VLSI chipset for satellite settops..................
VLSI TECHNOLOGY: 2nd generation development platform targets
1998 digital satellite TV requirements
M2 PRESSWIRE-10 December 1997-VLSI TECHNOLOGY: 2nd generation development platform targets 1998
digital satellite TV requirements (C)1994-97 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
VLSI Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VLSI) takes its VISTA (VLSI Set-Top Architecture) to its second generation
through a new, comprehensive development platform that combines standard and custom IC products, application
development boards and extensive software support. Stressing low costs and design flexibility, the VISTA '98 platform
targets consumer digital set-top box end products anticipated for introduction in 1998.
"The VISTA '98 platform leverages VLSI's system expertise in delivering systems-on-a-chip solutions for the fast
growing, yet diverse digital video set-top box market," said Umesh Padval, senior vice president and general manager of
the VLSI Consumer Digital Entertainment Division. "VLSI is well positioned to offer flexible solutions optimized to meet
the needs of set-top box makers and service providers for the 1998 market cycle."
Development Platform Combines Low Cost and Flexibility The VISTA '98 platform offers a complete hardware and
software development solution targeting consumer digital video product applications. VISTA '98 standard products can
be designed into consumer end-products as-is or be customized to help customers differentiate their products in the
marketplace.
In developing custom digital video silicon, OEMs can access VLSI reusable core libraries to mix-and-match features to
meet application requirements. In addition to mainstream digital video functions integrated into standard VISTA '98 ICs,
OEMs can reach out to other VLSI intellectual property for data encryption/decryption, computer bus interfaces, data
communications, 2-D graphics, embedded microcontroller and digital signal processing (DSP) cores.
Complementing the design flexibility, the VISTA '98 platform offers a fully programmable software API that allows
designers to build-in features and services highly attractive to end-users. Possibilities include rich on-screen displays
combining overlay text, graphics, hyperlinks, drop-down and pop-up menus. These on-screen interactive controls can
cover all aspects of a TV receiver's functions including audio, closed captioning, integrated TV-VCR control,
picture-in-picture, aspect ratio control, etc. Furthermore, the powerful ARM RISC processor embedded in the
platform's VES2700 system controller chip reduces "command lag" to near zero.
VLSI will make VISTA '98 chip products using its advanced 0.35-micron manufacturing process. This process will
approximately double the density of VISTA '98 chips compared to first generation VISTA products, which are made
using a 0.5-micron process. Increasing chip densities helps reduce the basic VISTA chip count from six to three devices,
lowering costs and increasing the number of features that can be integrated on a given chip. This new level of integration
will play a significant role in trimming satellite set-top box bill-of-materials costs.
1998 Market Drivers VISTA '98 maintains a firm focus on consumer digital video products anticipated for the 1998
market window. Through 1998, satellite will remain the main delivery vehicle for digital TV around the world. Although
the world is in the process of converting from analog to digital TV broadcasting over the next ten years, this will be a
phased migration with satellite digital services emerging first, followed by conversion of cable infrastructure to digital and
ultimately by digital terrestrial broadcasting.
Furthermore, the technical and feature-benefits schedules of individual satellite broadcasting systems vary widely around
the world largely depending on market conditions faced by broadcasters in various national and regional markets. A
satellite broadcasting service designed, for example, to capture viewers away from North America's highly developed
cable and terrestrial broadcast infrastructure will look very different from a system created to bring television for the first
time to developing country viewers.
The VISTA '98 platform's focus on the satellite set-top box opportunity and its flexibility in meeting diverse worldwide
market requirements ideally position it to take advantage of near term needs and offer a strong basis for addressing
emerging digital cable and terrestrial broadcasting applications.
VISTA '98 Chip, Development Board and Software Line Up Standard products introduced under the VISTA '98
umbrella include the VES1893 Digital Satellite Receiver Chip, the VES2700 Integrated Set-top Controller and
VES6100 A/V Decoder. Each chip provides a modular, single chip solution for the three main areas of set-top box
functionality: external signal interface, system control and audio/visual digital-to-analog conversion. Other key platform
elements include development/prototyping boards and rich software development support.
Key features and benefits of the main elements of the VISTA '98 platform include:
VES1893 Digital Satellite Receiver Chip-Targeting satellite video applications, the VES1893 represents an integration of
two previous generation VISTA chips, the VES1877 receiver and VES1643 anti-aliasing filter chip. The VES1893 can
handle digital video data streams from one to 45 MBaud per second; incorporates Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) and
Digital Satellite System (DSS) QPSK and Forward Error Correction (FEC) circuitry; and analog-to-digital converters.
VES2700 Integrated Set-top Controller Chip-This chip integrates an ARM "Thumb" 32-bit RISC microcontroller, I/O
controller and MPEG 2 transport functions on a single IC, reducing the chip count from three to one. The on-chip ARM
Thumb core reduces "command lag" from a viewer's remote control from two seconds to near instantaneously and adds
the processing power needed for OEMs to add software-based value-added features to VISTA-based end products
such as access control, descrambling and IEEE 1394 data communications interface.
VES6100 A/V Decoder-The VES6100 combines MPEG 2 A/V decoding, a universal NTSC/PAL/SECAM video
encoder, closed captioning, rich on-screen displays, teletext and aspect ratio control, again reducing the number of chips
required to perform these functions from two to one.
Horizon Development Board-A complete development-lab-on-a-board, this VISTA '98 platform element incorporates
the VES2700 and VES6100 chips along with DRAM, SRAM, FLASH RAM and VRAM, plus connections for smart
cards, serial and parallel communications, in-circuit emulation and logic analyzer tools, an infrared "remote control"
interface and many other features attuned to the need of set-top box application developers.
Software Development Support-The main elements include tools focused on the ARM RISC controller embedded in the
VES2700 chip. Available VLSI-supplied tools include the VLSI ARM JumpStart=81 application development software,
device driver code and a software-based modem running on the VES2700. The ARM processor integrated into the
VES2700 chip is also compatible with third party real-time operating system and development tool software from a wide
array of independent vendors.
Pricing and Availability VLSI will make samples of the VES1893, VES6100 and VES2700 set-top box chips available
in January 1998 for design into digital video products set for production later in the year. VLSI quotes OEM quantity
pricing at under USD $39 for the complete standard three-part VISTA '98 chipset. For more information on the VISTA
'98 solution, readers should contact VLSI's David Tahmassebi at david.tahmassebi@sanjose.vlsi.com.
About VLSI Technology, Inc. VLSI Technology, Inc. designs and manufactures System-Level Silicon integrated circuits
based on its FSB functional system blocks library. Targeting its offerings toward the communications, consumer digital
entertainment and computing markets, the company offers its customers advanced system-level integration capabilities.
The company is based in San Jose, California, with 1996 revenues from continuing operations of $669 million, and
approximately 2,600 employees worldwide. Visit VLSI's homepage at vlsi.com.
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