Broadcom's New Digital TV Solutions Bring Advanced Functionality and Differentiated Features to TV Manufacturers

Next Generation DTV SoC Solutions Provide Capabilities to Address Video Convergence, Network Connectivity, Image Quality and 3D User Interfaces

IRVINE, Calif. — Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced its next generation of digital television (DTV) system-on-a chip (SoC) solutions that bring advanced functionality and differentiated features to DTV designs to address the U.S. market. Featuring expandable entry-level to high-end design capabilities, the new SoC solutions enable TV manufacturers to enhance the DTV from a commodity display device to a highly differentiated, connected entertainment system. Included in each of these single-chip solutions are an advanced multi-format decoder, Ethernet network connectivity, a 3D graphical user interface, and unique 3D color management, all of which continue to position the TV as the central entertainment appliance for the digital home.

To provide TV manufacturers with the most advanced technology for the growing digital TV market, the company today announced the Broadcom® BCM3548 and BCM3549 single-chip DTV solutions that leverage the advanced design of the Broadcom BCM3556 DTV solution that includes support for digital video broadcast (DVB)-based platforms to address European and Asian markets. These three highly integrated single-chip SoC solutions allow TV manufacturers to offer their customers a variety of the latest features and interactivity. All three chips provide advanced multi-format decoding in support of high definition AVC, H.264, VC-1, AVS and MPEG-2 streams. By supporting H.264, the latest video compression standard, the BCM3548 and BCM3549 enable users to view multimedia and HD content from networked devices, with improved picture quality.

The BCM3548 and BCM3549 each integrates a host of unique features that allow TV manufacturers to create differentiated products, and when combined with improved picture quality, will enrich the consumers’ DTV experience. One such feature is a 3D graphics core that provides consumers with a graphical user interface for flipping, rotating, moving or manipulating images, and enables OEMs to create specialized user interfaces that differentiates the TV from traditional flat, two dimensional user interfaces.

Each of the BCM3548 and BCM3549 also includes home network connectivity via integrated Ethernet media access controller (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) capabilities that enable users to connect with multiple home networking devices such as media servers, PCs, MP3 devices and portable media players (PMPs), and allow access to the magnitude of Internet-based multimedia content. As a result, users can share and stream music, photos, movies and Internet-based media content to and from connected devices and TVs. A high- powered CPU featuring a MIPS® dual core processor is also featured in each new SoC to provide consumers with a fast and responsive 3D graphical user interface and allow TV manufacturers to add additional compute intensive product differentiating applications.

The BCM3548 supports WXGA display resolutions while the BCM3549 supports the full 1080p high definition resolution, and each incorporates a unique 3D color management system, as well as digital, analog and mosquito noise reduction. Also integrated is an advanced picture enhancement processor (PEP) to improve picture sharpness and perform picture post-processing functions. The PEP engine is fully programmable and can be optimized by TV manufacturers to meet their respective quality requirements. As a result, the BCM3548 and BCM3549 enable TV manufacturers with better video quality, sharper images and more accurate color reproduction.

“Broadcom’s new DTV solutions provide viewers with better picture quality, Internet connectivity and a 3D user interface,” said Dan Marotta, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Broadcom’s Broadband Communications Group. “By providing our DTV design partners with differentiated features, they, in turn, can offer consumers digital television solutions that have access to content from the broadcasters, the Internet and the consumers’ own home networks.”

Technical Information

The BCM3548 and BCM3549 are Broadcom’s next generation DTV SoCs that feature advanced video decoders, 3D/2D graphics cores, Ethernet MAC and PHYs, and support for wide screen applications. These features, combined with a high level of integration and best-in-class picture quality, will greatly enhance the DTV experience and enable TV manufacturers to reduce overall system cost and improve picture quality, all with a single SoC. Additional features offered in each chip include:

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• Advanced multi-format decoder supporting the following:
  • H.264/AVC Main and High Profile to Level 4.1 (HD), Level 3.1 (SD) – HD/SD AVS Jizhun Profile Levels 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0
  • VC-1 Advanced Profile @ Level 3, Simple and Main Profiles
  • HD/SD MPEG-2 Main Profile at Main and High levels
  • MPEG still image decode
  • HD DivX® 3.11/4.11/5.x/6x/Home Theater
• 3D/2D OpenGL® ES 1.0-compliant graphics core
• Ethernet MAC and PHY
• Integrated video processing:
  • 3D color management
  • Digital, analog and mosquito noise reduction
  • 1080i motion adaptive de-interlacing with 3:2/2:2 pull-down
  • True 10-bit video carried through system
• Extensive audio support:
  • AAC LC, AAC LC+SBR Level 2, AAC+ Level 2, AAC-HE
  • Dolby® Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, TruSurround XT®
  • MPEG 1 Layers 1, 2, and 3 (MP3)
  • Windows Media® and Windows Media Pro audio
  • Audio DACs, input switch and equalizer
  • Dolby Digital, TruSurround XT, MPEG Audio Decoder
• NTSC/PAL decoder with a 3D/2D comb
• 400-MHz dual core CMT MIPS32®/MIPS16e™ class processor
• Integrated NTSC demodulator, ATSC/QAM receivers, and dual-link LVDS transmitters
• Dual HDMI 1.3a receivers
• Dual USB 2.0

Availability and Pricing

The BCM3548 and BCM3549 digital TV SoC solutions are now sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request for manufacturers of digital televisions.