Matsushita Selects National Semiconductor’s Geode Processor Solution for Broadnow Broadband TV Tuner in Japan

The Combination of Geode SC1201 and Geode CS1301 Provides Optimal Balance in Cost, Flexibility and Performance

Santa Clara, CA -- 9/30/2002 -- National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) today announced that Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. has chosen National Semiconductor’s Geode™ processor family for its Broadnow Broadband TV tuner. The new Broadband TV tuner is due for release in the Japanese market on November 20 through Panasense (www.sense.panasonic.co.jp), a Web-based shopping site run by Matsushita Network Marketing Co., Ltd. Advance orders can be placed September 27 through October 31.

The Broadnow TV tuner is the first product of Matsushita’s new category of Broadband TVs that will allow consumers to experience high-quality video, music and other content distributed through broadband networks such as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and ADSL, with remote control of video recording via email. National’s Geode SC1201 set-top box-on-a-chip and Geode CS1301 multimedia co-processor are the core engines for the Broadnow TV tuner, a high-performance multimedia product.

In Japan, the ADSL population is rapidly growing, with the number of users reaching about 3.6 million as of July 2002, as reported by the Japanese Government. Along with the rapid increase in ADSL and other broadband services, new broadband content services and new categories of information appliances such as Matsushita’s Broadnow TV tuner are emerging in consumer markets, offering consumers new entertainment options in their homes.

National Semiconductor’s highly integrated x86 Geode SC1201 processor is fully compatible with more than 300 plug-ins and applets available on the Internet and provides the best balance in performance, price and power consumption. Combined with Geode CS1301 co-processor that provides real-time processing of audio, video, graphics and communications data streams, it enables quicker MPEG2, MPEG4 and Windows Media audio and video decoding and encoding.

Broadnow provides new ways for people to enjoy TV. They will be able to use a convenient remote control unit to easily navigate and select broadband broadcasting program guides from the “On TV Japan BB” service for video content or “iM Radio” service for radio programs. Broadnow incorporates a tuner for the reception of terrestrial TV broadcasting services and a hard disk, enabling time-shift viewing and use of electronic program guides. Broadnow can be connected to the Internet 24 hours a day so people can select and record terrestrial TV broadcasting programs any time through their cell phone. This function is called “preprogrammed recording by e-mail”.

“We are very pleased that National Semiconductor’s Geode SC1201, combined with Geode CS1301, powers Matsushita’s Broadnow TV tuner,” said Akihide Asao, senior director for National Semiconductor Japan’s IA Business Division. “Our design-win for this entirely new category product provides additional proof that National Semiconductor offers the preferred processing solution for emerging entertainment and information devices.”

The National® Geode SC1201 processor is an x86 architecture single-chip device, integrating a Geode GX1 processor, a TV video processor (TV, TFT and CRT outputs), video input port, video output ports, core logic and SuperI/O block. Additionally, the Geode SC1201 has Macrovision copy protection. The Geode CS1301 multimedia companion combines a 180MHz, 2.5V CPU and a full complement of enhanced on-chip I/O and co-processing units. The coprocessor achieves up to 6.5 billion operations per second, ideal for applications requiring real-time processing of video, audio, graphics and communications data streams. In addition to the two Geode processors, Matsushita’s Broadnow incorporates National Semiconductor’s analog products such as LM26 and LM3724.

About National Semiconductor
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 $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2002 and employs about 10,000 people worldwide.