Western Digital announced that it has launched a new software platform to simplify and speed up the creation and deployment of VIDITY enabled products and services.

For more information visit: www.westerndigital.com

Unedited press release follows:

WDLabs™ Announces Software Platform to Accelerate VIDITY™ Deployment of Next Generation Video Experience

Comprehensive Platform Solution Enables CE Device Brands to Quickly and Easily Support VIDITY 2.0 Specification to Allow Consumer Access to 4K Ultra HD HDR Content

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 18, 2015 — WDLabs™, a business growth incubator of storage solutions leader Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC), and world leader in storage solutions, today introduced a new software platform to simplify and speed up the creation and deployment of VIDITY™ enabled products and services. VIDITY gives consumers the freedom and flexibility to download and store their movies on a wide range of devices and delivers the highest quality playback of content including 4K Ultra HD movies with high dynamic range (HDR).

The VIDITY Software Platform by WDLabs is built around open standards and will bring VIDITY protocols, security and standards-based manageability into one integrated solution optimized for next generation premium 4K Ultra HD HDR video devices such as TVs, optical media players, and digital media players. The VIDITY Software Platform by WDLabs is supported and validated by the established and expanding VIDITY hardware, software, and certification ecosystem that will provide common building blocks for next generation video devices and Over-The-Top (OTT) services. This new software platform accelerates the availability of VIDITY enabled 4K Ultra HD HDR devices by enabling innovators to focus on value-added features and differentiation.

The VIDITY software platform by WDLabs includes the following elements:

• User interface – customizable user interface and player features (Android-Java based)

• VIDITY protocol and licensing layer – power-safe download & licensing management, VIDITY digital storage interface, remote media sharing, other VIDITY-required features

• VIDITY secure audio and video rendering layer – VIDITY media interface, content decryption, and secure media operations for SD, HD, and 4K Ultra HD HDR content. Leverages the VIDITY Security Platform from Rambus Cryptography Research, which includes a library of secure functions integrated with the SOC trusted execution environment

• Android and Linux support foundation – support for the Android AOSP and Linux platform, secure boot, secure firmware update, internationalization, USB 3.0, and GbE and Wi-Fi support

• Documentation, test scripts, and virtualized build environment

“Deploying VIDITY 2.0 specification-enabled products and services requires a broad range of technologies, skills, time, and expense by each adopter in order to bring solutions to market,” said Richard E. Rutledge, senior vice president of marketing, WDLabs. “Our VIDITY software platform will make it easier, faster, and less expensive to develop products by offering mature VIDITY building blocks for their next generation premium video products that support 4K Ultra HD HDR content. The VIDITY Software Platform demonstrates our commitment as a Founder of the Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA), which developed the VIDITY program, and is built from earlier demo releases shown at CES 2014 and CES 2015.”

“Our focus remains on creating the highest-quality consumer experience possible,” said Danny Kaye, executive vice president, global research and technology strategy, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “This means the quality of the content as the demand for 4K Ultra HD content continues to increase and evolve, but also the ease of content acquisition and playback on next-generation TVs and other devices. The VIDITY software platform by WDLabs enables easy onboarding by CE device manufacturers into the quality and convenience of the VIDITY digital ecosystem and Fox’s quality 4K UHD HDR content.”

“The recent announcement of VIDITY licensing in August opens the door for companies to integrate technology into their products that will provide consumers with the highest quality digital experience, including 4K HDR,” said David Huerta, general manager, Secure Content Storage Association. “As we look forward to many more VIDITY products entering the market soon, we are pleased that Western Digital, a leader in digital storage solutions, has developed an SDK making it easier and faster for CE device manufacturers to enable the premium VIDITY experience into their products and bring them to market faster.”

“ViXS delivers time-to-market 4K Ultra HD HDR video SoC solutions and is excited to partner with WDLabs on this first integration of the WDLabs VIDITY SDK based on our family of 4K Ultra HD HDR SoC solutions as demonstrated at IFA Berlin, IBC Amsterdam, and CEDIA Dallas,” said Perry Chappell, senior vice president worldwide sales, ViXS. “ViXS is a Contributing Member of SCSA and is in a position to quickly enable 4K Ultra HD HDR TVs, optical media players, and digital media players.”

“With the quad-core Cannes STiH318 4K Ultra HD HDR SoC already in production, ST has worked very closely with WDLabs to empower SCSA member companies to quickly deliver digital and optical media players and TVs with the proven security and performance of our family of VIDITY-enabled SoCs,” said Philippe Notton, group vice president and general manager, Consumer Product Division, STMicroelectronics.

“We are pleased that Rambus Cryptography Research was selected by SCSA as a valued security partner and advisor to protect high-quality 4K Ultra HD with HDR, HD and SD content with our VIDITY Security Platform,” said Paul Kocher, president and chief scientist, Rambus Cryptography Research Division. “The Cryptography Research VIDITY Security Platform works in conjunction with the VIDITY software platform from WDLabs to enable rapid development, certification, and time-to-market of VIDITY Specification 2.0 products.”

Licensing and Availability
The VIDITY Software Platform by WDLabs is available for licensing now, and aimed at accelerating the VIDITY ecosystem. It is offered via competitive terms, conditions, and pricing to facilitate make versus buy decisions by CE device manufacturers. The SCSA VIDITY 2.0 specification licensing information is available through SCSA from www.VIDITY.com. For further information regarding licensing and availability please contact viditylicensing@wdc.com.

Forward-looking statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the growth of the VIDITY-enabled device markets, the availability of particular features of the VIDITY software platform by WDLabs application and services, the success of the integration with the STMicroelectronics, CRI, ViXS, and Fox products and features, and the growth and demand for VIDITY-enabled devices in general. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the failure to successfully integrate the STMicroelectronics, CRI, ViXS, and Fox products and features, the possibility of competing software applications or technologies; the success of such technologies and or other risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our most recent annual report on Form 10-K to which your attention is directed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak as of the date hereof, and WD undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

About WDLabs™
WDLabs, a Western Digital organization, is a business growth incubator focused on opportunity identification, early engagement, partnering, and market creation. It accomplishes this goal via a disciplined growth process and staffing with a broad range of WD talent and aims to create ecosystem opportunities for both WD and its partners.

About Western Digital
Founded in 1970, Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC), Irvine, Calif., is an industry-leading developer and manufacturer of storage solutions that enable people to create, manage, experience and preserve digital content. It is a long-time innovator in the storage industry. Western Digital Corporation is responding to changing market needs by providing a full portfolio of compelling, high-quality storage products with effective technology deployment, high efficiency, flexibility and speed. Its products are marketed under the HGST and WD brands to OEMs, distributors, resellers, cloud infrastructure providers and consumers. Financial and investor information is available on the company’s Investor Relations website at investor.wdc.com.

Apps, services, and other features are subject to change based on your location, software version, device model, and third party service providers.

Western Digital, and the WD logo are registered trademarks and WDLabs is a trademark of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. The VIDITY Mark is a trademark owned exclusively by Secure Content Storage Association, LLC and is used under license.  All rights reserved.  Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to other companies. Pictures shown may vary from actual products. Not all products may be available in all regions of the world. As used for storage capacity, one gigabyte = one billion bytes; one terabyte = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.