Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Carnac who wrote (41633)	5/29/1999 9:27:00 AM
From: BillyG	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50808

Copy protection -- the proverbial fly in the ointment. eetimes.com Sony 1394 chips could boost DTCP encryption scheme By Junko Yoshida EE Times (05/27/99, 1:43 p.m. EDT) SAN JOSE, Calif. — In a move to end the continuing copy-protection debate over digital interfaces for consumer appliances, Sony Electronics this summer will roll out IEEE-1394 chips that secure the transmission of digital audio and video content. The chips could give an edge to the digital transmission content protection (DTCP) scheme over the rival extended conditional access (XCA) approach. Semiconductor divisions of Japan's two consumer-electronics giants — Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. — each launched their own DTCP-enabled IEEE-1394 chips in Japan last year. But Sony's announcement of the CXD-3204 and CXD-3205 versions of its IEEE-1394 chips will mark the company's full-fledged introduction of DTCP-enabled IEEE-1394 devices in the United States. The consumer-electronics industry remains split over competing encryption schemes for digital interfaces. Zenith Electronics Corp., which along with Thomson Consumer Electronics is heading one group of manufacturers fighting over the digital-encryption interface, favors the smart-card-based renewable encryption scheme called XCA. The other group, led by Sony, favors DTCP's encryption-based IEEE-1394 link layer. With the emergence of Sony's DTCP-enabled 1394 chips, many industry sources predict the market may finally start solidifying around that interface to connect digital cable or satellite set-tops, VCRs, DVD players and PCs to DTV sets. This development could come as early as Christmas. "Sony has the first-move advantage," said Jay Srivatsa, senior industry analyst at Dataquest (San Jose, Calif.), a market research firm. "The new DTCP-enabled chips will essentially remove the last stumbling block for the digital-interface debate." "The presence of a real solution available today is a quantum leap in the course of the digital-interface debates," said Jodie Hughes, general manager and senior vice president of the semiconductor business division at Sony Electronics. Mark Kirstein, vice president of research at In-Stat Group (Scottsdale, Ariz.), agreed. "I think XCA is significantly behind in development compared to DTCP. I don't expect to see any XCA production boxes this year." Sony's devices are a single-chip IEEE-1394 controller solution that integrate DTCP technology in the link layer with the physical layer. Designed for use in digital set-top terminals and other digital appliances, the chips support the DTCP-based, secure, two-way transmission of digital content across the IEEE interface at speeds of up to 200 Mbits/second. At a time when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is urging the industries to come to an agreement on compatibility between DTV service provided by cable and other video distribution services and consumer-electronics equipment, Sony's chips could play a critical role in determining the future of digital interfaces that connect a DTV with a set-top box. The DTCP is a specification that defines a cryptographic protocol to protect audio/video entertainment content from illegal copying, interception and tampering as the content traverses such high-performance digital buses as IEEE 1394. Developed by five companies known as the 5Cs — Hitachi Ltd., Intel Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Sony and Toshiba Corp. — the technology is available for licensing in two forms. The "use license" is for system OEMs and the "development intellectual-property license" is for semiconductor companies. Sony has added DTCP's IP-based encryption/decryption block to its IEEE-1394 chips. The CXD-3204, supporting two ports, and the CXD-3205 with three ports, are designed to allow a single chip to control multiple IEEE-1394 interfaces. Both chips encrypt and decrypt digital content in real-time with no load on the consumer appliance's microprocessor. Samples of the CXD-3204 and CXD-3205 are priced at $25 and $30 respectively. Volume shipments are slated for August. With companies such as AT&T, an emerging cable power, planning to deploy millions of digital set-tops next year, it appears that the cable industry's consensus is also forming around the 5C scheme. "I don't see a solution [to the copy-protection problem] besides 5C," said Laurie Schwartz Priddy, senior vice president for advanced technology at AT&T Broadband & Internet