press releases

PortalPlayer Announces New Product for Feature-Rich, High Capacity Flash MP3 Players

Full analog integration through advanced System-in-Package Technology

Santa Clara, Calif., March 3, 2005 - PortalPlayer, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAY), a leading supplier of advanced system-on-chip, firmware and software solutions for the MP3 personal media player market, today announced its entry into the flash market with the PP5024 System-in-Package (SIP). This fully-integrated solution is designed to meet next generation requirements for high-capacity flash memory-based personal media players. In a related announcement, PortalPlayer also introduced today its fifth-generation SoC, PP5022, for hard-disk drive-based MP3 players.

The PP5024 is the company's first flash-specific product and the first SIP complete mixed-signal solution. Integrating the media processor, peripheral input/output (IO) controllers, and analog audio and power management functions enables high-performance audio jukebox features such as subscription music services and database caching support in a low-power flash platform.

The chip integrates a 0.13 micron media processor with a 0.35 micron analog SoC. The 0.13 process offers the most efficient geometry for low power audio and photo processing. While the 0.35 micron process delivers the higher voltages and lower noise audio isolation required in today's demanding MP3 players. Combining these components in a small footprint, SIP package provides the optimal solution for maximizing performance at the lowest system cost.

"Thanks to Moore's law, the challenge of single-chip system design is no longer one of a dearth of transistors. Rather, it is the challenge of marrying system blocks with radically different requirements for characteristics like clock rate, power dissipation and repeatability," said Mike Feibus, President of TechKnowledge Strategies. "SoC engineers that push the limits increasingly find that they are unwilling to accept the compromises that a digital process imposes on their analog modules. By turning to innovative packaging implementations, they can have it all - high fidelity, low power and high performance in a small space."

PortalPlayer PP5024 System-in-Package

Full Analog Audio and Power Integration - The PP5024 integrates the power enhancements, performance, system input/output, and display features of the PP5022 with all of the major analog subsystems necessary to produce a high capacity NAND flash personal media player, which was developed jointly with Austriamicrosystems AG. (See companion press release titled, "Fifth Generation PortalPlayer SoC Triples MP3 Player Battery Life.") The analog features include a stereo high quality DAC with 40mW headphone amplifiers; five high performance voltage regulators; two switching regulators and one 15V backlight driver; 10-bit ADC; Li-Ion battery charger; 128 bit fuse array; real-time-clock; analog audio mixer and microphone input.

"We're leveraging our experience with high capacity jukebox products and bringing industry leading features and performance to the emerging high-capacity flash market." said Michael Maia, vice president of sales and marketing at PortalPlayer. "The advent of multi-gigabyte flash capacity in the coming year signals a new breed of flash players that will provide the size and ruggedness of a solid-state device with the performance, feature set, usability, and display support of a hard-drive jukebox product."

Pricing and Availability
PortalPlayer is currently sampling the PP5024 with general availability in the second half of 2005. The PP5024 is priced at $9.95 in 10,000-unit/month quantities.

About PortalPlayer

PortalPlayer, Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets comprehensive platform solutions, including System-on-Chips, firmware and software for manufacturers of feature-rich, hard disk drive and flash-based personal media players.

Contact Information

Investor Relations Contact
Kristine Mozes
Mozes Communications LLC
781.652.8875
kristine@mozescomm.com

Editorial Contact
Greg Wood
A&R Partners for PortalPlayer
650.762.2838
gwood@arpartners.com

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PortalPlayer and the PortalPlayer logo are trademarks of PortalPlayer, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated features, performance, benefits and timing of general availability of the PP5024 System-in-Package, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," "designed to" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, including, among others, the market for high-capacity flash memory-based personal media players, market acceptance of the PP5024 System-in-Package, manufacturing and supply risks, PortalPlayer's ability to keep pace with rapid technological change, the semiconductor industry, international operations and PortalPlayer's ability to compete, and other risks and uncertainties detailed in PortalPlayer's Prospectus dated November 18, 2004 as filed with the SEC, and from time to time in PortalPlayer's SEC filings. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. PortalPlayer does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.