[opendtv] H.264 chip ready for market
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "OpenDTV (E-mail)" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 13:00:04 -0500
Note the 130 and 90 nm process used for all these
chips.
Bert
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H.264 decoder chips begin to hit the market
By Junko Yoshida , EE Times
November 29, 2004 (10:26 AM EST)
URL: http://www.eet.com/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=3D54200808
TOKYO - Conexant Systems Inc. has begun sampling a new
chip capable of decoding advanced video coding technology
based on the H.264 video codec, the company announced
Monday (Nov. 29).
The video compression technology, designed for
high-definition video transmission and storage applications,
is a key driver for satellite TV, IP set tops and
high-definition DVD recorders scheduled for launch in 2005.
Service providers and consumer system companies have been
eagerly awaiting H.264 chips as a catalyst for
high-definition video products and broadcast services.
While Conexant (Newport Beach, Calif.) is claiming the
industry's first H.264 decoder ICs, it also has plenty of
company as it aims for the lead in the emerging market.
Rivals include Broadcom, STMicroelectronics and Sigma
Designs. These competitors are reportedly either "already
sampling" or "ready to sample" H.264 chips.
Citing pent-up demand, Christos Lagomichos, general manager
of ST's Home Entertainment Group, called initial demand for
H.264 chips "incredible." Lagomichos said ST began sampling
its own H.264 decoder chips earlier in the current quarter.
Leveraging its June acquisition of Amphion Semiconductor
Ltd. (Belfast, Northern Ireland), Conexant has rolled out a
family of H.264 chips based on Amphion's high-definition
H.264 hardware video decoder core.
The first two chips to be sampled in early December include
high- and standard-definition versions of fully-compliant
H.264-only decoders. Both chips are fabricated using a
0.13-micron process technology.
Conexant's H.264-only decoders are stand-alone chips, not
integrated into Conexant's own MPEG-2-based SoCs for set-top
boxes or other digital consumer systems. Jeff Crosby, vice
president of Broadband Media Processing for Conexant, said,
"By providing the H.264 function in this separate IC, it can
be married with our SoCs, which are optimized for the
different segments."
Conexant is planning to integrate the H.264 and multiformat
decoder capabilities into SoCs that are scheduled for
sampling at the end of 2005, Crosby said.
ST is claiming a leg up on its competitors, with a highly
integrated H.264/MPEG-2-based set-top IC that takes
advantage of ST's proprietary 0.09-micron process
technology. "Our competition today is only capable of
providing a two-chip solution - main set-top box device and
companion coprocessor for H.264 video decode," ST's
Lagomichos stressed. "ST is not doing a companion device,
but going straight to a single 90-nm chip for the most
cost-effective H.264 complete set-top box solution."
ST's H.264 decoding solution is built around "our own unique
advanced ST2xx family VLIW Processors and some dedicated
hardware acceleration," added Lagomichos.
Meanwhile, Conexant's CX2418X family of H.264 chips are
based on the ARM926EJ-S core integrated with H.264 hardware
engines. Syntax parsing and control firmware are hosted by
the on-chip ARM9 microcontroller.
Conexant is currently sampling its high- and
standard-definiiton versions of stand-alone H.264-only
decoder ICs, with volume production scheduled for the
second quarter of 2005. The chips are priced at $20 each
in quantities of 10,000.
Copyright 2003 CMP Media
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