Movidius News

Movidius and Toshiba Electronics Europe collaborate on high resolution 3D system solution for smartphones

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland and Duesseldorf, Germany, 1 February 2012 - Movidius, the mobile multimedia processor company, today announced it has partnered with Toshiba Electronics Europe to develop a complete 3D system solution for the smartphone market.

Movidius' MA1178 has been combined with Toshiba's 8 Megapixel EDOF (extended depth of field) cameras to enable 3D camera module manufacturers to deliver a compelling 3D imaging solution, ideally suited to top of the range smartphones. EDOF cameras offer distinct advantages over traditional autofocus in terms of 3D synchronisation.

The Movidius MA1178 Dual ISP and video processor chip seamlessly integrates into the handset's existing platforms with auto-calibration and configuration functionality to simplify the design process and reduce the cost of manufacture. The Toshiba 8 Megapixel EDOF cameras and the Movidius MA1178 allow a perfect focus matching of stereoscopic images, which leads to superior 3D picture quality. The system solution offers flexibility for customers to implement a symmetric or asymmetric set up of either two 8 Megapixel EDOF cameras or a combination of 8 and 3 Megapixel EDOF cameras.

In the crowded handset market, high quality 3D imaging capabilities offer mobile manufacturers the opportunity to differentiate their offering from their competitors, providing the end user with the best quality HD 3D experience and enjoyment.

"Movidius' Myriad 3D solution delivers multimedia features beyond what is offered by any other player in the mobile 3D market," commented Shiro Ando, Vice President, Toshiba Electronics Europe. "Movidius' leading 3D imaging capabilities complement the high functionality of Toshiba's EDOF cameras, enabling mobile handset makers to meet consumer demand for a superior 3D mobile experience. Simultaneously, they simplify the manufacturing process by rectifying distortion via software rather than requiring laser trimming during production."

"The team at Movidius is very excited to be partnering with Toshiba to develop this leading 3D solution," commented Sean Mitchell, CEO of Movidius. "Customers seeking to differentiate their product in the highly competitive handset market will benefit from Movidius' innovative and best quality 3D imaging solution as well as Toshiba's worldwide leading position as EDOF camera supplier to the mobile phone market."

Movidius will demonstrate its MA1178 product together with the 3D system solution at the MWC 2012 in Barcelona later this month. To secure an appointment with the Movidius team at Booth # 2.1E51 please contact us.

Movidius enables high definition multimedia features in MyVu Visual Communications System

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland – 14 December 2011 – Movidius, the mobile multimedia processor company, today announces that its leading Myriad media processing platform has been selected by ViewLink for its MyVu visual communications (VizCom) system. Movidius and ViewLink will demo the MyVu VizCom system at CES Las Vegas, January 10-13th 2012.

Aimed at the growing outdoor and adventure markets, the MyVu VizCom has advanced multimedia capabilities powered by Movidius’ Myriad platform. The MyVu VizCom system includes a wearable heads-up display with integrated 720p, 110° FOV camera and a fully functional, WiFi enabled Android controller which enables streaming and recording of video/audio content and can also be used for web browsing, gaming, email and hands-free Bluetooth operations, allowing users to share video and audio content anytime, anywhere.

Sean Mitchell, CEO Movidius commented, “Our ultra low power Myriad media processing platform has enabled ViewLink to develop an exciting new product category with its innovative visual communications system. The MyVu VizCom system builds on the already popular helmet and frame mounted camera market, while the headset’s video processing features allow ViewLink to differentiate its offering significantly in a rapidly growing market place. In particular the real-time video social networking aspects of this innovative product are very exciting.”

Kenneth “Kip” Kokinakis, CEO ViewLink added, “We selected Movidius for its world-class video processing capabilities, adding valuable features to our MyVu Vizcom system while optimizing the power consumption. As the adventure market continues to grow, we see more and more customers sharing user generated content on a variety of social media platforms. The MyVu VizCom system allows enthusiasts to share that content in real-time with their online network or on TVs, laptops and gaming systems in the comfort of their own homes.”

