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7th January 2005 - STMicroelectronics announced the
world's first single-chip Set-top Box (STB) solution
supporting the High Definition H.264/AVC and VC1 specifications,
which are poised to enable the next generation of high
quality consumer video systems and broadcast services.
ST is the world's leading supplier of ICs for set-top
boxes*, and the introduction of the new STB7100 allows
manufacturers to in-troduce products that will enable
this market.
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The extraordinary level of integration of the
new device - which combines all the STB func-tions
and multi-standard decoding circuitry into a single
chip, rather than being an add-on processor for
an existing product - coupled with its production
using ST's state-of-the-art 90nm process technology,
results in the most cost-efficient solution and
minimizes both de-sign and production costs for
STB makers.
Both VC1 - Microsoft's Windows Media 9 Series
codec - and the H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding)
standard, also known as MPEG-4 Part 10, are ultra-efficient,
fully scalable video technologies that produces
high quality video at lower data rates than current
solutions for everything from HDTV and DVD to
3G (third generation) mobile phones. Services
broad-cast using H.264 use considerably less bandwidth
than the currently widely used MPEG-2 coding scheme,
and at a much lower bitrate, allowing broadcasters
to economically transmit more high definition
programming. Compression efficiency is improved
by more than 50%.
The latest advanced codec technologies for DVD-Audio
and DVD security encryption are embedded in the
new decoder, and the use of a powerful ST40 CPU
makes the STB7100 the ideal platform for Car Multimedia
Centers able to directly drive - as a Master device
- appli-cations such as GPS, at the same time
as handling DVD and audio.
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www.mobileguru.co.uk - IMG:
STB7100
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"By creating our STB7100 H.264 solution as a single
chip in 90nm technology instead of tak-ing the simpler
co-processor path, ST is providing manufacturers with
by far the most cost-effective base for their products
in this market," said Christos Lagomichos, General
Manager of ST's Set-Top Box Division. "The demand
for new H.264 and VC1 video codec chips is in-credible,
and the availability of the STB7100 means that consumers
will soon have HDTV boxes, IP-TV and DVDs that use the
latest standard, and broadcasters will be encouraged
to further develop their services. And this is the ideal
platform for the HD-DVD and Blue-Ray DVD technologies."
The STB7100 can simultaneously decode multiple HD streams
and output the resultant video to two television sets,
or display picture-in-picture. Its CPU core is a high-performance
300MHz ST40, ST's 32-bit RISC family based on the SuperH™
architecture and widely used across digital consumer
applications. It supports all of the current STB operating
systems and middleware, with power to spare for software
enhancements in the future.
The new device is based on an innovative video decoding
architecture which combines hard-ware and software techniques
to allow systems to be upgraded in the field to support
new standards as they become available. For Digital
Video Recorder (DVR) applications it fea-tures embedded
peripheral interfaces - including serial, ATA and USB
2.0 - to allow external devices to be added easily to
an STB or DVD player, either during manufacture or by
the viewer, in order to provide additional functionality.
Viewers increasingly use digital video re-cording for
program time shifting. Other peripherals that could
be connected to a set-top box through the USB interface
include digital cameras, printers, and memory cards.
The latest advanced codec technologies for DVD-Audio
and DVD security encryption are also embedded in the
new decoder, and the use of the powerful ST40 CPU makes
the STB7100 the ideal platform for Car Multimedia Centers
able to directly drive - as Master de-vice - applications
such as GPS, at same time as handling DVD and audio.
It is a true multi-ple application chip.
The STB7100 is available now in sample quantities in
a 35 x 35 PBGA package and costs $29 when purchased
in large volumes. Volume production is planned for early
2005.
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 strate-gic
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 Ex-change. In
2003, the Company's net revenues were $7.24 billion
and net earnings were $253 million.
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