Trident Announces New Family of Audio DSP SoCs Featuring Network Connectivity for Internet Radio and Audio Streaming

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Trident Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRID), a leading provider of set-top box and TV semiconductor solutions, today announced its new MAP-X™ family of audio System-on-Chip (SoC) designed to deliver HD Audio and Internet connectivity for next generation home audio, AV receivers and sound bars.  The seven members of the new MAP-X™ audio family complement Trident's innovative set-top box and digital TV solutions by enhancing the audio functionality in home audio products needed to create a realistic and immersive home entertainment experience.

The MAP-X™ family targets the traditional home audio markets, including AV receivers and mini and micro-system components, as well as the fast-growing sound bar market.  Originally designed as an add-on to home theater setups, sound bars are becoming a thriving and distinct home audio segment, according to an analysis by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)(1).  Sound bars provide consumers with an option to improve audio quality and their listening experience, which is being diminished due to the limitations on speaker driver sizes imposed by the space constraints associated with today's increasingly thin profile flat panel TVs.

"Trident's goal is to deliver innovative, fully integrated audio SoC solutions to the home audio market, and the MAP-X™ family is integral to achieving this goal," said Dirk Wieberneit, Vice President and General Manager of Trident's TV Business Unit .  "We revolutionized television picture quality with our industry-renowned ME/MC technology and now our new audio products complete the home listening experience by delivering a truly cinematic and immersive sound experience via MAP-X™ enabled devices."

About the MAP-X Family

The MAP-X™ family of products represents the first DSP audio SoC to integrate Internet radio and networked audio functionality, and is designed to enable consumers to stream their popular Internet radio stations from services such as vTuner™ and others, as well as their own collection of music files via USB or from PC/NAS devices over a home network via DLNA.  MAP-X™ is the first SoC to offer a fully integrated solution that can decode HD Audio movie formats without the need for external SDRAM and also enable streaming audio functionality without having to add an expensive streaming audio or Internet radio module.  In addition, the MAP-X™ family integrates ADCs, DACs, and a digital transceiver into one SoC, compared to the typical three- to five-chip solution offered by competitors.  By offering comprehensive functionality integration via an SoC approach, MAP-X™ offers considerable BOM-cost savings over single function DSP ICs, and reduces the overall system design complexity.  Software compatibility across all family members provides designers with flexibility to choose and add features across their entire product line, and to improve their time-to-market.

Availability

The MAP-X™ family of audio SoCs are sampling today with production scheduled for December 2011.  For information, interested parties should contact [email protected].

About Trident Microsystems, Inc.

Trident Microsystems, Inc., with headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, is a leading force in the digital home entertainment market, delivering an extensive range of platform solutions that enhance the consumer experience in the Connected Home.   As one of the top-three semiconductor providers to both the TV and set-top box markets, Trident's solutions can be found in the products of leading OEMs and channel partners worldwide.  The company has an extensive IP portfolio of patents that stem from the key innovations it has created in video processing, image quality, 3D TV, low power consumption, and 45nm SoC designs. For further information about Trident and its products, please consult the Company's web site: www.tridentmicro.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause Trident's actual results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. These risks include, without limitation, that customers may not adopt our new audio solutions, that other suppliers may provide similar solutions at more competitive prices, that our customers may not realize significant demand for their products, which would impact our revenues, and other risks and uncertainties associated with the introduction of new products.  The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release; Trident does not undertake any obligation to publicly revise or update any such forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the statement was made. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning factors that could cause results to differ can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's most recently filed Reports on Form 8-K, Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, which are available at http://www.sec.gov.

NOTE: Dolby and Dolby TrueHD are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.  DTS, DTS-HD and the Symbol are registered trademarks & the DTS logos are trademarks of DTS, Inc.

vTuner is a trademark of Nothing Else Matters Software (NEMS) Ltd.. Trident, Trident logo and MAP-X are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Trident Microsystems in the United States and /or other countries.  All other names, brands, products or trademarks may be claimed as the property of their respective owners.

(1) CEA report dated 11/08/2010

SOURCE Trident Microsystems, Inc.