Highly integrated single-chip high-definition decoder and processor reduces
bill-of-materials for iDTV manufacturers
GENEVA, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STMicroelectronics (NYSE:
STM), one of the world's leading suppliers of System-on-Chip (SoC)
solutions for digital TV, and the world's largest supplier of silicon chips
for set-top boxes (STBs)*, today announced the DTV150, a new cost-saving
hardware platform. The DTV150 provides demodulation, MPEG-2 high-definition
(HD) and standard-definition (SD) decoding, full HD video processing, high
quality audio, and the video switching functions, for integrated digital TV
(iDTV) sets worldwide. This highly-integrated solution is built around ST's
new STi1010 single-chip iDTV processor, which provides the capability to
use the same chip for both digital and analog broadcast decoding, and for
video TV processing.
The new platform achieves an excellent balance in the trade-off between
performance and cost, giving iDTV manufacturers the ability to produce sets
that meet worldwide standards, with high-quality full HD displays, while
reducing the Bill of Materials (BOM). The DTV150 is intended particularly
for the mid-range iDTV market, but also offers a cost-effective solution
for more price-sensitive products, enabling manufacturers to use a single
platform for WXGA or full HD applications, with single- or double-video
pipe for Picture- in-Picture display, and is fully compliant with
middleware requirements, such as MHEG-5 or MHP (multimedia home platform).
At the center of the chipset is the STi1010 processor -- manufactured
using an 80nm CMOS process technology -- which provides unified analog and
digital TV in a single chip, with a common graphical user interface (GUI)
and single TV processor for both analog and digital TV reception. It
supports displays up to 1080p (1920 x 1080), including full 1080i
de-interlacing using ST's 3D contour sensitive de-interlacer (CSDi) to
enhance picture quality. The STi1010 has been developed from ST's
established STD2000 iDTV processor, with enhanced picture quality, improved
connectivity including embedded HDMI, dual LVDS output and a USB 2.0
Hi-Speed interface for JPEG and MP3 playback, and capability for decoding
AD (Audio Description), Dolby Digital, and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
audio streams.
The processor is supported within the DTV150 platform by other high-
performance devices including the industry-leading STV0362 (European DVB
standards) and STV0374 (US ATSC standards) digital demodulators; by the
versatile STV83xx series single-chip TV sound processors, with the
capability to decode and process digital audio sources with multi-channel
content, driving a range of audio channels from enhanced stereo up to full
5.1 surround sound and embedding ST's proven analog stereo demodulator; and
by the STV6402 or STV6415 video switches.
"The DTV150 platform offers the best compromise in the industry between
cost and picture quality, while providing the full video and audio
feature-set that manufacturers expect," said Gabriel Guglielmi, General
Manager of the Consumer Business Unit within ST's Home Video Division. "As
well as building on the digital TV expertise from our earlier platforms,
its design draws on our huge experience as the world leader in the set-top
box chip market."
The STi1010 supports PIP (Picture-in-Picture), and its high-end
dual-plane OSD (On-Screen Display) is generated at display-panel
resolution. The chip includes a 32-bit 250MHz unified DDR2 memory interface
for CPU, OSD and video. Hardware and software reference designs for the
DTV150 platform are developed for the North American ATSC, European DVB,
Chinese DDTB and Japanese ISDB-T markets.
The STi101x is supplied in a 27 x 27mm PBGA package as the STi1010 for
the full HD display capability with PIP, and as the STi1011 for the WXGA
version with no PIP. Production samples will be available in February 2008,
with volume production planned for Q2 2008. Customer development samples
are available now.
The total Bill of Material (BOM) for the DTV150 platform with a full
high- definition configuration targeting the European market is expected to
be lower than $45.
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering
semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics
applications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and system expertise,
manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic
partners positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC)
technology and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence
markets. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on
Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2006, the Company's net
revenues were $9.85 billion and net earnings were $782 million. Further
information on ST can be found at http://www.st.com.
* 'MPEG Video ICs: H.264 in the Limelight' published by InStat. June
2007
|