The Myriad silicon and software platform enables a wide range of differentiating mobile media features. With Myriad, device manufacturers can bring to market differentiated products that deliver the best mobile imaging experience for users to capture, edit, view and share their content through mobile social networks.

Movidius will demonstrate its Myriad technology at upcoming industry events including CES in Las Vegas, January 10-13th 2012.

Movidius Wins Red Herring Global 100 Award

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland and Los Angeles, CA - 8th December 2011 - Mobile multimedia specialist Movidius today announced that it was awarded the Red Herring 100 Global Award, given to the top 100 most exciting and promising private technology companies from North America, Europe and Asia.

Red Herring's Global 100 list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising companies and entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Google, Skype, Baidu, Salesforce.com, YouTube, eBay and many others would change the way we live and work.

"Choosing the best out of the previous two years was by no means a small feat," said Alex Vieux, Chairman of Red Herring. "After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed down our list from 1,100 potential companies to 100 winners. It was an extremely difficult process. Movidius should be extremely proud of its achievement, the competition for the Top 100 was fierce. The Top 100 Global are truly the best of the best."

Red Herring's editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of startups relative to their sector peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the "buzz" and make the list an invaluable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the greatest business opportunities from around the world.

Movidius is a fabless semiconductor company whose technology delivers unique multimedia capabilities including High Definition 3D Video. Typical user applications include creating, editing, sharing, viewing and real-time improvement of multimedia content. Movidius Myriad and Myriad 3D technologies are specifically designed for low power mobile phone and consumer electronics, enabling manufacturers to create highly differentiated products and enhanced user experiences.

Movidius Secures $9M Series C Funding

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland - 30th November 2011 - Movidius, the mobile multimedia processor company, today announced it has secured Series C funding of US$9 million. The funding round has been concluded with all existing shareholders including Celtic House Venture Partners, Capital E, Emertec Gestion and AIB Seed Capital Fund. Combined with previous investment rounds this brings the total investment raised to over US$30M.

This funding round will be used to develop Movidius' revenue growth as the company continues deployments of its Myriad platform to customers in the mobile phone and consumer electronics markets.

Movidius' Myriad 3D platform combines Movidius' industry leading low-power multi-core processor and application software technology to enable the integration of, for example, advanced autostereoscopic 3D multimedia capabilities including real-time ‘on the fly' 2D to 3D conversion of 2D video, HD 3D video capture and HD 3D display.

Sean Mitchell, CEO Movidius commented, "Our funding announcement comes as we end a year of tremendous growth which saw Movidius continue to engage with the top players in the mobile handset space. This latest investment is a ringing endorsement from our shareholders and demonstrates their continued confidence in our market leading 3D multimedia capabilities. Movidius is on track to meet its ambitious targets for growth, financial performance and customer engagement."

Roger Maggs of Celtic House Venture Partners also said "We are very excited about the Myriad technology and believe 2012 will be an exciting year for Movidius".

Movidius will demonstrate its Myriad technology at upcoming industry events including CES in Las Vegas and MWC 2012 in Barcelona.

Movidius at MWC 2011

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland - 26th January 2011 - Movidius today announces that it will be demonstrating the world's most advanced mobile 3D technology at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Barcelona, 14-17 February 2011. Movidius, producer of the world's most advanced 3D coprocessors and the first company in the world to produce a full HD 3D platform for mobiles, will be demonstrating 'no-glasses' mobile 3D at its Stand 2C107 in Hall 2 at MWC. Movidius will also be on-hand to discuss the fantastic monetization opportunities as the mobile 3D industry starts to ramp this year.

Movidius' Myriad 3D MA1133 silicon and software platform is capable of viewing downloaded 3D content, as well as capturing stereo still or video images using two separate high resolution cameras and processing them in real-time into 3D. It can also convert 2D videos to 3D in real time allowing users to experience their existing content in 3D on the go.

