A manufacturing kit to enable add-in board makers and personal computer hardware manufacturers to develop MPEG playback boards has been launched by C-Cube Microsystems Inc, Crystal Semiconductor Corp and Media Computer Technologies Inc. The MPEGNow manufacturing kit enables manufacturers to build AT bus add-in boards providing full MPEG I video and audio playback including complete MS-DOS and Windows software support for playback of games, VideoCD titles, RealMagic titles and CD-I movies. The primary subsystems of MPEGNow are the CL450 MPEG I video decoder from Milpitas, California-based C-Cube, the CS4920 MPEG audio decoder from Crystal of Austin, Texas and the MVMI21B video overlay device from Media Computer of Santa Clara, California. The software package offered with MPEGNow features drivers to play all existing and future MPEG titles. Implementation of the drivers and applications was completed by Ring Zero Systems Inc of San Mateo, California. The design kit sells for $2,500.
