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To: John Rieman who wrote (39772)	4/12/1999 6:39:00 PM
From: BillyG	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 50808

Philips rolls second-generation DTV chip set eetimes.com By George Leopold EE Times (04/12/99, 11:34 a.m. EDT) SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Several years of testing and deployment of digital-TV services are yielding second-generation chip sets designed to improve reception of digital broadcast signals. Philips Semiconductors, for instance, today will unveil a two-chip front-end device designed to improve indoor reception of DTV broadcast signals. The hybrid analog and digital chip set includes an input processor and a DTV demodulator/decoder. The product supports the Advanced Television Systems Committee's vestigial sideband (VSB) demodulator standard as well as NTSC channel decoding for analog sets. Simon Wegerif, Philips Semiconductors' manager of product marketing and business development, said the chip set provides more-rugged reception of DTV broadcast signals by overcoming multipath signal interference. DTV testing has turned up significant problems on that front, particularly in New York and other large cities where the first digital broadcasts originated. The digital front end improves reception, Wegerif said, by extracting the synchronization pulse from a DTV signal. A "complex" equalizer then reduces the worst effects of multipath interference. The result, said the Philips executive, is more-reliable performance in second-generation DTV receivers. Reduces chip count Philips also said its input processor is intended to reduce chip count, eliminating many components by integrating NTSC decoding, an IF circuit, picture and sound demodulation, and VSB down conversion into a single device. The reduced chip count could cut DTV receiver manufacturers' costs by 20 percent, Wegerif estimated. Philips has been developing low-component-count reference designs aimed at slashing today's high prices for DTV receivers. The chip maker is in talks with "a lot of manufacturers" about design-ins of the chip set, Wegerif said, but he declined to identify potential customers. Yet the chip set also handles analog NTSC signals. "Since the transition to DTV will not happen overnight, we recognize the need to continue handling the analog signals found in homes today," Wegerif said. The NTSC demodulator/decoder is also designed to cancel NTSC co-channel interference. Philips said the chip set supports parallel (8-bit) or serial MPEG-2 transport-stream output and includes an I2C-bus interface. It also supports format conversion for analog devices such as VCRs as well as cable-TV and set-top boxes. Backward compatibility is necessary to support potential input devices favored by consumers, Philips said. As digital-TV receiver costs slowly start to drop, greater attention could turn to using the ATSC signal to relay data to users. "We're seeing more interest in data-broadcast services," Wegerif said. Medium-scale trials of about 1,000 DTV receivers could start as early as this year.

To: John Rieman who wrote (39772)	4/13/1999 12:40:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

From Marks Monday Memo... - EchoStar announced at last week's SkyForum conference in New York that it is dropping plans for a combination satellite receiver/DVD player. - I have a question: If DVD-player sales to dealers are running 255% ahead of last year, stores are complaining of player shortages, and everyone is complaining about profit margins, why is there a promotion? - WTNH, in New Haven, Connecticut, which I didn't even know was transmitting DTV yet, supposedly has come up with a first: a multicast of ABC's 720p HD feed (or upconverted NTSC) with an additional two streams of SDTV programming. I hope my recollection is correct on this next part (I accidentally deleted the message): I think the system was put together by Thomcast with DiviCom compression. Please let me know if I'm wrong. - Mitsubishi plans to offer an HDTV home disk recorder in Japan by the end of next year (2000) for under $2,000.

To: John Rieman who wrote (39772)	4/13/1999 1:19:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

Encoder pricing pressure? Are these guys feeling the heat? NEL Reduces Price on Streaming MPEG2 Encoder 04/13/99 PR Newswire (Copyright (c) 1999, PR Newswire) TOKYO, April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- NTT Electronics (NEL) today announced a new, lower price for their Reimay streaming MPEG2 encoder . The Reimay MPEG2 encoder now has a list price of $9995. The Reimay encoder uses the NEL MPEG2 encoder chip set to achieve very low latency (delay) required in networked video and streaming video applications. The company claims the new lower price is reflective of their increased volume of sales from their growing customer base. The Reimay encoder is highly optimized for live networked video applications such as distance learning and video conferencing. The Reimay supports IP multicasting over Ethernet and ATM multiple boards per computer, low latency and on board transport layer processing. The Reimay is a single slot, real time MPEG2 encoder that operates as a bus master and features full plug and play support. About NTT Electronics Corporation NTT Electronics Corporation (NEL) is a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NYSE: NTT) with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan and a sales representative in Rocky River Ohio, USA. NEL is engaged in advanced technological development and production covering a wide range of areas in both hardware and software, including media processing technology for audio/image data, network technology including ATM communications, ultra high- speed GaAs devices for optical transmission systems, information network security, LAN, and high-performance LSI and ASICs. Contact: /CONTACT: Ray Harris, Business Development Manager of NTT Electronics Corporation, 440-333-1550, or Rharris@northshore97.com/ 11:55 EDT