"As 3D gains further acceptance with consumers we're seeing more and more original 3D content being made available. However," commented Sean Mitchell, CEO of Movidius, "with our platform you're not limited to playback of pre-rendered 3D content: Users can convert existing 2D media to 3D with the press of a button, giving 2D films a new lease of life. And with cameras being more-or-less ubiquitous on mobile phones users can easily create their own 3D films and images using our technology. The explosion of user-generated mobile 3D will allow consumers to look at their world in a whole new way."

"I was impressed by the advanced nature of Movidius' 3D technology", commented industry analyst and 3D technology expert Jim McGregor of In-Stat. "There is clearly a lot of buzz around 3D at the moment, with a plethora of mobile phones, tablets, games consoles, cameras, etc, emerging to take advantage of this.

Movidius is absolutely correct to focus on delivering the kind of HD experience that consumers have come to expect from their entertainment devices. Moreover, the notion of 2D to 3D conversion is a good route to overcoming consumers' lack of dedicated 3D media. With the right quality of screen Movidius' platform is more than capable of delivering superb 3D imaging for consumers.

Whatever the point at which the potential of 3D reaches the consumer, Movidius' Myriad 3D platform, representing a leap forward in mobile coprocessor technology, is an important stepping stone towards reaching this potential. This will be a very interesting area to watch in 2011."

Although essentially platform-independent, Movidius is initially providing its advanced 3D functionality on a development platform running Android, the fastest growing operating system of choice for mobile devices in the market.

Due to their extremely low power draw and low demands of its host processors, Movidius' multimedia platforms are built from the ground up to be ideal for 'mobile' devices such as phones, cameras and PMPs. However, the technology is equally applicable to deliver 3D capabilities to a wide variety of other device types, including tablets, camcorders, TVs, set-top boxes and 3D glasses.

Movidius' MA1133 3D platform is available today with evaluation systems available to qualified customers.

Movidius Appoints South Korean Distributor

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland and Sungnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, 8^th December 2010 - Movidius, the award-winning mobile multimedia processing specialist, has chosen Uniquest as its Korean distribution partner. Uniquest will provide sales, promotion and support for Movidius's recently launched Myriad 3D platform in Korea.

Myriad 3D offers a completely new level and quality of 3D user experience for phones and other mobile devices. Myriad 3D is the first platform in the world to be optimized out-of-the-box to enable a 3D experience in high definition (HD) on mobile devices, allowing handset designers for example to easily produce a whole new generation of 3D-enabled smartphones.

Launched in September and available now, Movidius' MA1133 is the first product in the Myriad 3D platform range. The MA1133 is the world's first semiconductor product capable of a range of unique 3D functions: preview, capturing and processing high-quality user generated 3D video and images on a mobile phone; converting any 2D video to 3D in real time, and upscaling and playback of content in HD.

"Movidius has selected Uniquest for its superb track record in delivering results for semiconductor companies in Korea" commented Paul Costigan, COO / President APAC of Movidius. "With its forward-looking technology industry Korea is an absolutely key market for us. Mobile 3D technology has been all over the news recently, and Korean OEMs recognize that 3D features are going to be a huge selling point in the next generation of phones. Partnering with Uniquest will help us to significantly grow our presence in this vital market where Movidius has seen significant interest in its 3D mobile multimedia capabilities."

Movidius' Myriad 3D MA1133 silicon and software platform is capable of capturing stereo still photos and video images using two separate high resolution cameras, and then processing them in real-time into 3D, whether still or video, using the powerful multimedia processing technology at the heart of the Myriad 3D platform. The same technology will intelligently process the 3D images for the best viewing experience on a 3D display without glasses (auto-stereoscopic).

