January 22, 2002 - National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM) announced today that EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH) has chosen the National? Geode™ processor to power the DishPVR 721, DISH Network's new advanced, interactive set-top box. The DishPVR 721 satellite TV system was awarded top honors as the Best of Show in the Innovations Design and Engineering showcase in the Satellite Systems product category at the 2002 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month.
The DishPVR 721 supports dual stream standard definition TV programs with integrated multi-channel personal video recording (PVR) capability, and with future upgrades that will allow for web-browsing with compatibility with DSL modem or StarBand satellite Internet technology for broadband capability. The DishPVR 721 will be available in early 2002.
The Geode GX1 is the host processor for the DishPVR 721 and, in addition, specifically manages the Internet capabilities of the system.
"National Semiconductor and EchoStar have worked closely for the past several years," said Dave Pederson, set-top box business unit director for National Semiconductor. "EchoStar is a leader in the satellite TV industry, and their choice of the Geode processor as the CPU of their advanced interactive set-top boxes is an indication of the strength of National's technology in this high-growth market."
"The Geode processor provides the performance, functionality and compatibility required to support a variety of interactive services," said David Kummer, senior vice president of Engineering at EchoStar. "It has the architecture and power to drive advanced services. This is the first time that we have the capability to deliver dual stream PVR, web browsing and broadband connectivity in one set-top box."
The DishPVR 721 is technologically significant through its selection of the Geode processor, a Pentium-class x86 chip, to manage the multiple applications of the system and the use of the Linux operating system.
About National
National Semiconductor is the premier analog company driving the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company is focused on the fast growing markets for wireless handsets; information appliances; information infrastructure; and display, imaging and human interface technologies. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for fiscal year 2001 and employs about 9,700 people worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.
DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation. DISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art direct broadcast satellite TV system that is capable of offering over 500 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio programming, as well as advanced satellite TV receiver hardware and installation. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX). DISH Network currently serves over 6.43 million customers. For more information, contact 1-800/333-DISH (3474) or visit www.dishnetwork.com
