Provider of semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications Broadcom (News - Alert) Corp. has announced a new reference platform for operators in emerging markets to cost-effectively deploy two-way set-top box (STB) solutions with high definition (HD) and data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) 2.0.
The company’s new HD DOCSIS 2.0 set-top box chipset enables cable operators to leverage their broadband network to deploy higher revenue-generating two-way HD services that compete effectively with satellite and IPTV (News - Alert) video providers, said John Gleiter, vice president of cable broadband at Broadband Communications Group.
Building on the engineering and expertise of the BCM7019 HD cable system-on-a-chip (SoC), the new offering meets the operators demand for higher performance, lower-cost STB devices.
“Broadcom's new offering brings unprecedented performance and features previously unobtainable in low-cost HD DOCSIS 2.0 STBs,” Gleiter said.
According to market reports, there is a growing demand for a wide range of HD video on demand (VoD), which is making cable operators look for a cost-effective, standards-based means to deploy value-added two-way HD STBs.
The dual-chip design of the new Broadcom solution addresses this need, according to company officials. It integrates the BCM3308 with the BCM7584.
A single-chip DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem device, the BCM3308 is based on Broadcom’s series of DOCSIS 2.0 devices, while the BCM7584 is a low-cost HD digital cable STB SoC, integrating Full-Band Capture technology and IP video server technology.
With Broadcom's Full Band Capture technology, the BCM7584’s four demodulators can simultaneously access broadcast video and tune DOCSIS, with complete channel flexibility up to 1GHz.
Additionally, the new Broadcom set-top box offering comes with a 3D graphics processing unit, supporting advanced user interfaces using HTML5; advanced diagnostics with spectrum analyzer, and FastRTV.
Moreover, the new HD DOCSIS 2.0 STB solution performs at over 2000 DMIPS, which is twice the performance of Broadcom's earlier single-chip version. Plus, it also offers the benefit of latest advanced security with support for conditional access security (CAS) and digital rights management (DRM) technologies.
Broadcom also offers a complete single-board reference design with certified DOCSIS 2.0 software and Nexus-Trellis STB software, which enables the rapid development and deployment of the new HD DOCSIS 2.0 STB solution.
Company officials said that residential subscribers can now enjoy a full range of value-added HD services as the new offering delivers them across all displays in the home, with support for broadband, video on demand, IP video and interactive services.
The direct connection between the BCM7584 and BCM3308 eliminates need for additional external tuners. Additional key features include latest DDR3 and serial flash memory for the lowest-cost memory components; integrated eSATA interface for a low-cost cable STB DVR design; and more.
The BCM7584 and the BCM3308 are now shipping. The company has made available the BCM97584SFF reference design.
Earlier this year, the company unveiled a cable digital-transport adapter (DTA) system-on-a-chip (SoC), featuring integrated Full-Band Capture technology.