MA1133 can also be used to view downloaded 3D or 2D content. Movidius' real-time conversion algorithms ensure an engaging and comfortable 3D viewing experience of 2D content. Movidius' Myriad 3D processing technology delivers excellent matching of the content and the display field depth resulting in a high quality 3D experience and avoiding issues that leave the viewer uncomfortable or even nauseous after prolonged use. Movidius has designed Myriad 3D to deliver an enjoyable and effective viewing experience, including simple switching between 2D and 3D display modes.

The 3D capture, image and display processing on the MA1133 all benefit from Movidius' proprietary multi-core processing technology. This technology delivers an unparalleled 20GFlops of processing power; previously unheard of in a mobile device.

"Mobile 3D imaging is creating a huge buzz in the Korean market", commented Andrew Kim, Vice President / COO, Uniquest. "And of the few available mobile 3D technology options, the Movidius products and solutions are clearly leading the market in capabilities and features. By using Movidius, Korean OEMs, who are always eager to differentiate, can deliver incredibly compelling 3D enabled phones and other devices to consumers. We look forward to working with the excellent team at Movidius on one of the most pivotal technology areas of mobile in 2011."

Further products based on Movidius' powerful, versatile Myriad 3D platform will be announced soon.

Movidius brings HD 3D to mobile devices

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland - 30 September 2010 - Movidius, the award-winning mobile multimedia processing specialist, today launched Myriad 3D, its landmark mobile 3D imaging and video platform. Myriad 3D is the first platform in the world to be optimized out-of-the-box to enable a 3D experience in high definition (HD) on mobile devices, allowing handset designers for example to easily produce a whole new generation of 3D-enabled smartphones. The first product in the Myriad 3D platform range is the MA1133, the world's first semiconductor product capable of a range of unique 3D functions: preview, capturing and processing high-quality user generated 3D video and images on a mobile phone; converting any 2D video to 3D in real time, and upscaling and playback of content in HD.

Sean Mitchell, CEO of Movidius, commented, "Mobile phones are the place where 3D technology will gain real adoption the fastest. 3D entertainment may have started in the cinema, but the phone is something people experience every day. And having recently updated their TV sets to HD, consumers are not keen to upgrade again immediately to a 3D TV. Mobile phones on the other hand, are updated every 12-18 months. Also, many fundamental aspects of phones make them ideal for using our new Myriad 3D technology for viewing and capturing 3D images and displaying existing 2D content in full 3D without any need for special glasses."

3D glasses, absolutely necessary for both TV and cinema 3D experiences, can be expensive and cumbersome and can be seen as a barrier to adoption of 3D. Mobile devices such as smartphones however are typically held at a standard distance from the face; the perfect situation for using auto-stereoscopic screens and means the user can easily adjust the screen orientation to get into the 3D "sweet spot". Also, because of the size of the average smartphone, mobile phone cameras can easily be placed at the perfect eyes' distance apart to achieve excellent 3D image capture using the Movidius Myriad 3D platform for highest quality matching between the cameras.

The MA1133 is the first in Movidius' series of 3D products, with further product announcements to be made soon. The MA1133 was preceded by the MA1100, the world's first coprocessor to enable advanced real-time video editing on mobile phones, and MA1101, the Android O/S compatible version of the MA1100. Products are sampling to customers today.

Movidius scoops first Romanian R&D grant from EU

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland - 30 June 2010 - Movidius today announced that the company has been awarded a research and development grant from the first EU fund targeting Romania's R&D sector. This grant from the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective will enable Movidius to allocate a team of engineers and academics boosting its development of 3D video capabilities and design tools for its Myriad mobile multimedia platform.

Since the company's launch, Movidius has had a substantial development presence in Timisoara, Romania, today employing over 30 engineers focused on software development for the Myriad platform. Myriad brings an enhanced user experience to mobile devices, making it possible for users to capture, edit and share content via mobile social networks. The strength of Movidius' application software and design tools are central to the company's offering.

