TeraLogic Announces Next Generation Digital TV Reference Platform and Advanced DTV Decoder IC
11/09/98
PR Newswire
(Copyright (c) 1998, PR Newswire)
Cougar Platform and Powerful TL850 DTV Decoder Allow OEMs to Rapidly Develop
PersonalJava and Windows CE Compliant Set-Tops, DTV Sets and DTV/PC
Convergence Products
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- TeraLogic, Inc., a leading developer of technology solutions for digital television (DTV) and other consumer electronics applications, today unveiled the Cougar Digital Television Reference Platform. The Cougar platform is designed to give OEMs a time-to-market advantage in developing next generation digital TVs, set-tops and DTV/PC systems that outperform existing DTV solutions in cost, features and multimedia capabilities.
Leading organizations, component and set-top box manufacturers and software and PC graphics suppliers have co-operated with TeraLogic on the development of the Cougar platform. Among these partners are Sun, General Instrument, NEC, Planetweb, QED and Oren.
The "open architecture" Cougar platform leverages the advanced capabilities of TeraLogic's new TL850 integrated DTV decoder IC. The TL850 employs approximately ten million transistors to perform all-format decoding (up to 1080I), delivers high-end 2D/3D graphics processing and allows the display of multiple camera angles to add special interest for viewers. The Cougar architecture incorporates hardware, software and peripherals to offer multimedia capabilities, such as interactive data services, e-mail, electronic programming guides, online shopping, Web browsing, animation, games, etc. The Cougar and TL850 platform complies with U.S. (ATSC) and international (ARIB, DVB) DTV standards, supports the complete range of standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) DTV and PC display formats and is compatible with a wide range of CPUs and operating systems.
"The Cougar development platform and the TL850 address the very issues we face in designing next generation DTV systems," said Ly Tran, Senior Director Engineering of the Commercial Network Products of General Instrument. "With interactive multimedia capabilities and a complete solution approach, the Cougar Platform can save engineering teams months of hardware and software development effort toward an entire product line of high- to low-end DTV models for the U.S., European or Japanese markets."
Bud Tribble, Vice President of Consumer and Embedded Architecture and Technology for Sun Microsystems, commented, "The Cougar platform offers digital television manufacturers the best of both worlds -- a complete development solution that will allow them to get next generation DTV products to market more quickly, and the flexibility to choose the components and software that fit their specific customer needs. It's clear that Cougar's open platform approach will facilitate the use of APIs, like PersonalJava, to develop applications for DTV that exploit the advanced capabilities of the TL850."
The Cougar development platform and the TL850 intend to comply with the OpenCable(TM) specification and will support the vision of advanced, interoperable services. OpenCable(TM) is an effort under CableLabs(R), a research and development consortium of cable television system operators, to specify the next-generation digital devices for the home that will support digital cable services and systems with an open design and well-defined specification to allow interoperability and promote competition among system suppliers.
"TeraLogic's open architecture strategy is in line with that of the OpenCable project. Their support of the OpenCable process and their willingness to contribute their expertise is a great benefit to the OpenCable effort," said Laurie Schwartz, Vice President, Advanced Platforms and Services and OpenCable project lead.
