Cirrus Logic Announces Major Industry Support for Video Port Manager
Standard

VPM Enables Flexible Digital Video Capability on Desktop and Notebook
Personal Computers

FREMONT, CALIF. -- MAY 22, 1996 -- Cirrus Logic, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRUS)
announced today that the first published release (version 1.1) of Video
Port Manager (VPM), an open software interface specification, is receiving
widespread industry support from major personal computer and multimedia
hardware developers. Pioneered by Cirrus Logic, VPM enables digital video
from such multimedia peripherals as digital cameras, TV decoders or MPEG
devices to be merged into the computer graphics display of desktop or
notebook PCs. VPM allows applications to be developed that can support any
graphics controller that provides a dedicated video path into the
controller.

With the release of VPM version 1.1, the PC industry now has a common
software standard that supports the interchangeability of
industry-standard graphics products. Prior to VPM, vendors supplying video
hardware needed to write specialized interface software to a specific
company's accelerators. Such proprietary solutions caused an added burden
on OEMs to validate compatibility between the computer, the video source
and the graphics controller.

"Microsoft is working closely with Cirrus Logic to define a new set of
Direct Draw extensions for live video using VPM as the foundation," said
Paul Osborne, director of multimedia in the Internet platform and tools
division at Microsoft Corporation. "The acceptance of VPM by the industry
is a major plus for multimedia hardware and personal computer
developers."

"Up until the creation of VPM, there was no provision for handling a video
data stream coming from the PCMCIA/PC Card bus in notebook computers,"
according to Vaughn Watts, TI Fellow, mobile computing architecture lab
manager, personal productivity products, Texas Instruments. "VPM provides
our development efforts in notebook computers with the missing software
standard to go with the industry accepted hardware standard, the ZV-Port.
In addition, VPM lets us bring lower-cost, higher-performance digital
video to notebook computers for the first time."

Optimized for Windows 95, VPM provides an interface to the Zoomed Video
Port (ZV-Port), a PCMCIA bus standard that handles the transfer of video
between a PC Card and a graphics controller. For desktop PCs, VPM
interfaces multimedia devices to the graphics accelerator via expansion
ports, including V-Port or General Purpose I/O Port (GPIO).

The advantages provided by VPM 1.1 are gaining industry acceptance. PC
industry vendors that support version 1.1 include C-Cube, Compaq, Texas
Instruments, SGS Thomson and Zoran. Microsoft has also indicated support
for version 1.1 as an efficient method of transferring video from
peripherals into the computer's graphic display.

The Video Port Manager cooperates with interfaces under Windows 95 and
Windows 3.1 where common display hardware must be controlled, while adding
the ability to control the video port and its associated features. The VPM
specification defines a unique driver model that employs a Client-Provider
architecture to facilitate the application-to-hardware interface.

Cirrus Logic graphics accelerators supporting VPM include devices for both
portable and desktop computers. For portables they include: CL-GD7548 and
CL-GD7555; for the desktop they include: CL-GD5440, CL-GD5446 and
CL-GD5462.

Companies wishing to obtain information or support for VPM 1.1 can contact
Cirrus Logic via the Internet at vpm-info@cirrus.com or call Cirrus
Logic's BBS at 510-440-9080.

Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., Cirrus Logic Inc. is a leading
manufacturer of advanced integrated circuits for the desktop and portable
computing, telecommunications, and consumer electronics markets.
Additional information about Cirrus Logic and its subsidiaries can be
accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.cirrus.com/ or via
fax-on-demand at 1-800-359-6414 (dial 510-249-4200 from outside the United
States).
 
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