The EU Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective is aimed at reinforcing competitiveness, employment and attractiveness of these regions by promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and environmental protection. The Objective is jointly funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund and the grant to Movidius was the result of the first call for such EU-funded R&D projects by the Romanian Government.

Dr. Valentin Muresan, General Manager of Movidius SRL Romania, commented, "This is great news for our center here in Romania. We're delighted to have not only the support of the Romanian Government but also the EU," Muresan continued, "Romania is an exceptional region in terms of producing highly-skilled software developers. The news of this grant will further stimulate our development capability and allow us to incorporate more future-looking applications, especially in the field of 3D video where Movidius already has a significant technological advantage."

Movidius Wins Red Herring 100 Europe Award

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland - 3 June 2010 - Mobile multimedia specialist Movidius today announced that it is a recipient of the Red Herring 100 Europe award, given to the top 100 most exciting and promising private technology companies based in Europe.

Renowned for discovering and advocating the most promising private ventures from around the world, the Red Herring 100 finalists are selected from a pool of hundreds from across Europe, and evaluated on key metrics, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management and execution of strategy.

Sean Mitchell, CEO Movidius commented, "We are very proud to have been selected as one of Europe's most promising technology companies by the Red Herring team. This award joins a host of other awards Movidius has won, and is a great vote of confidence in the strength, uniqueness and market potential of Movidius' offering."

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Movidius secures Series B investment to fuel growth in mobile video

Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland - 19 May 2010 - Mobile video specialist Movidius today announced that it has secured US$7.5 million in Series B investment. The funding round has been concluded with existing shareholders including Celtic House Venture Partners, Capital E, Emertec Gestion, AIB Seed Capital Fund and angel investors. This round will be used to fund Movidius' growth plans as the company begins deployment of its Myriad platform providing advanced imaging capabilities including 3D video capture in the next generation of mobile handsets.

Movidius' innovative low-power processor and application software technology enables a wide range of advanced multimedia features on mobile devices including real-time editing of video content, 3D mobile video, as well as a variety of high-quality video enhancements for improving video download bandwidth utilization. By delivering the best mobile video experience for end-users to capture, edit, view and share content directly from their handset, Movidius' Myriad platform helps mobile handset OEMs substantially differentiate their multimedia smartphone offering while also providing operators with significant cost advantages and new revenue streams.

Sean Mitchell, CEO Movidius commented, "This funding is a powerful validation of Movidius' technology and market traction. It highlights the continued support and confidence from our shareholders. This investment will enable us to drive our first products into high volume production and to capitalize on the exploding mobile industry demand for the unique new user experiences we are enabling with the Myriad platform such as 3D mobile video."

Roger Maggs, Partner, Celtic House Venture Partners commented, "In Movidius we immediately recognized a team that had developed disruptive technology and that provides solutions that address both operator and OEM needs for greater differentiation of their products and services, especially in the increasingly competitive Smartphone segment. We continue to invest in Movidius because we are confident of its ability to deliver a truly world class technology that will fundamentally revolutionize the way in which users interact with their mobile handsets in a rapidly growing market."

"Despite tough conditions in the global economy, Movidius' success and progress over the past year reinforces the potential of its ground-breaking technology," commented Rudi Severijns, Partner, Capital-E. "Industry drivers and application trends clearly indicate a shift towards new mobile system partitioning approaches and Movidius is in a strong position with its flexible architecture to take full advantage of this fantastic opportunity."

Movidius is now sampling product to major players in the mobile market, and is moving from development to product deployment. Mass production of Movidius' products is expected to begin later in 2010, with mobile handsets containing those products due to hit the market early in 2011.

Here's a short video with Sean's comments on the context of the funding.

