LSI Logic and News Datacom Team to Provide Conditional Access to LSI Logic's IntegraT Chip for TV Set-Top Boxes
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New Chip Makes Digital Broadcasting Highly Secure
MILPITAS, CA- Sept 9, 1996 - LSI Logic Corporation, developer of advanced digital chips for the consumer electronics industry, today announced agreement with News Datacom (NDC) to integrate NDC's proprietary Conditional Access (CA) technology into LSI Logic's IntegraT TV set-top box chipset. Conditional access, one of the key functions within a set-top, carries out scrambling and descrambling of television signals to prevent unauthorized reception. The new chip will give digital television broadcasters added security since the conditional access features are embedded deep within the silicon, making it difficult to gain unauthorized access through reverse engineering.
NDC, a subsidiary of News Digital Systems, the digital broadcasting technology company owned by News Corporation, is a major provider of conditional access technology worldwide. Its conditional access is being used by major satellite broadcasting services such as BSkyB, StarTV and DIRECTV. This new chip will be available to all NDC licensees at the end of 1996.
LSI Logic will use its CoreWarer design program to integrate NDC's conditional access features into one of the Integra chips, called TEC: Transport, Embedded Central processing unit and Control chip. The TEC chip integrates several pre-tested building blocks including a transport demultiplexer, a 32-bit MiniRISCT microprocessor, a DVB-compliant descrambler and peripheral control circuitry - all on a single chip.
TEC was originally developed using CoreWare methodology, and is based on the industry standard MIPS RISC open architecture. The CoreWare process accelerates development by integrating pre-tested building blocks, or cores, into a complex system on a chip. The chip retains its flexibility and can easily be re-used in future designs. Engineering teams from LSI Logic and NDC plan to leverage this open, flexible design to incorporate the conditional access technology. Despite the added functionality, the entire product will remain a single chip ensuring cost-effectiveness and easing system-level integration.
"Cost and time to market are crucial to set-top box manufacturers and NDC works with leading silicon vendors like LSI Logic to offer effective solutions," said Abe Peled, Chief Executive Officer of News Digital Systems.
"We're excited to be combining our successful Integra chips with NDC's unparalleled experience in CA technology," said Amnon Fisher, Vice President and General Manager of LSI Logic's Consumer Products Division. "As we converge towards a single chip solution for a universal set-top box, relationships with leading-edge companies like NDC will ensure our solution has powerful functionality, yet remains open, flexible and compliant to all industry standards and CA systems worldwide."
LSI Logic's Integra chipset consolidates an entire set-top box into a cost-effective, highly integrated three chip solution that can be used for any satellite, cable or telco box. The chipset is compliant with all open industry standards such as MPEG, DVB and JSAT, allowing manufacturers to reduce costs by using one design for a worldwide market. The Integra solution consists of a TEC chip, an enhanced MPEG-2 audio/video decoder and a single chip front end receiver that includes a digital demodulator and forward error correction circuitry.
Availability
The TEC chip with NDC's proprietary conditional access technology will be available at the end of 1996. It will be pinout and software compatible with all other Integra chips, allowing manufacturers to start set-top box design and development immediately. The TEC chip without conditional access is available today. The Integra architecture is supported with LSI Logic's SDP 1000 development platform which reduces product development cycle time by allowing manufacturers to concurrently develop hardware and software for the set-top.
News Datacom Company Background
Founded in 1988, News Datacom is a world leader in conditional-access systems for analogue and digital TV. The company is headquartered in the UK and is part of News Digital Systems (NDS), the wholly owned technology subsidiary of News International plc, the multinational media and communications group.
LSI Logic Company Background
LSI Logic Corporation (NYSE:LSI), The System on a Chip CompanyT, is a leading supplier of custom high-performance semiconductors, with operations worldwide. The company enables customers to build complete systems on a single chip with its CoreWare( design program, thereby increasing performance, lowering system costs and accelerating time to market. LSI Logic develops application-optimized products in partnership with trendsetting customers, and operates leading-edge, high-volume manufacturing facilities to produce submicron chips. The company maintains a high level of quality, as demonstrated by its ISO 9000 certifications. LSI Logic is headquartered at 1551 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, California 95035, 408-433-8000, lsilogic.com.
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