Tech Focus and Product Reviews

On2 Technologies, Inc. announced today that it has been granted patent number 7,027,654 for advances first implemented in its TrueMotion VP6 and VP7 video compression technology. The patent was issued for an improved video compression system employing video decoding strategies that improve performance in constrained environments such as live video applications or in environments where CPU processing power is constrained.

The patent covers two separate decoding techniques. Both techniques are applicable to a variety of video codecs, including On2's VPx series.

The first -- which applies in particular to devices with vector processing capabilities such as Intel's MMX and XScale technologies and Motorola's AltiVec -- improves efficiency and hence decoding performance by reordering transform coefficients as they are decoded.

The second strategy uses a family of separate but dependent post-processing filters to improve visual quality at low cost to CPU performance. Codec developers can employ this technique to achieve better visual quality on a device without greatly increasing its CPU requirements.

"The coefficient transform patent grant is more evidence of On2's commitment to innovation," said Eric Ameres, On2's chief technical officer and executive vice president of engineering. "On2 employs the best minds in the video compression industry, and our entire management team is proud of their continued dedication to our customers and to maintaining On2 Video as the gold standard in our field."

About On2 Technologies, Inc., The Duck Corporation
On2 Technologies is a leading technology firm at the forefront of digital video compression. The company revolutionized digital media delivery with the creation of its advanced full-motion, full-screen On2 Video compression and streaming technologies.

Trademarks mentioned in this release are property of their respective owners.