Services. Sony's IEEE-1394 chips are based on the "proven design" of Sony's CXD-3201R, a separate link layer chip with a DTCP encryption/decryption feature, launched in Japan late last year, according to Sony's Hughes. That chip was designed into Sony's SkyPerfect TV digital set-tops, Hughes said. There are other notable features to the new chips. By integrating the link layer and the physical layer in a single-chip IEEE-1394 controller, each new version of the chip is offered in a compact low-voltage package. Another important element is that the solutions support isochronous data transfer. "This is absolutely essential to manage a live video transmission reliably, offering as high a level of performance as possible," said Hughes. Sony is thinking ahead by anticipating that its new IEEE-1394 chips will be used in home servers or advanced set-tops functioning as a gateway or bridge to the home-network applications. Each chip is designed to handle simultaneous transfer of two isochronous signals. Thus, when the chip is used in home servers, for example, it can allow for simultaneous recording and playback, or simultaneous playback of two signals. Multiple ports made available on the chips also enable connection to multiple appliances to form a home network. The CXD-3205 device with three ports, for example, could function more as a master controller in the home network, said Hughes. The CXD-3204, meanwhile, incorporates both parallel and serial input/outputs for MPEG transport streams, making it functional for digital set-tops and other applications. Both CXD-3205 and CXD-3204 integrate the IEC958 audio interface, previously known as the Sony-Philips Digital Interface. —Additional reporting by George Leopold "May you have copy protection in the products you sell, and none in your home unit". FredE

To: Carnac who wrote (41633)	6/2/1999 8:14:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

Philips was working on an encoder that was I-Frame only. Philips has an encoder(board?) that does IBP...................... Amber encodes analog footage in real-time using Main Profile at Main Level MPEG-2, also called MP@ML. While other MPEG-2 systems use I-frame or IP-frame only, MP@ML provides true IBP frame format. digitalproducer.com Canopus Ships Amber MPEG-2 Archiving and Mastering Kit Real-time MPEG-2 encoding solution priced at $2,499 includes Panasonic DVD-RAM drive San Jose, Calif. - Canopus Corporation announced it has begun shipping the Amber MPEG-2 Archiving and Mastering Kit, a real-time MPEG-2 encoding and mastering solution priced at $2499. To provide videographers with a comprehensive solution for capturing DV and analog productions in MPEG-2 format and saving them on DVD-RAM instead of the host computer or tape, Canopus has teamed with Panasonic to include the Panasonic LF-D101 DVD-RAM drive as part of the Amber Kit. In addition, Canopus is giving current users of its DVRex-M1 and DVRaptor non-linear editing systems a $300 rebate on the purchase of the Amber MPEG-2 Archiving and Mastering Kit. Real-Time, VBR Encoding System Provides Exceptional Quality Video and Audio The heart of the Amber Kit is Amber, an add-in PCI board and software that supports Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98. Targeted at professional and semi-professional videographers, Amber is based on the new MN85560 MPEG-2 encoder chip from Panasonic in combination with Canopus' MPEG audio encoding technology to deliver the high-quality video and audio output required for archiving and mastering. Amber encodes analog footage in real-time using Main Profile at Main Level MPEG-2, also called MP@ML. While other MPEG-2 systems use I-frame or IP-frame only, MP@ML provides true IBP frame format. Encoding in MP@ML provides the highest quality at the lowest bandwidth. With variable and constant bit rate options (from 1Mbps to 15Mbps), users can adjust the bandwidth depending on the complexity of the video. Variable bit rate encoding is one of the most effective techniques used to maintain video quality while reducing file size. On the audio front, unlike its competitors who capture in PCM format, Amber captures in true MPEG Layer II format up to 48khz at 16 bits. This eliminates the need to re-render in order to convert the audio into MPEG format. Amber has an easy-to-understand user interface that provides complete control of the MPEG-2 compression process, along with preview before and during encoding. With Composite and S-video inputs, Amber is scalable up to full resolution in NTSC and PAL formats. Amber's high-quality MPEG-2 video output streams can also be used with DVD authoring