experience in the theater, the home and elsewhere. RealD licenses its RealD Cinema Systems to motion picture exhibitors that show 3D motion pictures and alternative 3D content. RealD also provides its RealD Display, active and passive eyewear, RealD Format and gaming technologies to consumer electronics manufacturers and content producers and distributors to enable the delivery and viewing of 3D content. RealD's cutting-edge 3D technologies have been used for applications such as piloting the Mars Rover. For more information, please visit RealD's website at www.reald.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 expansion of Bluetooth technologies into consumer electronics, our position in that space, and our continued collaboration with RealD.  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 adding Broadcom Bluetooth technology to select RealD 3D products include, but are not limited to:

• trends in home consumer electronics markets in various geographic regions, including seasonality in sales of consumer products into which our products are incorporated;
• 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; and
• the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; and
• 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.

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/Q22010.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.  RealD and the RealD logo are trademarks of RealD Inc. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Mobile & Wireless