|  | | C-Media Screws Auzentech Over | 
It seems that Asus and C-Media have signed exclusivity agreement over the infamous CMI-8788 audio processor according to Auzentech's website. As result of this nasty agreement, Auzentech is very unhappy and could have some hard time in the future. Auzentech's Stephane Bae has published the following announcement in his website: Quote:
Dear Valued Customers:
From time to time, we receive inquiries as to why we stopped production of the Auzen X-Meridian 7.1 sound card soon after its launch. That sound card was custom-designed to make the most of the CMI-8788 chip from C-Media. Our next sound card, the Auzen X-Fi Prelude, has been custom-designed around the Creative X-Fi chipset.
Moving beyond the X-Meridian 7.1 so quickly was a difficult decision. One week after product launch, we received notice from C-Media that they had granted exclusive rights for the CMI-8788 chipset to a competitor, ASUS, and that we must purchase any chip inventory by a certain date. Sound cards from other companies that use the CMI-8788 are built with chip inventory purchased before the deadline.
It had never occurred to us to squeeze our competitors out of the market for a chip, and we still find it troubling – especially in light of the time we spent developing a product around the CMI-8788 chip. Other companies that only built the "reference board" may not have suffered significantly, but Auzentech lost development time, effort and money – the very things that even now make the X-Meridian 7.1 the best CMI-8788 soundcard to have reached the market.
The only reason we moved beyond the X-Meridian 7.1 so quickly after product launch is because we no longer had reliable access to the chipset. We have attempted to acquire additional stock from C-Media, but those requests have been rejected. If you have an interest in more X-Meridians being manufactured, you might consider lobbying C-Media to supply the chipset to Auzentech.
Sincerely,
Stephane Bae, President
Auzentech, Inc.
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Last edited by Regeneration; July 29th, 2008 at 06:48 PM..
| | | | 3 Comments | | | typical back stabbing shows up once again | | | | Well I guess ASUS have deeper pockets that Auzen. If they renamed ASUS to Microdoze then everthing would be status quo. | | | |
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