Movidius at Social Media Forum Europe 2010

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Movidius' superior mobile imaging points towards future of ubiquitous UGC video in mobile social networking

Dublin, Ireland - 11th March 2010 - Movidius today announces that it will be exhibiting at the Social Media Forum, Europe's leading social media event, from 15-16^th March at Olympia, London. Movidius will illustrate upcoming advances in mobile handsets that are driving an imminent explosion in mobile user generated video content, (mobile UGC), which drives higher levels of brand and community engagement. Movidius' technology enables a wide range of multimedia features on mobile handset devices, including real-time video editing, high quality playback enhancements and 3D imaging.

At the same time as mobile social networking is growing, social networks are moving quickly from the sharing of simple text and photos to the sharing of video content. Demonstrations of Movidius' technology at the Social Media Forum will highlight how Movidius enables exciting new applications for imaging capabilities in mobile devices. By significantly improving the mobile imaging user experience, Movidius technology will drive more mobile user content generation and, critically, more sharing of rich media content across mobile social networks.

Movidius provides the framework for the market's best video capture, best edit, best view and best sharing on the mobile handset. Offering real-time video editing and 3D imaging and HD video playback and record, this type of technology will soon become pervasive across mobile handsets in the way that cameras, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have become standard handset features.

Movidius' technology also provides valuable benefits to other key players in the mobile social networking ecosystem. It will provide differentiation that handset manufacturers crave, as well as offering them a flexible platform that can quickly adjust to changing market needs to deliver new multimedia features. Through intelligent media format management in the phone, Movidius' technology also helps operators to manage the data burdens on their networks intelligently while ensuring a high impact experience for their customers. At the same time the new functionality will help social networks build new customer acquisitions, reduce customer churn and increase community engagement.

Movidius can be found at the forum on stand 22. For further information on The Mobile Social Media Forum, or to register, go to http://www.mobilesocial-networking.com/

Movidius Launches Myriad Platform

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland & Hong Kong - 19th January 2010 - Movidius today announced the launch of the Android version of its new Myriad multimedia processing platform for mobile phones. Based on the technology underlying its premiere product, the MA1110, the Myriad silicon and software platform enables a wide range of differentiating mobile media features including real-time video editing and 3D imaging. In Myriad, device manufacturers can bring to market differentiated products that deliver the best mobile imaging experience for users to capture, edit, view and share their content through mobile social networks.

Movidius will be demonstrating the Android version of Myriad at Mobile World Congress in Hall2.1 at Booth Number 2.1C61, Barcelona, 15th-18th February 2010. Customer samples of Myriad based products and developer kits are available to qualified customers.

Movidius' Myriad combines superior real-time video editing capabilities, 3D imaging and HD quality video recording and playback in a single platform. Myriad also supports Movidius' best-in-class video enhancements for improving low-bitrate internet video and mobile television where applicable. All these features allow OEMs to differentiate handsets and other products with unique features in an increasingly crowded market.

User experience is everything. With consumer frustration at the poor quality of their mobile media experiences to date, Movidius' Myriad Android platform allows applications to include sophisticated video and photo processing to compensate for sub-optimal handset optics. This provides users with enhanced inline video and photo capture quality, while also providing creative enhancements through the addition of unique video and photo effects producing impressive results for sharing with family, friends and more.

"Consumers are getting more savvy about their mobile phones", said Sean Mitchell, CEO of Movidius. "As the iPhone has proven, today's consumers are buying usability and not just more megapixels. Handset manufacturers and network operators recognize this and are keen to add unique features such as video editing and now 3D imaging to the next generation of mobile phones so consumers can have the best possible overall experience for capturing, editing, viewing and sharing their photos and videos in real time directly in the handset."

Success in the mobile multimedia field is dictated by superb performance, but also through delivering a great user experience. With top rankings and featured in Wired Magazine and The New York Times, Seattle based photographer Chase Jarvis' iPhone app "Best Camera" is showing the way mobile photography can develop this new paradigm. "By providing consumers with an intuitive interface and powerful functionality, we achieved phenomenal success with the Best Camera app," said Chase. "The creative person in me is ecstatic about the technology Movidius is developing. It will enable breakthrough performance in mobile photography and video."

