Athens, Greece : Unibrain, an advanced solution provider in 1394 & multimedia technologies, today announced the release of the iZak™ Multimedia Center. Capable of playing recorded TV shows, downloaded films, home movies, music and photo galleries directly on any TV set, iZak™ is at same time an external hard disk for your computer data. It fits in your pocket and let you take your data and digital entertainment wherever you go. iZak™ can store up to 80 MPEG-4 movies or 20,000 mp3 songs or over a million of digital photographs. You operate it exactly like a true DVD player, from its infrared remote controller and a user-friendly TV on-screen menu. iZak™ lets you enjoy the best Home Theater quality of your favorite entertainment, anytime, anywhere and all you need is a TV…

iZak™ clearly innovates by major technical improvements:

  • A proprietary firmware allows movies stored as image backups of DVD disks (.ISO files) to be played with full DVD functionality. Using one of many Internet available freeware, the user can create his own virtual library, by storing his private collection of DVDs and watch them exactly as if they were running from the original DVDs (with all available original features: Menu, Chapter, Audio stream, Subtitle, Fast Forward, Fast Backwards, Slow, Pause, Step Forward, Repeat, Search, etc).
  • A sophisticated hardware handles automatically the operation mode. When USB2-connected to your PC/Mac computer, iZak™ behaves as any standard external hard drive. Connect it to your TV set, it switches to multimedia mode and becomes a high quality player.
  • iZak™ provides connections from the simplest up to the highest quality audio & video standards (PAL/NTSC), including component & SCART RGB and 5.1/Dolby Digital audio (copper or optical)
  • iZak™ includes full DivX certification, allowing playback of all DivX formats (3.11, 4.x, 5.x), including encrypted movies purchased or rent via the Internet from various content providers

Who needs an iZak™ ?

 

  • Home users willing to build a state-of-the-art versatile Home Theater
  • Stores, Agencies, Exhibitors, Companies, that want audio/visual promotion of their products (indoor advertising)
  • Car Holiday travelers with kids (the “keep’em-quiet kit”)
  • Business people on the road who want some entertainment
  • Parents willing to back-up and replay their family videos
  • Movie and music lovers who want to enjoy their favorites at all times
  • People downloading large number of movies and music from the Internet
  • Everyone who normally takes a stack of CDs & DVDs wherever he goes
  • Parents who want to create a “DVD/CD-safe” environment
  • DivX enthusiasts who want to enjoy their DivX/MPEG-4 videos with exceptional Dolby Digital (AC3) sound
  • Every computer fan owning a TV, home theater or other A/V equipment

The iZak™ is a revolutionary product that will change forever the way we watch movies. It represents the future, it’s small and portable, it has powerful capabilities never before gathered in one device and it is easy to use.

Full detailed information is available from Unibrain’s site www.unibrain.com, where the latest firmware improvements will be published for free download. Just copy them inside your iZak™.

About Unibrain: Unibrain is a global leader in the development of FireWire (IEEE-1394) hardware and software solutions, and offers a complete line of FireWire computer and consumer products for a wide range of applications. Unibrain has been an active member of the 1394 Trade Association since 1997 and continues to play a vital role in the advancement of FireWire technology. Unibrain recently expanded to new developments in storage and multimedia technologies.

Safe Harbor Statement :

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements about the projected timing and extent of customer shipments as well as the expected use of products. Actual results could vary from those projected in the forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including worldwide economic conditions, changes in the customer’s ability or desire to complete the roll-out, consumer reaction to the new products and services being offered, the ability of Unibrain to deliver sufficient quantity and quality, prices and alternative offerings by competitors, and the ability of the parties to work together successfully to achieve the rollout.

iZakT is a registered trademark of Unibrain S.A. All rights reserved. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Macintosh, Mac, Mac OS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. DivX® Certified and DivX® Video are registered trademarks of DivXNetworks, Inc. All rights reserved. Dolby® and Dolby® Digital are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.