December 12, 2005 -- Ambarella, Inc., an emerging player in semiconductors for consumer digital media devices, has announced the first commercial low power HD H.264/AVC system-on-chip (SoC) that enables the development of true hybrid cameras with HD video and high resolution still pictures at the highest image quality. Ambarella's A1 digital camera platform combines an HD H.264/AVC codec, video processor, still image processor, audio compression and all other critical system functions on one chip. The Ambarella SoC has an low operating power of less than one watt and a price-point that makes the high-definition experience a reality for mainstream consumers.

Today, digital still cameras provide high definition still images but mediocre video quality. At the same time, high definition video camcorders are expensive, use cumbersome tape-based recording, and still image quality and processing speed lag far behind traditional digital still cameras. With its platform, Ambarella is defining a new class of digital cameras that bring consumers unmatched high definition video and digital still together in one device. Founded in 2004, the company has leveraged the management team's extensive background in designing semiconductors for consumer products to develop the A1 platform.

The A1 platform is based on the H.264/AVC video compression standard, which is the next generation of video compression technology. Ambarella's patent-pending platform delivers a 2.5x compression gain over current MPEG-2/4 solutions, providing the efficiency required to store HD video content in convenient flash-based memory.

"When we started the company in 2004, we sought to deliver the highest quality HD experience at the most competitive price-point for our customers," said Fermi Wang, CEO of Ambarella. "With our deep algorithm, VLSI and system expertise, and patent-pending technology, Ambarella is providing customers and ultimately consumers with true HD hybrid digital cameras at a price that will drive market adoption."

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