This IC is highly integrated, consisting of a MPEG-2 decoder, NTSC video decoder, HDMI interface, IEEE-1394 interface, CableCARD interface, high-performance CPU, powerful graphics engine, video scalar, video enhancement, LVDS driver and various peripherals necessary for building an integrated DTV. The reference hardware module accepts the traditional video equipment interfaces, such as composite (CVBS), S-video (Y/C), and component (YPbPr) inputs, as well as the more advanced interfaces, such as HDMI from newer DVD players and IEEE-1394 from digital video recorders. It also accepts VGA input from a personal computer. For the output interfaces, the reference hardware module can directly drive an LCD panel or a CRT TV. Other outputs are L/R audio for its internal speakers and SPDIF for multi-channel output to an external audio receiver.

The reference TV application supports the basic functionalities required for a DTV, such as an ATSC/NTSC software stack, Electronic Program Guide (EPG), closed-caption decoding, parental control, basic audio control (i.e. bass, treble, balance), and basic video control (i.e. contrast, brightness, color). In addition, the CableCARD software stack is provided, thereby meeting the FCC mandate of requiring DTVs to be digital cable ready. For ease of connectivity to external devices, such as digital video recorders, the IEEE-1394 software stack is also bundled with the software package.

Key Hardware Features