NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR DELIVERS OPEN SPECIFICATION TO ESTABLISH DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY FOR FLAT PANEL DISPLAYS (FPDs)

Industry Leading OEMs Readied to Apply OpenLDI to Fuel Digital FPD Markets

May 17, 1999 - National Semiconductor Corporation? today released the first version of a specification for the Open Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) Display Interface - or OpenLDI - now available for use by all interested parties in the flat panel monitor and related industries. Numerous industry leaders, including Amp, 3M, Samsung, Sharp and Silicon Graphics provided invaluable contributions as National developed the specification that will address the industry's requirements for a digital connectivity specification for flat panel displays (FPDs). In addition, standards organization, JEIDA, provided significant input and guidance in support of the OpenLDI specification, with their Digital Interface Standards for Monitor (DISM).

National Semiconductor led the way in FPD interface technology for laptop computers, and today is the de facto standard in that arena. Today, LVDS technology is in use by more than a dozen of the flat panel display industry's largest companies; many are currently evaluating the use of LDI technology to solve their monitor interface needs. Through continued innovation focused on desktop, notebook and add-in card applications, National can now deliver a specification that delivers unparalleled coverage of FPD interface requirements.

"For robust and comprehensive interface technology, there's nothing comparable to the OpenLDI specification," commented Mitch Abbey, product marketing manager for interface products at National Semiconductor. "It comprehensively addresses the need for an extensible, low-cost, high-performance, proven and non-proprietary solution. OpenLDI technology is interoperable with so many existing consumer electronics products and has the capacity to support so many we can already anticipate. It's ready now to provide simplified integration of displays for maufacturers and enhanced functionality for end users."

"National's LVDS technology has been the 'workhorse' of the flat panel display industry as it first developed in the context of laptop computers," commented Joseph S. Kim, manager LCD R&D AMLCD Division at Samsung. "With the extensibility of OpenLDI, we can leverage a reliable technology into the high-resolution display market where our customers expect superior visual quality and advanced multimedia capabilities."

"Our technology partnership with National consistently delivers quality results," remarked Kuniaki Tanaka , Manager Development Engineer Dept. 2, TFT Division 2, TFT Liquid Crystal Display Group at Sharp. "OpenLDI is an important milestone in the digital display roadmap, particularly advantageous in its compatibility with Sharp's notebook display technology and the ease of integration with Sharp's own technology to develop increasingly innovative products for our customers."

"We are proud to be a contributor and key supplier to an interface specification that's absolutely open and accessible to all industry participants," said Ken Wolfswinkel, market development manager at 3M. "We believe 3M's high speed MDR components and cable assemblies are the optimum solution for numerous OpenLDI applications, including the PC-to-LCD monitor interface."

"Release of the OpenLDI specification is well received at Amp. We've found that the LVDS technology is entirely consistent with our technology and business strategy relative to the CHAMP connector components - emphasizing high integrity and low cost through streamlined technology," said John L. Hill Manager, Network System Standards at Amp.

National's recently announced LDI (LVDS Display Interface) chipset is the industry's highest resolution chipset available to transmit high-speed digital data dual pixel (112 MHz clock) over ten meters for new flat-panel desktop monitors. The LDI chipset is based on proven LVDS (low voltage differential signaling) technology, which offers the benefits of increased bandwidth 5.38Gbps (672 Megabyte/per second, per channel) without high power consumption. The flexibility of the LDI chipset allows compatibility with either a single or dual pixel interface, as well as the ability to perform with National's existing FPD-Link devices for easy interoperablity. The device has the ability to support a wide range of resolutions, including Super VGA (800X600), XGA (1024 X 768), SXGA (1280 X 1024), UXGA (1600 X 1200) and QXGA (2048X1536).

Interested companies may view and download information about the OpenLDI specification at www.national.com/appinfo/lvds. Details regarding the connector specifications are available for download to all who complete a brief registration form online.

About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor provides system-on-a-chip solutions for the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of the-art digital technology, the company's chips lead many sectors of the personal computer, communications, and consumer markets. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National has annual sales of approximately $2 billion and 11,000 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.