Taiwan's ITRI Licenses Improv's Configurable DSP Technology To Develop Single-Chip VOIP and MPEG-4 Platforms

BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 2001-- Improv Systems, a pioneer in configurable DSPs for communications and media, today announced that Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has licensed its technology as a means to develop single-chip solutions for both voice-over-IP (VoIP) and MPEG-4 enabled products. The agreement provides ITRI with access to Improv's methodology for developing designer-defined DSPs, software development tools and its Jazz family of configurable DSP cores, which together will form the platform used to integrate voice and video capabilities with standard RISC microprocessors on a system-on-chip (SoC).

ITRI is a government-founded organization that promotes technologies for insertion into a wide variety of Taiwanese companies, many of which are seeking to extend the feature sets of networking, computing and consumer electronic products. As part of the agreement, ITRI will work with Improv to jointly develop reference platforms that demonstrate integration of Improv's technology with a host microprocessor (ARM or MIPS) executing protocol and signaling stacks. The combined expertise and technology of ITRI and Improv will be used to create application-optimized solutions that can be rapidly integrated into new equipment. The key focus will be on providing a number of implementation alternatives that use the same configurable architecture and software base. In other solutions, IP licensing models and the inflexibility of underlying hardware platforms typically used limit this level of flexibility and efficiency. The first two projects will be an integrated VoIP solution targeting residential gateways and integrated access devices and an MPEG-4 media engine for third generation wireless devices and PDAs.

Voice Over Packet Solutions

One aspect of the work ITRI will be performing is the development of a complete voice over packet platform as an integrated SoC solution. Specifically, ITRI will use Improv's Acappella suite of technologies tuned for VOIP as the basis for the development work. Acappella already supports a full range of voice codecs, including G.711, G.726, G.723.1, G.728, and G.729 as well as G.168 echo cancellation software.

``Improv's Acappella voice over packet solution is a comprehensive offering of the DSP software and hardware components required for emerging VoP products that can be readily expanded. In addition, Improv provides a robust infrastructure for integrating and verifying this solution in an overall SoC. ITRI will use this as a base to create a complete solution for an integrated VoP platform that can be rapidly integrated into home, business and infrastructure equipment,'' said David Liu, PhD., ITRI's Manager of Broadband Network Systems Department.

Media Streaming

In addition, the two organizations will integrate Improv's MPEG-4 video codec technology into a robust video over IP solution. This will provide companies that utilize the Jazz-based solution with a roadmap to add Video over IP capabilities to their internet-enabled products. The media layer used for the VoIP integration with host Internet Protocol processing functions can be extended to provide the Video over IP features needed for integrating MPEG-4 into new products.

``Our goal is to provide completely licensable, programmable, and configurable solutions for emerging technologies such as MPEG-4 that will drive the future Internet platform solutions,'' said C.Y. Liu, ITRI's Director of Internet Platform Technology Division. ``Improv's methodology of using designer-defined DSPs to create a flexible platform is a very efficient way for us to create engines for internet media capabilities.''

``This is an exciting agreement for Improv as it will not only facilitate the development of important new application code for emerging technologies such as MPEG-4, but also demonstrates the benefits of our configurable platform and designer-defined DSPs for developing highly integrated and extendable SOC solutions,'' said Cary Ussery, president and CEO of Improv. ``We are looking forward to working with ITRI's advanced engineering teams and helping them assimilate this methodology into many of Taiwanese leading product developers.''

About Improv Systems, Inc.

Improv Systems(TM), Inc. develops and licenses configurable DSP platforms and application solutions for Voice-over-IP, Networking and Emerging Media. Improv's Jazz DSP is a configurable DSP targeted to consumer electronics and telecommunications markets. Improv's IP offerings are supported by advanced software development tools, the Jazz PSA Composer DSP design environment, and Rehearsal development boards. In addition, Improv offers pre-designed applications solutions to jump start product development efforts in communications and media. Improv Systems has development centers in Beverly, MA, Santa Clara, CA, and Rochester, NY, and direct sales offices in Paris and Tokyo. Improv can be reached at (978) 927-0555 or at http://www.improvsys.com.

About ITRI

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is a non-profit R&D organization engaged in applied research and technical service. It was founded in 1973 by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of the Republic of China to attend to the technological needs of Taiwan's industrial development. It has since grown to become both a technical center for industry and an important arm of the government's industrial policies. Today ITRI is a 6,000-person operation organized under twelve research divisions serving a wide range of new and traditional industries.

Contact:
     Improv Systems, Beverly
     Bob Bell, 978/927-0555
     bobb@improvsys.com
     or
     Wired Island, Ltd.
     Mike Sottak, 649/941-4218
     mike@wiredisland.tc