Trident Integrates uDTA Support in its DTA Chipsets for Cable

New Trident Chipsets Represent the Industry’s First “Universal Digital Transport Adapter” for the Next Generation of Converter Boxes

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Trident Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRID), a leader in high-performance semiconductor system solutions for the connected home, today announced that its cable set-top box (STB) chipset, the CX24482, is the industry’s first solution to offer universal Digital Transport Adapter (uDTA) support, which is required in Comcast’s next generation of digital transport adapters. By utilizing the industry-first uDTA solution from Trident, Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) will be able to advance the deployment of analog-to-digital converter boxes across its footprint while providing universal support for multiple security systems and encryption of digital content.

“Comcast is very excited to be leading the charge in offering universal DTA technology to our customers as we continue transitioning from analog to digital television broadcasting,” said Steve Reynolds, Senior Vice President of Customer Premise Equipment at Comcast Cable. “These universal adapters take advantage of Trident’s uDTA chipset to allow Comcast to reclaim the bandwidth needed to provide digital services into millions of homes across our entire network infrastructure.”

Mark Samuel, vice president and general manager, set-top box business unit for Trident, said, “Trident is committed to continually offering cable service providers and operators with the most advanced and secure technologies that allow them to bring more services and features into homes. We are pleased to see our uDTA solution being deployed in volume today by Comcast and helping to create bandwidth for the next generation of digital entertainment in the home. We look forward to working with our partners to enable this powerful new technology across the entire cable industry.”

About the CX24482 Chipset

The CX24482 chipset was designed to help the cable industry transition its extensive cable network from analog to digital services. Digital services are widely accepted as the best way to deliver increased bandwidth, improved picture quality, more programming options, emergency services, and more. Comcast began rolling out its first DTA converters last year, and is now able to significantly accelerate that effort by offering universal DTA boxes that support multiple security systems across its entire network.

The CX24482 is a fully-integrated, single chip cable STB IC offering robust security management. The CX24482 has achieved full certification from Cisco Systems and CCAD (Combined Conditional Access Deployment and Support, LLC), a joint venture between Comcast and Motorola that develops security technology for cable and consumer devices. In addition, the chipset has a DVB-compliant transport stream process with MPEG2 (MP@ML) video decoder and an MPEG2/Dolby AC3 audio decoder.

Availability and Deployment

The Trident-powered uDTA converter boxes have already been fully qualified by Comcast and are being deployed throughout the Comcast nationwide network today.