Parade Technologies Enters HDMI®-to-MHL™ Transmitter Chip Market

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012

New Low Power, Improved EMI/RFI Device Targets Rapidly Growing Mobile Video Standard for Smartphones & Tablets

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Parade Technologies Ltd. (Taiwan OTC: 4966.TWO), a leading video display and interface IC supplier, today announced its entry into the HDMI®-to-MHL™ transmitter IC market. Parade’s new PS5101 is targeted at smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, camcorders and other power-sensitive mobile platforms that use SoC processors with HDMI outputs. The PS5101 converts standard 19-wire HDMI video streams into 5-wire MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) for transmission to external TVs and CE devices.

MHL is a rapidly proliferating interface standard that employs a space-saving five wire connector to transmit 1080p HD video and 7.1 digital audio, complete with HDCP protection, from mobile devices to HDTVs, set-tops, Blu-rays and other consumer electronics. The standard allows for the smartphone, tablet or mobile device to be charged while connected to an HDTV, and allows the HDTV’s remote to control access and browse the mobile device’s apps (YouTube, games, audio, etc.), image library, and even to connect to the Internet using the 3G or 4G capability of the attached mobile device. Backed by leading consumer electronics brands–including Samsung, Sony, Nokia and Toshiba–the MHL Consortium already has more than 100 global members.

“Parade is a leader in video interface silicon, with a strong portfolio of HDMI, DisplayPort and other high-speed interface chips,” explained Jimmy Chiu, Executive VP of Marketing at Parade Technologies. “It is a natural extension of our corporate DNA to apply our expertise to this rapidly expanding market for MHL devices. In response to our customer’s demands, we focused on developing a very power efficient HDMI-to-MHL transmitter.”

The new Parade PS5101 supports HDMI version 1.4b and MHL version 2.0, the latest iterations of both standards. Designed specifically for mobile applications, the chip incorporates a low-power 1.2V core with 1.8V and 3.3V I/O. Along with a low active power design, automatic power management and ultra-low power standby, the PS5101 achieves power consumption that is significantly less than the leading competing devices on the market, greatly extending battery operation on mobile devices. With on-chip optimizations, PS5101 also enjoys superior, low EMI/RFI and high ESD performance.

The market for MHL-enabled products is growing rapidly. With 50 million products shipped in 2011, the MHL Consortium expects shipment rates to double in 2012 to 100 million units. As a participating member of both the MHL and HDMI standards organizations, Parade Technologies enjoys all rights necessary to manufacture devices that comply with these standards.

Product Availability

The PS5101 is available in a 49-pin 3.5×3.5mm WFBGA Halogen-free RoHS package. The device is sampling now, with production quantities expected in Q4. The PS5101 is priced at $1.50/ea. in high volume.