Trident's Set-Top Box SoCs Are Selected for China's First NGB Trial Deployments

SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Trident Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRID), a leading provider of set-top box and TV semiconductor solutions, today announced that its set-top box system-on-chips (SoCs) are powering one of the first trial deployments of Next Generation Broadcasting (NGB) in China.  This announcement reaffirms Trident's commitment to bring the best multimedia experiences to the China region and highlights how its leading set-top box SoCs are NGB ready today with the right specifications, core technology, cost structure, and support for the Android operating system.

"Trident has established NGB market leadership by focusing on what it does best – innovative SoC development combined with the software, systems expertise and partnerships needed to deliver a complete solution," said Philippe Geyres, CEO of Trident.  "We worked closely with SARFT, local operators and set-top box manufacturers to ensure our products met all the NGB specifications, and we now look forward to introducing this winning platform throughout the region and rapidly converting trials into volume deployments."

Trident will be hosting a press conference at this week's China Content Broadcasting Network (CCBN) show in Beijing and will also be demonstrating its NGB-ready solutions in its CCBN booth  #1B601.

What is NGB?

NGB is a government-funded initiative to bring high definition, bidirectional and interactive capabilities throughout China.  Services to be offered include interactive TV (video on demand, pay-per view), videophone, personal video recorder (PVR), streaming music and video, and broadcast TV among existing services in today's telecom and Internet markets.  Given the number of households in China, NGB will provide enormous revenue/growth opportunities for local operators, manufacturers, content providers, etc.

Trident is NGB-Ready Today

Trident has created the most comprehensive platform to develop open and multimedia-reach set-top boxes that meet the requirements of NGB.  At the heart of Trident's complete solution is its industry-first 45nm broadcast integrated Apollo/Shiner SoC family, the PNX8400, which includes all the major building blocks needed to develop NGB solutions today.  A few of the key highlights of the Apollo/Shiner family include the following:

• Superior video and audio quality – with many patented core technologies, the Apollo/Shiner family delivers the unprecedented 1080P HD picture quality and the most-realistic surround sound effect to consumers.  The multi-format HD PIP function enables two HD streams decoding and viewing at the same time.  
• Best web browsing – Trident has partnered with ARM to include the powerful A9 cortext core into its PNX8400 family.  Key software elements include: Adobe™ Flash® Player 10.1 from Adobe Systems, Qt4.7/WebKit, HTML5, DTCP-IP, and DLNA Certified® 1.5 Media Renderer.
• Advanced 3D GPU through the PowerVR core, which delivers a proven 3D architecture with full OpenGL ES 2.0 compliance.
• Most flexible content decoding through the Trimedia processor to ensure STB compatibility with on-line VOD & OTT services.
• Best STB 3DTV Processing for the best overall consumer experience.
• Most Efficient Power management that includes the most efficient standby mode.
• Support for Google Android Operating System – Trident was one of the first companies to bring Android to the set-top box platform, which could bring the whole new user experience in the future.  

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's extensive IP portfolio of more than 2,000 patents has been driving key innovations in image quality, 3D TV, low power consumption, and 45nm 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. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the role of Trident's NGB-ready SoCs in trial deployments of set-top box solutions in China. 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 the trials may not be successful, customers may not incorporate Trident's NGB-ready SoC solutions in their set-top boxes, large volume deployments may not occur and competitors may develop alternative solutions that are ultimately adopted by customers. 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: Trident and the Trident logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Trident Microsystems in the United States and /or other countries.  All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE Trident Microsystems, Inc.