[opendtv] Re: (No Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 10:30:37 -0400

  • From: "Keith Jack" <kjack2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 21:35:30 -0700

> But again, if the performance of the tuner is okay, then
> the focus of increased CMOS density does not need to
> be to make the tuner part acceptable.

If you are not continually improving your tuner performance, I
will eventually get your business...  :-)


> So, if you increase density to add in more features, e.g.
> to include the MPEG decoding or other features in the
> same chip, then overall cost WILL go down. Greater
> circuit integration -> lower production cost -> lower
> price.

As long as you are below the knee in the yield curve, otherwise a
2-chip solution can be cheaper. Or if one of the chips has a
lower yield, you don't want to drag down the yield of the bigger
chip.

BTW, MPEG decoding is a small percentage of the die area of many
HDTV decoder chips.

Anyway, in general you are correct -- I just can't resist
responding to blanket statements...  :-)


> To say that higher CMOS density results in higher
> temperatures and more power is not true in and of itself.
> It only happens that way with PCs because guess what, the
> clock rate climbs every time the CMOS get denser. But
> that's just because the goal with PCs is still faster
> and more powerful CPUs.

Even the CPUs in chips for HDTVs have to keep going faster due to
more complex middleware and I/O requirements.


> > You also have to look at the cost/performance/power
> > curve for going to 0.13 or 0.09. Power may go down, but
> > cost could go up.
>=20
> If that were true, today's PCs would cost a heck of a lot
> more than my ancient $4000 IBM PS/2 with 80286 chip.

OK, momentary cost increase due to using new technology.


> Clearly, there's more to the cost equation than merely
> the startup cost of going to a new die.

Mask charges, wafer costs and yields...


> The simple fact is, within a short amount of time, this
> 8-VSB vs COFDM debate will be history. The only thing
> that amazes me is why this is so hard to acdept. I've
> been saying this ever since the RCA DTC-100, 1st gen
> receiver, went for upwards of $550. It was the first
> ATSC receiver to break the $1000 barrier. So-so
> performance and  a stiff price.
>=20
> Since those days, performance has improved bit by bit,
> and price has dropped. With the 4th gen Linx, we finally
> went around that second bend in the S curve, where
> performance was becoming acceptable. Now we see prices
> under $300, and predictions for STBs at $67. What's so
> hard to understand?

Nothing - we are integrating as fast as we can...  :-)



 
 
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