RCX220 Flash Digital Audio Recorder from Digigram and Nagra

October 2, 1999 -- Nagra and Digigram, two leaders in the digital audio industry, jointly announced today the introduction of a handheld solid-state audio recorder / player using PCMCIA linear flashcards. This state-of-the-art device combines Nagra’s technology and expertise in the development of professional audio equipment and Digigram’s know-how in PC-based professional digital audio solutions.

Nagra’s Ares-P and Digigram’s RCX220 are shock resistant and immune to environmental extremes of temperature and humidity. Utilizing PC card FLASH RAM technology and MPEG Audio compression, they can record more than three hours of stereo audio on a single PC card.

Equipped with a 20-bit Sigma-Delta A/D and D/A converter and LCD screen for status and automatic or manual level control, the Ares-P and the RCX220 automatically create a directory which logs all audio material when recording.

The Nagra Ares-P comes as the perfect complement to the Nagra Ares-C - introduced in mid 1995 – and the Nagra C-PP, and, as such, is compatible with most editing systems on the market.

Digigram’s RCX220 contains additional PCX capability. When connected to a PC by USB link, the RCX220 provides the digital signal processing functions of a Digigram PCX sound card. This enables the RCX220 to run sophisticated Digigram Powered applications on a laptop or desktop computer without the need to purchase additional hardware. Digigram-Powered audio editors, such as Digigram’s Xtrack, can use the DSP-power of the RCX220 for time-stretch, scrubbing, and other production processing.

"Working with Nagra has given Digigram a fantastic opportunity to provide our professional audio customers with an exclusive product for both the field and the studio," explained Gérard Santraille, President, Digigram. "Our customers want products that simplify their work flow and reduce their expenses when producing remotely recorded audio. Digigram and Nagra recognized this need - the RCX220 and the Nagra Ares-P are the result."

"Marrying the expertise and knowledge of our companies resulted in a product that is unique in our industry," stated Charles Egli, Chief Operating Officer, the Kudelski Group, Nagra’s parent company. "This joint design offers the most advanced technologies in audio processing and remote recording, with the high quality and features that are the hallmarks of Digigram and Nagra."

With their compact design and weighing a mere 450 grams, the RCX220 and the Ares-P are offer ideal solutions in a handheld format. The Ares-P and the RCX220 will be marketed independently by Nagra and Digigram respectively and will be available in the first quarter of 2000. Pricing has not yet been determined.

For more information, visit Digigram's web site at www.digigram.com.