Cougar Platform Key Features and Benefits
The Cougar platform offers a complete, programmable and scalable next generation DTV development solution intended to help manufacturers address such critical design issues as cost, graphics, memory reduction and compliance with multiple broadcast standards and display formats. Selected key features and benefits include:
Modular, PCI-based Design for Fast Time-to-Market and Design Flexibility
* The TL850 transport/audio/video/graphics PCI-based card for standalone
use with PCs or combined with other Cougar cards for TV-based
applications
* MIPS5000 CPU card with floating point performance, 16MB flash, 16MB
SDRAM
* Peripheral motherboard (VSB/QAM/QPSK NIM, IEEE 1394, 10/100BaseT
Ethernet, parallel, USB, PCMCIA, IR remote and smart cards)
* Empty PCI slot for additional peripherals
All Format and Multichannel Video and Audio Decoding
* Compliance with all 18 ATSC formats (standard definition and high
definition), upcoming DTV standards (ARIB, OpenCable, DVB), and many PC
display formats
* MPEG2 MP@HL video/audio decoding for all HDTV formats
* ATSC/DVB/DSS transport decoding
* Up/down conversion to all ATSC and PC display formats with minimal
memory
* Capability to decode and display four 480I (SD) channels simultaneously
for multiple camera angles or one HD movie and one NTSC (480I) channel
simultaneously
* High-performance audio capabilities, including Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC-3),
Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Virtual, MUSICAM and AAC decoding
Superior 2D and 3D Graphics and Alpha Blending
* High-performance 32-bit graphics processor is built into the TL850 for
creating 3D effects, rendering advanced electronic program guides, data
services applications, Web browsing, games, online shopping and banking
* Video scaler, picture-in-picture (PIP), anti-flicker filter
* Compelling user interface due to faster response time, capability to
perform seamless integration of video and multimedia graphics content
and easier navigation of menu objects
* Up-conversion of traditional NTSC/PAL signal and overlay with HDTV
graphics
Open CPU/Open OS Approach
* "Open architecture" platform allows OEMs to select the most appropriate
CPU, PCI-based cards and operating systems for their intended
applications/customers
* Hardware/software design optimized for and compliant with next
generation APIs, including PersonalJava, Windows CE and VxWorks
Complete Package of Software Resources
* Device drivers, RTOS APIs and application software to demonstrate HD
set-top functionality
* ATSC transport demux software (PSIP, PES and A/V)
* Channel navigation application
* Third-party software such as electronic program guides, browsers and
e-mail based on Windows CE, PersonalJava and Planetweb APIs
About the TL850
The TeraLogic TL850 is the newest member of TeraLogic's DTV IC family. On a single chip, the TL850 combines 2D/3D graphics, MPEG -2 MP@HL decoder, DVB/DSS/ATSC transport, up/down conversion between all ATSC DTV and PC formats, and support for 5.1 channel Dolby Digital (AC3), MUSICAM and AAC audio. The TL850 can simultaneously decode and display one HD movie and one NTSC (480I) channel or four 480I channels. In addition, the TL850's two video outputs allow the unique capability of viewing a TV signal in high definition while simultaneously recording a down-converted signal on existing VHS VCRs. The heart of the Cougar DTV platform, the TL850 is designed to be a complete, cost-effective and multi-standard DTV decoding solution with minimal system memory requirements.
For professional DTV equipment, TeraLogic offers the TL855 as its HDTV decoder with 4:2:2 studio-quality video output mode. The TL855 is pin and feature compatible with the TL850.
Availability
The Cougar DTV reference platform and TL850 are slated for the end of this year. Demonstrations of TeraLogic's DTV products and technologies will take place at InterBEE in Tokyo, Japan, from November 11-13, the Western Cable Show in Anaheim, Calif., from December 2-4 and CES in Las Vegas, Nev., from January 7-9. End products based on the TL850 and the Cougar platform are expected to be sold by TeraLogic's OEM customers in mid-1999.
About TeraLogic, Inc.
Founded in 1996, TeraLogic, Inc. is a leading semiconductor venture focused on providing critical technology to enable advances in the consumer electronics market. The Company designs and develops integrated circuits -- and provides reference designs -- for sale to leading consumer electronics OEMs of advanced TVs, set-top boxes and PC-TV convergence products. TeraLogic's ICs can be used both to provide enhanced digital capabilities to existing TVs and as the basis for advanced, high-definition digital TV systems. The Company is also a technology leader in JPEG2000, which is developing the next-generation, world digital imaging standard.
Headquartered in Mountain View, California, TeraLogic currently has over 70 employees. More information about TeraLogic may be obtained by calling the Company directly at 650-526-2000 or by visiting the Company's website at www.teralogic-inc.com.
NOTE: Company or product names have been used for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
/CONTACT: Mary Mansson of TeraLogic, Inc., 650-526-6055; or Kevin Pedraja of Sterling Communications, Inc., 408-441-4100, for TeraLogic, Inc./ 08:04 EST
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