SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 13, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rovi Corporation (Nasdaq:ROVI) announced the signing of a new multi-year licensing agreement for DivX® technology with ASUS, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of computing, communications and consumer electronics products. Through the agreement, ASUS plans to integrate DivX Plus® HD, the premium level of DivX Certification, into its new high-end O!Play 3D Blu-ray/HD Media Players, the ASUS BDS-700 and BDS-500, which will be the first ASUS-branded 3D Blu-ray players in the market. The ASUS players further expand Rovi's broad global ecosystem: more than 500 million devices with DivX technology have shipped worldwide helping consumers to easily access and enjoy the wide range of Internet and Hollywood video entertainment that is available in the DivX format.
Recently introduced at CeBIT 2011, ASUS O!Play BDS-500 and BDS-700 are two comprehensive 3D Blu-ray/HD media player systems that enable easy-to-use HD video and audio, and offer broad format support. ASUS is including a variety of features, such as dual HDMI and USB ports, a customized, user-friendly interface, smartphone remote control, and gold-plated terminals. Both models ship with Qdeo video processing to help reduce image scatter without adversely affecting sharpness. Color and contrast are also improved and optimized for a more lifelike picture and increased viewing immersion.
"An impressive, ever-growing amount of DivX content is available throughout the world. ASUS, with its knowledge of and focus on the customer's entertainment experience, recognizes that DivX Certification is becoming a 'must-have' for Blu-ray players," said Matt Milne, senior vice president of CE sales, Rovi. "This is a wonderful opportunity for Rovi to work with a top-notch consumer electronics manufacturer to increase our traction in Asia and make it even easier for consumers to find their choice of DivX device to enjoy secure, high quality videos, including premium content."
Whether the content is on optical disc, USB drive, or streamed wirelessly between devices over a home network using DLNA, devices certified for the DivX Plus HD profile can easily play back personal and protected Hollywood entertainment in DivX (.avi) and DivX Plus HD (.mkv) formats. DivX Plus HD certification offers stunning visual quality and supports video resolutions up to 1080p. DivX certified devices contain digital rights management technology to enable the secure playback of premium content in the DivX format, making it easy for consumers to enjoy video entertainment across an extensive, multi-manufacturer ecosystem of consumer electronics devices. Film Fresh, the WB Shop, and Media Markt are but a few of the global online retailers offering titles in the DivX format.
ASUS's new DivX Certified 3D Blu-ray/HD media players are expected to initially launch later this month in Taiwan, followed by Europe and China.
About Rovi Corporation
Rovi Corporation is focused on revolutionizing the digital entertainment landscape by delivering solutions that enable consumers to intuitively connect to new entertainment from many sources and locations. The company also provides extensive entertainment discovery solutions for television, movies, music and photos to its customers in the consumer electronics, cable and satellite, entertainment and online distribution markets. These solutions, complemented by industry leading entertainment data, create the connections between people and technology, and enable them to discover and manage entertainment in an enjoyable form.
Rovi holds over 5,100 issued or pending patents worldwide and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with numerous offices across the United States and around the world including Japan, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. More information about Rovi can be found at http://www.rovicorp.com/.
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Forward Looking Statements
All statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements that use the words "will" or "is expected to," or similar words that describe the Company's or its management's future plans, objectives, or goals, are "forward-looking statements" and are made pursuant to the Safe-Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results and/or from any future results or outcomes expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors are further addressed in the Company's most recent report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2011 and such other documents as are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time (available at www.sec.gov). The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release, except as required by law.