and satellite distribution systems. Amber is a great addition to Canopus' DV non-linear editing solutions, DVRex-M1 and DVRaptor. The Amber kit allows Canopus editors to maintain data in DV format - the original acquisition format - during the editing process. To achieve the best output quality, it is important to minimize the number of times users convert their source material to another format in the editing process. Each unnecessary digital-to-analog, analog-to-digital step, or transcoding between compression formats, decreases quality. Since MPEG-2 is currently regarded as the best format for video archiving and distribution, the appropriate solution to achieve maximum quality output is to edit in native DV format and save the final master in MPEG-2. Store and Distribute Video Content for Less than a Penny Per Megabyte The Amber Kit provides videographers with a high-quality, efficient means of storing video productions and digital content on DVD-RAM. Because the Panasonic DVD-RAM drive provides high capacity and a low storage cost, it's ideal for backup and low-cost distribution of video productions. By using Removable DVD-RAM for mastering and archiving instead of expensive and space-limited hard drives or poor quality VHS tape, users maintain the highest quality possible and gain a tremendous amount of flexibility. The Amber MPEG-2 Archiving and Mastering Kit also allows videographers to clean up their tape archives easily and inexpensively. Users simply transfer tapes from analog to digital using Amber to reduce the size of the files, then transfer these files to the Panasonic DVD-RAM. Fully compliant with the specifications of the DVD-RAM format, the Panasonic LF-D101 drive provides a data transfer rate of up to 10.5Mbps and a 120ms average seek time. To further enhance performance, the drive includes a 2MB buffer. In addition to being an excellent archiving or mastering solution for real-time video, the drive's high capacity and performance make it ideal for storing renderings, scanned photos, illustrations, and animated designs, as well as files downloaded from the Web and large data files. Extremely versatile, the drive provides an upgrade path to the future higher capacities and backward compatibility with CD-technology. The Panasonic brand removable double-sided 5.2GB disc is enclosed in a cartridge and has an MSRP of $39.95. The Panasonic brand 2.6GB single-sided disc (equivalent to one hour of digital video) has an MSRP of $24.95 and is sold with removable cartridge. One 5.2GB disc is included in the Amber Kit. Availability The Amber Archiving and Mastering Kit is available now directly from Canopus. Contact the company at (408) 954-4500 or visit their Web site at www.canopuscorp.com for more information. An OEM/SI configuration is also available with full SDK for vertical applications. About Panasonic The Panasonic DVD-RAM OEM drive is manufactured by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd (NYSE:MC) company, one of the world's leading producers of CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives and other digital electronic products. The drives are marketed by the company's principal North American subsidiary, Matsushita Electric Corp. of America. Worldwide, Matsushita has more than 275,000 employees and recorded sales of $59.7 billion during the past fiscal year. For complete information on the Panasonic DVD-RAM drive and media, contact Panasonic Industrial Company, 1600 McCandless Drive, Milpitas, CA 99035; (408) 942-2926, FAX (408) 262-4214, E-mail sales@panasonic.com. Or, visit the company's Web site at www.panasonic.com. In Canada, contact Panasonic Canada, 5770 Ambler Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2T3, Canada; (905) 238-2254, FAX (905) 238-2414, E-mail rkwong@panasonic.ca. About Canopus Corporation Based in San Jose, Calif., Canopus Corporation designs and manufactures video editing products for the video professional and prosumer. These products combine innovative hardware and software designs to set new standards in performance, functionality and reliability. Canopus Corporation's parent company, Canopus Co., Ltd., with headquarters in Kobe, is Japan's largest maker of graphics and video editing products. In addition to offering retail products, Canopus is positioned to provide flexible solutions to OEMs. These range from manufacturing products to licensing drivers, applications and hardware designs. OEM customers include Data East, Micron Electronics, miroMEDIA GmbH, NEC, and Sierra On-Line. For more information contact Canopus at (408) 954-4500 or visit their Web site at www.canopuscorp.com.