Aurora Systems Secures a Design Win from Everest Technologies and Polaroid

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers who have been waiting for high-resolution portable projectors to come down in price are about to be rewarded for their patience. Thanks to new technological advancement by Aurora Systems, Inc. ( http://www.aurora-sys.com ), portable projectors in the five- to ten-pound range that feature XGA and SXGA resolutions will be available to the general public by the end of this year, at less than half the cost of comparable high-quality portable projectors.

Aurora Systems, Inc., an international leader in the design and marketing of high-performance LCD display controllers and microLCD chipsets, was awarded a design win from Everest Technologies of Hsinchu, Taiwan, who is teaming up with Polaroid Corporation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to produce a consumer-oriented, high-quality projector based on reflective LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) technology.

The Everest projector model, RX-1300, will utilize Aurora Systems' ASI 2000/2100 imager and driver chipset, a proprietary design that employs all-digital reflective technology to achieve XGA resolution of 1024x768. (Aurora will release an upgrade in 4Q '00 that will provide up to 1368x1024 resolution for the Everest projector.)

The Everest system is rated at 1300 ANSI lumens using a 150W UHE lamp, with a brightness uniformity of 85%. The 0.97-inch XGA LCOS panels from Aurora have full field contrast rated at 250:1 but is expected to reach up to 350:1 once the final product is ready for market. The projector will support up to SXGA in computers, as well as NTSC, PAL and SECAM video inputs.

Polaroid, who will debut the Everest projector this fall, is banking on Aurora Systems' reflective technology rather than DLP (digital light processing) as a more successful approach to the consumer market. "We won't go to DLPs," said James Shanley, VP of marketing for Polaroid. "We are committed to LCOS for next generation projection systems. LCOS is much less expensive."

According to ICIA's Infocomm International Expo 2000 Show Daily, "LCOS is a new technology with the ability to lead the present projectors toward a competitive price, compact, high resolution and excellent performance direction."

Likewise, the Society for Information Display (SID) drew attention at their SID 2000 trade show earlier this year to the new LCOS designs that are in OEM stage now, citing them as part of a new group of display devices that will "disrupt traditional market structures."

"Aurora's recognition from Everest and Polaroid through the design win of our ASI 2000/2100 chipset validates our mission to deliver a high-quality, low-cost solution to the portable projector market, widening its appeal to the education, government and small business sectors, as well as the consumer," stated Dr. Mou Hsin Yang, CEO and President of Aurora Systems. "This year we see the introduction of lower-cost portable projectors. Next year, with Aurora's innovative technology leading the way, we will see the LCOS solution delivering lower cost products in the rear projection and high definition TV market."

For more information about Aurora's design win for the Everest Technology and Polaroid LCOS-based projector, contact Norman Chan, Senior Director of Worldwide Sales, at 408-432-7971.

About Aurora Systems

Since its founding in 1997 by a team of experienced engineering and business professionals, Aurora has achieved recognition as a leader in providing price-performance quality LCD display controllers and microLCD digital image processors for projection applications. Aurora recognizes the rapidly changing world of display technology and is committed to continued development of advanced products.

CONTACT:
Michele Lorbieski
S&S Public Relations for Aurora Systems, Inc.
317-722-3500, ext. 22
Michele@sspr.com
or
Cathy Wong
Aurora Systems, Inc.
408-432-7977
cwong@aurora-sys.com