THX Drives Digital Amplifier Manufacturers To Meet Performance Requirements

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.­ December 14, 2004 - ­ THX Ltd., the leading provider of technologies, certification programsand qualityassurance standards for the entertainment industry, todayannounced that two digitalamplifiers have successfully met the performance criteria for use with THX Ultra2 Certifiedaudio-video receivers. D2Audioand ICEpowerare the first companies to design digitalamps capable ofachieving the THX Ultra2amplification requirements. Eachamplifier has distinct performance characteristics and is unique in its designapproach to solve key technicaland performance requirements of digitalamplifiers.

" THX h as made itapriority to partner with leading technology developers toanalyzeand qualify new technologiesand components for integration into THX Certified products," said Laurie Fincham, vice president of engineeringat THX. ³This type of work provides our licensees withameans to improve product time-to-market by verifying components inadvance that can be used to meet THX Certification standards. As the THX Certification program expands, we will continue to focus on researchingand validating the best possible technology solutions for our partners.²

Digitalamplifier technology can provide several key benefits to manufacturers ofaudio-video receivers, including slimmer designs for reducing overall system sizeand customizable playback features. However, until now, most digitalamps could not deliver THX Ultra2 compatible performance. The THX engineering team worked closely with many digitalamplifier manufacturers for several years, conducting exhaustive testing until the THX specifications were finally met by D2Audioand ICEpower. Their digitalampsare nowavailable for integration with THX Ultra2 Certified receivers, providing THX¹s partners the flexibility to choose fromavariety ofanalogand digitalamp components for next-generation homeaudio products. Each company,along with the market, will determine theapplications these two digitalampsare best suited toaddress.

"This isatrue milestone for digital amplifier technology,"said Skip Taylor, chief technology officerat D2Audio. "Re aching the performance levels required for THX Ultra2 Certified receivers moves D2Audio¹s digital amplifiers intoanew class of quality, illustrates theability to break down the historic barriers for this new technology,and opens the door for integrating digitalamp components into more high-endaudio products."

"THX dedicatedaconsiderableamount of timeand resources to evaluate our technologyand provide insight intoachieving theamplification requirements for the THX Ultra2 Certified receivers,"said Karsten Nielsen, founderand chief technology officer from ICEpower. "The result is adigitalamplifier that will not only improve home entertainment systems¹ performance levels, but willalso expedite the CE industry¹s transition fromanalog to digitalamplifier components."

ABOUT THX ULTRA2

THX Ultra2 Certifiedaudio-video receivers are designed by manufacturers to meet or exceed the THX specifications for presentation excellence. THX Ultra2 Certified products accurately translate multi-channel audio content movies, music and games‹to home theater environments,and incorporate THX listening modesand reference levels for bass management, distortionand signal noise. D2Audioand ICEpower meet theamplification performance requirements to have their companies¹ components in THX Ultra2amplified products.

ABOUT THX LTD.

THX Ltd. provides technologiesand services for optimizing the productionand playback of entertainment content in the professional and consumer markets. The company¹s certification programsand technologies deliver the ultimate entertainment experience, providing superior playback of movies, musicand games,and improving the interoperability of entertainment productsandapplications. Today, thousands of commercial cinemas, post-production studios, home entertainment products, DVDsand games have been designedand certified by THX. Founded in 1983, THX is headquartered in San Rafael, Calif. Its Digital Works office, offering qualityassurance, DVD masteringand post-production services, is based inBurbank. For more information, visit www.thx.com .