BusinessWire
December 05, 2005 05:00 AM US Pacific Timezone

Conexant's Satellite System Solution Powers New Humax Set-Top Box; Major North American Service Provider Deploying New Humax Receivers

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 2005--Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNXT), a worldwide leader in semiconductor solutions for broadband communications and the digital home, today announced that Humax, a leading international manufacturer of digital satellite set-top boxes (STBs), has incorporated several of the company's chips in a new satellite receiver being deployed by DIRECTV in the United States. The model D11 receiver includes Conexant's CX24155 single-chip satellite STB system solution, CX24109 silicon tuner, and a software modem that allows consumers to order pay-per-view and other on-demand services. Together, these chips enable Humax to deliver competitively priced digital STBs that can receive hundreds of standard definition broadcast channels.

"We have a long-standing relationship with Humax, and are particularly pleased that they have chosen our products and technology for this major service launch," said Jeff Crosby, vice president and general manager of Conexant's Broadband Media Processing business. "Industry leaders such as Humax rely on Conexant for proven STB system solutions that they can leverage to create new products for an increasingly competitive global marketplace. We will continue to develop value-added products that meet our customers' expectations, and help them compete effectively."

"Conexant's satellite STB system solution provided us with the best value in terms of performance and cost," said Dr. Jong-Uk Kim, general manager of Humax's Digital Media Business Unit. "In addition, the high level of integration and completeness of their solution allowed us to significantly reduce our product development time, and become the first manufacturer to deliver receivers for this new North American service deployment."

About Conexant's Complete Satellite STB Solution

The following chips form the basis of Humax's new digital STB receiver:

CX24155 Single-chip System Solution: This solution encompasses all of the major subsystems required to implement the core system receiver and decoder components of an interactive direct broadcast satellite STB. It includes an integrated MPEG-2 audio/video decoder, an ARM920 32-bit RISC processor, a two-dimensional graphics accelerator, TV encoder, QPSK demodulator, channel 3/4 radio frequency modulator, a video/graphics display compositing controller, and a set of peripheral input/output ports for STB front- and back-panel connectors.

CX24109 RF Tuner: A highly integrated digital satellite tuner for STBs, digital video, audio, and data receiver applications. The device is compliant with digital video broadcast/digital satellite (DVB/DSS) industry standards.

CX20493 SmartDAA: This chip is based on patented technology that enables a reliable digital communications channel, allowing users to send and receive data across the PSTN via modem, fax, STB or embedded appliances.

V.22 bis soft modem: Provides a cost-effective back-channel connection over a standard telephone line that allows consumers to place orders for on-demand services such as pay-per-view.

Conexant offers a comprehensive suite of digital STB components and system solutions for worldwide satellite, terrestrial and cable entertainment broadcasting networks. The company's product offering includes silicon tuners, satellite demodulators, MPEG audio and video decoders, and dial-up modems for back-channel applications. Reference designs that help manufacturers reduce cost and speed time-to-market are also available, bundled with a range of operating systems, middleware, drivers and development tools.

About Conexant

Conexant's innovative semiconductor solutions are driving broadband communications and digital home networks worldwide. The company has leveraged its expertise and leadership position in modem technologies to enable more Internet connections than all of its competitors combined, and continues to develop highly integrated silicon solutions for broadband data and media processing networks.

Key products include client-side xDSL and cable modem solutions, home network processors, broadcast video encoders and decoders, digital set-top box components and systems solutions, and dial-up modems. Conexant's suite of networking components includes a leadership portfolio of IEEE 802.11a/b/g-compliant WLAN chipsets, software and reference designs, as well as solutions for applications based on HomePlug(TM) and HomePNA(TM). The company also offers a complete line of asymmetric and symmetric DSL central office solutions, which are used by service providers worldwide to deliver broadband data, voice, and video over copper telephone lines.

Conexant is a fabless semiconductor company that recorded more than $720 million in revenues in fiscal year 2005. The company has approximately 2,400 employees worldwide, and is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. To learn more, please visit us at www.conexant.com.

About Humax

Founded in 1989, Humax Co. Ltd of Korea is one of the world's leading digital satellite set-top box manufacturers, exporting its products to more than 90 countries across the globe. Listed on the Korean stock exchange (KOSDAQ), the company's international headquarters and R&D facility are based in Korea with offices in Dubai, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. In 1997, the company opened a manufacturing facility in Northern Ireland that won a Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade in 2002. Further production facilities are located in Korea, India and China. Humax recorded revenues exceeded US $400 million in 2004 and has announced plans to increase this figure to $1 billion by 2006.

Conexant Safe Harbor

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as Conexant or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "forecasts," "estimates" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements in this release that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Our future GAAP-based results will be affected by the implementation of new accounting rules related to the expensing of stock options commencing in fiscal 2006. Other risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: general economic and political conditions and conditions in the markets we address; the substantial losses the company has incurred recently; the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the markets addressed by the company's and its customers' products; continuing volatility in the technology sector and the semiconductor industry; demand for and market acceptance of new and existing products; successful development of new products; the timing of new product introductions and product quality; the company's ability to anticipate trends and develop products for which there will be market demand; the availability of manufacturing capacity; pricing pressures and other competitive factors; changes in product mix; product obsolescence; the ability of our customers to manage inventory; the ability to develop and implement new technologies and to obtain protection for the related intellectual property; the uncertainties of litigation and the demands it may place on the time and attention of company management; and possible disruptions in commerce related to terrorist activity or armed conflict, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Conexant is a registered trademark of Conexant Systems, Inc. Other brands and names contained in this release are the property of their respective owners.