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Movidius Appoints New Board Member

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland - 18^th November 2009 - Movidius today announced that it has appointed Gary Johnson as non-executive member of the board of directors. Johnson brings over 20 years of experience from leading positions in several high profile technology companies and his appointment is the latest demonstration of confidence in the strength of Movidius' company and technology.

Johnson was previously CEO for PortalPlayer, and has recently been involved as a Director at Air Semiconductor and ITSUN Ltd. Johnson has been a NASDAQ-listed CEO twice across his career. Having overseen the growth and/or flotation of several businesses including S3 and PortalPlayer (floated in November of 2004 and sold to NVIDIA in 2007 for $360M), Johnson has built a reputation for backing and managing successful enterprises. Under his tenure at S3 Inc. he built the highly successful Trio product family bringing for the first time integrated video and graphics playback to the consumer PC market. At PortalPlayer the Applications Processors (AP) that were developed achieved notable success in many generations of mobile devices including Apple iPODs, SONY and Samsung MP3 players among many others. This led the way to highly innovative products incorporating High-Definition (HD) Video capability for the then emerging multimedia mobile phone market.

Johnson's expertise in strategic planning and execution, financing and negotiation, together with his enthusiasm for mobile technologies, make him a strong addition to a company that already has significant momentum behind it. Movidius gained strong investor backing, securing over $14 million of Series A funding in October 2008. The January 2009 launch and demonstrations of its premier mobile video processor, the MA1110, at Mobile World Congress 2009 were met with uniformly positive responses. Mobile social networking is seen to be the 'next big thing' in the mobile space and the ability of Movidius' technology to deliver mobile video editing is key to realizing a complete user experience.

"We're really excited to have someone of Gary's calibre joining the team," said Sean Mitchell, CEO of Movidius. "Gary's previous successful track record and strong industry relationships make him a very significant addition to our Board. He brings substantial experience to the table, and will play a key role in guiding Movidius' strategic direction in the future and in accelerating our market engagements."

Movidius Strengthens Management Team

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland 3rd November 2009 – Movidius today announced that it has appointed two new senior executives to its management team. John Bourke and Barry Jones have assumed the roles of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Software Engineering respectively. The two industry veterans will play critical roles in delivering Movidius’ mobile video processing technology to the company’s global customer base.

John Bourke comes to Movidius with over 20 years of experience in various prominent financial positions within the technology industry. Before joining Movidius, Bourke was co-founder and CFO of GloNav Inc, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in GPS technologies, which was successfully sold to NXP Semiconductors and ST Ericsson in 2008. Prior to that Bourke was VP of Finance and Corporate Controller at CEVA Inc, and previously spent 10 years in numerous senior positions at Ernst and Young. These included Director of Corporate Finance and Director and Senior Manager of Audit specializing in technology companies.

A commercial technologist and successful serial entrepreneur, Barry Jones brings to Movidius over 20 years of experience in mobile handset technologies and an enviable record in successfully delivering client applications into mobile devices. Jones has worked with a variety of blue chip, SME and start-up companies. Over the years he has successfully brought more than 100 consumer electronics products to market, generating revenues in excess of $5 billion. Jones joined Movidius in June 2009 from Motorola where he was Operations and Development Director, responsible for managing mass-market mobile handset product development across four continents. Prior to this Jones was Operations Director at TTPCom Silicon and Terminals, within its software and silicon business units, where he helped deliver the company’s leading edge solutions into 30% of the worlds mobile handsets.

“Both Barry and John bring substantial track records of success to Movidius, and their appointment will further strengthen and compliment our already highly experienced team.” commented Sean Mitchell, CEO, Movidius. “Barry and John’s experience in delivering innovative applications for mobile devices will contribute significantly to our success as we now engage with customers in the next phase of Movidius’ growth.”

