NXP Solution Key to Develop Next Wave of Car Infotainment

Innovative PNX9520 selected to integrate the digital home into the car enabling multiple streaming video screens and many additional multimedia features

NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, has announced collaboration with leading global automotive supplier Visteon to push the envelope in car entertainment. Visteon has selected the Nexperia™ PNX9520 multimedia processor from NXP for the development of several new automotive infotainment innovations in visual and audio processor technologies. Software enhancements to the PNX9520 multimedia processor now enable multiple streaming video screens for rear-seat entertainment systems, giving consumers the ability to enjoy high-quality personalized content from multiple sources including portable media or other devices while in the car.

Giving consumers the ability to enjoy their favorite content from multiple sources and access the latest in high-quality video and audio from different formats, Visteon and NXP have delivered multi-screen technology that allows two different multimedia sources to be played in the car at the same time, providing unique stand-alone content for two different rear seat passengers. Demonstrated at CES 2008, the reference design allows two screens to decode and render video with two different on-screen displays while taking advantage of robust in-car connectivity using a single multimedia processor chip. Furthermore, the PNX9520 multimedia processor enables families to take advantage of SIRIUS Backseat TV™, a ground-breaking TV service that delivers live family TV directly to vehicles. The PNX9520 multimedia processor from NXP will be featured in select Visteon products.

Building on the vision of a single-chip solution for multimedia, the solution uses NXP’s innovative approach to infotainment – saving car manufacturers’ time, effort and costs. Manufacturers will benefit from the advanced software features of the PNX9520, which provide unprecedented flexibility, as well as the ability to stream different content to individual passengers in the same car – giving them their media of choice.

“The way people experience their cars is shifting from a ‘driving’ experience to an ‘enjoyment’ experience,” said Willem Bulthuis, VP Automotive Sales & Marketing, NXP Semiconductors. “To make this vision a reality, NXP is working with a strong ecosystem of partners such as Visteon to bring the latest in digital home technology to the car – and create simple, innovative solutions with the consumer in mind. We understand that manufacturers are looking for the right solutions that will give them the flexibility, scale and innovation to help them bridge the gap between consumer electronics and the automobile.”

The Nexperia PNX9520 processor from NXP delivers vibrant, leading-edge picture quality, enabling video playback from a range of different sources and in different formats, with an outstanding array of proprietary video post-processing algorithms – all available in a single, highly integrated device. Specifically designed for in-car entertainment, the PNX9520 solution is unique in implementing all use cases in software, providing users with full flexibility to implement the latest audio and video codecs as they become available. The PNX9520 allows people to experience multimedia in the car from multiple sources (DVD, hard disk, USB, SD-card and now also combined with video broadcast reception), through multiple outputs (multiple screens, multiple speakers and headphones). Further, NXP works closely with a large number of leading independent software vendors, such as Mocean Laboratories AB, who are developing software products for Nexperia-based automotive entertainment systems.

PNX9520 in-car media systems offer the following functionality:

• DVD, DVD-ROM and CD playback (with software navigator)
• HDD audio and video playback
• USB stick and SD card audio/video playback
• Dual video decoding and rendering with separate on-screen displays
• Picture improvement algorithms such as Natural Motion, luminance sharpening
• Video broadcast (source decoding)
• WiFi audio/video streaming (DLNA compliant) to portable devices
• MP3 digital audio and video streaming
• Content based backlight modulation
• Bluetooth audio streaming to headphones
• Multispeed audio encoding
• Flash games
• Photo browsing (JPEG)