Peter Clarke

EE Times

(11/10/2005 10:34 AM EST)

LONDON — Matrix Semiconductor Inc., a provider of multilayer, antifuse-based one-time programmable ROM that is due to be acquired by SanDisk Corp., said Thursday (Nov. 10) that Disney Consumer Products has selected its memory for pre-recorded digital music content to be played with a Disney MP3/WMA player.

Disney`s Mix Stick, similar to the iPod and other digital music players, can download music from the Internet or from CDs copied onto a computer. In addition, Disney has released “Mix Clip” albums of pre-recorded music on Matrix memory cards the size of a postage stamp.

“Using Matrix`s technology, we are finally able to offer the digital music kids want with the same convenience and at the same price they expect to pay for a CD,” said Chris Heatherly, vice president of Global Disney Electronics, in a statement issued by Matrix Semiconductor (Santa Clara, Calif.).

The four initial Disney Mix Clips include such artists as Hillary Duff, James Brown, and Lou Bega

“Matrix 3D memory is tailored especially for pre-recorded publishing of this type, offering a lower cost than flash memory and the quick time to market that publishers require in today`s competitive retail world,” said Dan Steere, vice president of sales and marketing, in the same statement.

Matrix Semiconductor was included in all three iterations of the EE Times list of 60 emerging startups prior to its announcement of a definitive agreement to be acquired by SanDisk Corp.