Samsung Selects Broadcom to Power Its Flagship BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Broadcom’s Highly Integrated Blu-ray™ / HD DVD System-on-a-Chip Resolves the Format War by Enabling Playback of All High Definition Movies

IRVINE, Calif. — Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that its highly integrated Blu-ray™ and HD DVD system-on-a-chip (SoC) has been selected by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. to power the dual format BD-UP5000 Duo high definition (HD) player.

By combining Blu-ray and HD DVD formats into one SoC platform (BCM7440), Broadcom enables media player manufacturers to provide universal high definition DVD players that can playback all HD movie titles regardless of the authoring format. Available in mass production today, the Broadcom® BCM7440 is the only solution whose multiple processor cores fully support both Blu-ray and HD DVD standards in a single SoC, including support for next generation interactive technologies (i.e. BD-Java and HDi) that are being incorporated into Hollywood’s latest title releases.

Blu-ray and HD DVD are the next generation of optical disc formats for recording, rewriting and playing high definition video and digital formats. With two high definition media player options, consumers are currently confused about the competing formats and whether to choose one format over the other. By leveraging the Broadcom BCM7440’s multiple processing cores, media player manufacturers can now design a single high performance platform that is fully capable of meeting the demanding processing requirements of both Blu-ray and HD DVD standards. For consumers, a universal platform resolves the format issue and enables playback of all HD movies.

The complexity involved in combining Blu-ray and HD DVD onto a single-chip solution exemplifies Broadcom’s technical abilities and commitment to this market opportunity. Both formats offer high definition video at 1080p resolution, picture-in-picture video, high definition multi-channel audio, 3D style graphics and enhanced interactive features such as real time director’s comments, pop-up menus, interactive gaming and web-enabled applications. The interactive features utilize sophisticated BD-Java and HDi technologies which require superior processing power in order to deliver a premium user experience.

“Together with Broadcom, Samsung Electronics has now created the world’s best performing dual format high definition DVD player available in the market today,” said Dr. D.H. Shin, Senior Vice President of the Digital AV Division at Samsung Electronics. “Using Broadcom’s BCM7440 SoC, our BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player delivers the ultimate high definition experience for both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats.”

“Powered by the BCM7440, Samsung’s new Duo HD player eliminates consumer confusion by allowing them to enjoy all the latest HD movie titles,” said Peter Besen, Vice President of Broadcom’s Consumer Electronics line of business. “By supporting both HD DVD and Blu-ray at the highest performance levels, Samsung’s BD-UP5000 Duo HD player brings us one step closer to ending the format war.”

BCM7440 Product Information

The BCM7440 incorporates the decoding, processing and memory functions for both Blu-ray and HD DVD media players, eliminating the need for manufacturers to build two different hardware platforms. It is a highly integrated SoC that offers the following advanced features for Blu-ray and HD DVD media players:

  • Single-chip HD SoC solution supports Blu-ray, HD DVD and universal high definition players.
  • Highest performance platform with multiple processors, dual decoders and dedicated graphics engines assures robust applications performance.
  • Robust and proven universal optical disc (UOD) software stack reduces development risks and supports all Blu-ray and HD DVD profiles.
  • Complete hardware and software reference design dramatically reduces OEM/ODM development time.
  • Fully integrated SoC enables lowest cost implementation.

The BCM7440 also supports a wide variety of mandatory audio and video compression standards required for Blu-ray and HD DVD optical disc formats, including H.264/AVC, VC-1, MPEG-2, Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby Tru-HD and DTS-HD. The Blu-ray/HD DVD SoC also provides full backwards compatibility for current DVD video titles as well as DVD-R, DVD-VR and audio CDs.

Samsung BD-UP5000 Product Information

Announced in August 2007, Samsung Electronics introduced its first dual format high definition optical disc player called the BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player. This player is positioned as the flagship product in the company’s growing line of high definition players. The BD-UP5000 fully supports both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats as well as their interactive technologies, HDi and BD-Java. Consumers can now enjoy additional studio content such as trailers, director’s comments, more elaborate interactive menus and behind-the-scene footage.

With the launch of the Duo HD player, Samsung stays true to its commitment to develop products that make life simpler through its breadth of innovative technologies. The Duo HD player blends the benefits of each format (Blu-ray or HD DVD) into a single player, offering access to high definition movie titles regardless of the authoring format.

Links: Broadcom; Samsung