(PC Expo, New York, NY)
by Larry Lemm
Sigma Designs demonstrated their new REALmagic MPEG-2 encoder/decoder card today. The REALmagic card ships with a fully integrated MPEG-2 software solution for capturing, editing and authoring DVD videos. Home videographers can capture and edit videos that are mastered onto a DVD-RAM disc. The DVD-RAM disc can then be taken to a DVD production facility for mass duplication and distribution. The new card could also be used as the heart of a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), a newer product category popularized by Replay Networks and TiVo.
“REALmagic DVR will also accelerate convergence of the PC and TV by enabling PC users to record a TV show or movie, rewind to the beginning of the program while it is still being recorded, and instantly replay the footage,” said William K. Wong, Sigma Designs’ vice president of marketing. “This interactive capability with the TV screen will dramatically enhance the TV watching experience by allowing people to personalize their TV/video viewing in a way that suits them,” Wong noted. “What makes it so appealing to the consumer is the ability to create a more informative and entertaining viewing experience.”
REALmagic will run on computers with a Pentium 133MHz or faster chip. Sigma Designs expects to ship the card to OEMs and system integrators in the third quarter of this year, with a suggested retail price of $999.