Movidia re-brands to Movidius

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Dublin, Ireland 20th October 2009 - Movidia today announced that it has embarked on a complete re-brand of the company, and with effect from today, will now operate under the name Movidius. Based on specific market feedback, the company has re-branded to create a more distinctive presence in the mobile handset sector.

The new name Movidius is intended to reflect the core brand values of the company: mobility, video and imaging, and connectivity of the social network in "us". As a unique and innovative name, Movidius also conveys aspects of the company's product focus on video, as well as allowing the company to leverage the heritage of the Movidia brand by making the transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved.

Sean Mitchell, CEO Movidius commented, "Movidius is focused on perfecting the user experience for mobile social networking which The Neilsen Company reported this past June is delivering the fastest growing audience for mobile internet services. The last six months have been incredible for us, and since launching the MA1110 in January, we have generated excellent traction with customers and partners, as well as the industry as a whole." Mitchell continued: "Our new brand will better reflect the core values of the company and help us define our unique position in the market."

Movidius was founded by an experienced management team from the semiconductor industry, and in October 2008, announced it had secured over $14 million of Series A funding. Launched in January and demonstrated at Mobile World Congress in February 2009, Movidius' premier product, the MA1110, is the first processor in the world to enable complex in-phone video editing, in real time, on power-conscious devices. The MA1110 uniquely addresses the growing demand for both mobile social networking and UGC (User Generated Content) functionality on mobile phones, and will enable OEMs to create highly differentiated devices with unique user experiences.

The first MA1110-based products will be sampling from Movidius in late 2009. The company's R&D and sales teams are located in Dublin, Hong Kong and Romania.

Movidius scoops ‘Best Technology Innovation’ at Mobile Content Awards

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

London – September 11th, 2009 - Movidius (formerly Movidia) last night collected the coveted gold Mobile Content Award for ‘Best Technology Innovation’. Movidius was rewarded for its MA1110 multimedia processor, which uniquely enables users to edit their video and apply sophisticated video effects in real-time on a mobile device.

The Mobile Content Awards were hosted by Visiongain Research at a live ceremony at The Charing Cross Hotel in central London last night, and recognized companies who have made significant progress over the last year within the mobile content sector. With hundreds of submissions and only three winners in each of the 13 categories, the awards acknowledge those who best demonstrate ease of use and mobility, quantifiable business benefits, proven success in the market and overall achievement of original objectives.

Movidius’ MA1110 is the first processor in the world to allow users to perform complex video post-production on a mobile phone in real time. Using Movidius proprietary signal processing technology, this chip can perform highly complex video-editing tasks such as real time image stabilization, super resolution zoom, slow motion and color matching, and is targeted at the growing market for mobile social networking phones.

Accepting the award at last night’s prestigious event, Bob Tait, Marketing Director at Movidius commented, “It is an honor for Movidius to win this prestigious award and a credit to the great team we have built around the world and the vision of our founders. We’re obviously thrilled that our mobile video editing technology is getting such widespread recognition. The MA1110 is a game-changer in terms of the way video content is generated and disseminated. Our technology is designed to empower the user to shoot and edit video anywhere and at any time for publishing to popular social networking sites. We’re already achieving success with our mobile handset customers and creating new synergies with mobile content providers to build new business models for the industry and look forward to adding to those partnerships following this Award..”

Other winners last night included RIM, Nokia, HTC, Samsung and Orange.

About Movidius
Movidius is a fabless semiconductor company whose technology delivers unique video editing and post-production capabilities for the creation of User Generated Content for mobile social networking. Movidius’ video processor hardware and application software is specifically designed to suit low power mobile phone and consumer electronics, enabling handset manufacturers to create highly differentiated products and enhanced user experiences.

Movidius has offices in Dublin and Hong Kong, with a substantial software development centre in Romania. Movidius is venture backed, with investors including: Celtic House Venture Partners, Capital-E, Emertec Gestion, AIB Seed Capital Fund and Enterprise Ireland.