Broadcom's Satellite System-On-A-Chip Provides the Highest Level of System Integration for Low Cost, High Definition Satellite Set-Top Boxes

New 65 Nanometer Solution Features the Latest HD AVC Technology to Support Multiple Video Formats and a 50% Reduction in Power Consumption

IRVINE, Calif. — Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new single-channel, multi-format high definition (HD) satellite receiver chip that enables manufacturers to develop low cost satellite set-top boxes (STBs). The new satellite system-on-a-chip (SoC) is manufactured in 65 nanometer (nm) process technology and includes the highest level of functionality, fully integrating a single tuner/demodulator, as well as the latest AVC (advanced video coding) decoder that supports multiple video formats. By reducing the number of components required to develop satellite set-top box products, Broadcom has reduced power consumption by more than 50% over competing solutions, lowering system bill of materials (BOM) cost while reducing the complexity and size of designing next generation satellite STBs.

The new single-chip Broadcom® BCM7325 satellite receiver enables unmatched functionality for direct broadcast satellite (DBS) set-top boxes and supports multiple formats including the DVB-S, DVB-S2 and 8PSK standards. With capabilities that go beyond current DVB-S2 silicon implementations for both integration and performance, the BCM7325 offers STB manufacturers a significantly lower cost solution for the development of DVB-S2 capable set-top boxes. Built around previous generations of Broadcom digital cable and satellite STB chips and technology, service providers that deploy set-top boxes designed around the BCM7325 can cost effectively provide their subscribers with advanced HD television viewing features and improved picture quality.

“Broadcom continues to fuel the satellite industry and is leading the technology evolution with highly integrated single-chip solutions that reduce power, PCB size and complexity along with overall system cost,” said Nicholas Dunn, Director of Marketing for Broadcom’s Satellite Set-Top Box line of business. “The BCM7325 offers the highest level of functionality in a single chip and enables service providers to make the most advanced features available to their subscribers, providing an enhanced viewing experience.”

“Digital satellite set-top box shipments are expected to exceed 81 million units, with a 7.7 percent increase worldwide from 2007 to 2008. With the increased proliferation of HD content, it is now essential for satellite service providers to continue offering advanced STBs with robust features and improved functionality,” said Michael Inouye, Research Analyst at In-Stat. “With the quickly expanding number of HDTV channels being delivered by satellite pay-TV providers, they are rapidly embracing the higher capacities enabled by 8PSK modulation for more efficient HD channel delivery and Broadcom’s BCM7325 is well suited for widespread adoption.”

Technical Information

The BCM7325 is Broadcom’s next generation satellite set-top box system on a single chip manufactured in the 65nm process. It integrates a single tuner/demodulator from the BCM4506 front-end device and the latest generation of AVC decoder that supports multiple video formats. The BCM7325 supports worldwide standards for DBS transmission systems based on DVB-S2, 8PSK, Turbo Code, and is backward compatible with the DVB-S standard.

The BCM7325 operates on a dual-threaded MIPS® CPU core running at 333MHz resulting in over 550DMIPS of performance. The BCM7325 is designed to support UMA and non-UMA memory architectures, utilizing a 400-MHz clock, 32-bit wide DDR2 memory I/F for enhanced performance and allows cost-effective memory implementations.

The BCM7325 supports several interfaces for TV output on-chip including HDMI, baseband composite, component or S-Video, and incorporates Broadcom’s advanced 2D graphics engine that enables true studio-quality text and graphics, efficiently using its memory and bandwidth.

The BCM7325 is designed using the 65 nanometer process — the most advanced lithographic node for manufacturing semiconductors in large volumes today that provides significant benefits over 90 nm and 130 nm processes by enabling lower power consumption, smaller size and higher levels of integration. For Broadcom, the move to 65 nanometer process technology is changing the competitive landscape because of the breadth and depth of the communications intellectual property the company possesses. Without a broad portfolio of market-leading solutions to integrate, competitors are not able to take full advantage of the benefits that these next generation processes provide.

Availability and Pricing

The BCM7325 satellite receiver SoC is sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request for manufacturers of satellite TV set-top boxes.

Broadcom also makes available to early access customers a fully supported reference design (BCM97325) that ensures cost efficient design and manufacturing, and faster time-to-market. The BCM97325 reference design is a development platform for set-top box design based on the BCM7325 and is available with complete software source code, schematics and Gerber files, and provides detailed design information for manufacturers of interactive cable TV set-top box terminals.