New DVD/MPEG-2 chip from Sigma. Will probably replace the IBM chip they have been using:
biz.yahoo.com
Tuesday March 24, 8:05 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Sigma Designs Announces Single-Chip REALmagic
DVD/MPEG-2 Decoder
Most Highly Integrated Single-Chip DVD Solution Available -- Includes PCI
Interface, MPEG-2 Decoder, and Scalar on One IC; Product to be Launched
at WinHEC 98
FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 1998-- Sigma Designs, Inc. (Nasdaq:SIGM
- news), a leader in digital video solutions for personal computers, today announced the EM8300
REALmagic DVD/MPEG-2/MPEG-1 decoder IC. Integrating virtually all functions of a DVD
decoder on one chip, the EM8300 includes a PCI 2.1 master/slave interface, VMI 1.4 interface,
MPEG-2 decoder, and a video scalar with bilinear interpolation filtering in both X and Y directions
on a single IC. The Sigma Designs EM8300 performs all MPEG decompression in both PAL and
NTSC modes and video frame rate conversion with only 2 MB of memory. With its built-in S/PDIF
encoder, it will turn a PC into a full-featured home theater DVD player that fully exploits all of the
digital video and digital surround sound capabilities of DVD. The EM8300 will be demonstrated at
WinHEC 98, March 25-27, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. in Sigma
Designs' Booth No. 432.
The feature-packed EM8300 DVD decoder is fully DVD compliant, providing CSS copy
protection, sub-picture processing, letterbox, Pan & Scan and alpha-blending. The IC produces
flexible video output rate from interlaced NTSC/PAL to non-interlaced VGA with bob and weave
filter, vertical refresh rate up to 120 Hz, resolution up to 1600 x 1200, and pixel clock up to 80 MHz
for sharp and clear video image quality. On-chip digital controls adjust brightness, contrast, and color
saturation.
''The DVD market is continuing to grow significantly. At the same time, PCs and high quality home
entertainment systems continue their path toward convergence,'' commented Thinh Tran, Sigma
Designs' Chairman and CEO. ''Consequently, we believe that graphic card and motherboard
suppliers need a comprehensive DVD solution. The EM8300 will complement Sigma's
industry-leading DVD board level products by providing a highly integrated, cost effective, and the
highest quality DVD solution that is available today.''
Industry-Leading Features
The EM8300 feature set draws on Sigma's industry-leading experience in the DVD/MPEG-2 market
with such designs as REALmagic Ventura and REALmagic Hollywood. The result is a blend of
performance and affordability. Reducing external components to a bare minimum, the EM8300
includes an on-chip PCI 2.1 master/slave interface; scaling up to 1600 x 1200 resolution with bilinear
interpolation filtering in both X and Y directions; NTSC, PAL, and VGA frame rate converter with
bob and weave de-interlacing technology; digital brightness, contrast, color, and gamma controls,
and DDC support. Dolby digital stereo and S/PDIF audio outputs ensure compatibility with most
high-end home theater systems.
''Sigma has established itself as the technology and quality leader in the DVD/MPEG market and has
long been a driving force behind advancement of MPEG technology,'' continued Tran. ''EM8300 is
the latest demonstration that Sigma continues to leverage its technology leadership to meet the
growing needs of this new and dynamic market by providing the best DVD picture quality ever seen
on computer monitors.''
Based on an embedded 66 mips RISC core, the EM8300 is capable of up to 20 Mbps sustained
input channel data rate for very high video quality. Fabricated in power-saving 0.35 micron, CMOS,
the EM8300 is supplied in a 208 pin TQFP package.
Comprehensive Reference Design and OEM Manufacturing Kit
Facilitating the development of systems based on the EM8300, a complete turnkey reference design
is available from Sigma Designs. A comprehensive hardware and software solution completely ready
for manufacturing, the reference design includes an evaluation board, schematics, Gerber printed
circuit board plots, drivers, and Sigma's DVD-Station software.
DVD-Station is an easy-to-use program for DVD navigation and control. With DVD-Station, PC
users can take full advantage of interactive DVD features, using simple VCR-like controls to chose
the sound track and subtitle language, select viewing aspect ratios, and change viewing angles. The
user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. Users can also use DVD-Station menus to exercise
parental control and perform search commands.
DVD System Design Alternatives
The EM8300 is an ideal solution for DVD implementations including Analog Overlay, Digital
Overlay, and VMI Bus applications. For VGA Analog Overlay designs, Sigma provides a new
companion device, the Sigma EM9010 Analog Overlay chip. Analog overlay technology eliminates
all compatibility issues with existing graphics controllers.
Samples of the EM8300 and EM9010 are available, and mass production is slated for Q2'98.
EM8300 is expected to be available in 1000-piece quantities at $39 per piece. |
