NEC Electronics Announces the World's First Single-Chip LSI for Blu-ray Disc Players

genufett · 08-05-2008, 02:41 PM

Here's the press release, which is chock-full-o'-goodies:

Quote:

NEC Electronics announced that it had developed the world's first single-chip LSI to integrate the main functions of Blu-ray Disc players. Sample shipments of the new LSI, named EMMATM 3PF, will begin in September 2008.

The EMMATM 3PF has the following features.

All of the main functions required for Blu-ray Disc players are included on one chip, including the digital conversion of analog data read from optical discs, the digital decoding of encoded images and sounds and a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) for output to televisions.
The package area has been reduced by 50% due to the single-chip configuration, the integration of external memory and the internalization of peripheral functions.
The EMMATM 3PF supports BD-ROM Profile 2.0, the latest Blu-ray Disc specification. This profile includes picture-in-picture playback, high quality sound, and network connections for downloading additional content.
The EMMATM 3PF has a multi-core CPU, which delivers an industry-best 1150 DMIPS (Dhrystone MIPS), and a graphic processing accelerator.

The EMMATM 3PF allows users to create compact, high performance Blu-ray Disc players. In the future, this new product will make an important contribution to the integration of Blu-ray Disc playback into all audio-visual systems.

Monthly production is expected to be 1,000,000 units from the fourth quarter of 2008.

Since introducing EMMA, the world's first MPEG-decoder LSI for set top boxes (STB) with digital broadcast receivers in 1998, NEC Electronics' semiconductor production for digital audio-visual components has focused on product expansion and sales operations in the STB, digital television and DVD recorder fields. In 2001, NEC Electronics' semiconductor operations for PC peripherals produced the SCOMBO® LSI for optical disc drives. Since then, it has continued to make improvements such as faster writing speeds and increased format compatibility while expanding its product lineup. As a result of these efforts, SCOMBO Series sold a total of 150,000,000 units as of May 2008.

Recently, new Blu-ray Disc compatible devices have entered into the digital audio-visual and computer peripheral markets. Despite being a new market, the Blu-ray Disc player market is still expected to grow rapidly. Sales are projected to triple from 2,200,000 units in 2007 to 6,800,000 units in 2008. Blu-ray Disc players require a frontend to convert analog data read from optical disk to digital data and a backend to decode the encoded digital video and audio data and output it to televisions.

In June of this year, NEC Electronics released the SCOMBO/UM2P, which has all of the frontend functions on one chip. In the past, NEC Electronics has released products designed to place the backend functions on one chip and this month it released the EMMA3P, which specializes in playback. The EMMATM 3PF has these two advanced system LSI on one chip, which will help reduce the size of future Blu-ray Disc players.

The EMMATM 3PF has the following main features.

A single chip that has the required functions for a Blu-ray Disc player
The EMMATM 3PF combines the frontend functions of the SCOMBO/UM2P with the backend functions of the EMMA3P. This is the first time ever that the required functions for a Blu-ray Disc player have been integrated into one chip. The chip has an analog circuit to process signals from the optical pickup, a decoding circuit for encoded video and audio and an HDMI to output video and audio.
50% reduction in package area
A unified memory architecture (UMA) integrates the chip, allowing the frontend and backend functions to share the external memory required for these functions. An on-board USB2.0 host controller has also been included. The package area is 50% smaller than the combined area of the previous products, which reduces part costs and space requirements.
Support for Blu-ray Disc specifications for video and audio playback
The EMMATM 3PF supports the codecs used by Blu-ray Discs. Picture in picture playback of H.264/AVC, VC-1, MPEG2/1 and other video formats and the audio playback of Dolby® TrueHD, DTS-HDTM and other formats are possible. Support is planned for the DivX® format. The on-board Ethernet controller and digital rights management make it possible to download content via a network connection.
A multi-core CPU and graphics accelerator
Player startup speed and operability are greatly improved by a 64-bit 655DMIPS VR5500 CPU application processor, a 32-bit 495DMIPS CPU by MIPS Technology, a vector graphics accelerator for graphic processing and a still-image decoder.
Backward compatibility with existing software
The EMMATM 3PF has the same LSI architecture as the EMMA and SCOMBO products, which means that users can still use applications developed for EMMA and SCOMBO products.

The EMMATM 3PF provides the perfect conditions for the construction of high performance, low-cost Blu-ray Disc player systems and is expected to further accelerate the remarkable growth of the Blu-ray Disc player market.
Refer to the attached specifications for more details.

Faster, smaller, cooler chips for standalones? Built in BD-Live? Availability starting in September with large volumes shipping in Q4? This definitely speeds up the timetable of cheaper Blu-ray players that are also BD-Live compatible, which is good for everyone involved, especially consumers. Plus, it's good to have actual parts, with actual release dates instead of a nebulous "when it's done", unlike some companies *cough*Toshiba*cough*SRT*cough*.

ack_bak · 08-05-2008, 02:53 PM

Great news. It would be great to see $199-250 2.0 players this year, but if not I suspect they will be just around the corner.

ssjLancer · 08-05-2008, 02:53 PM

http://www.necel.com/news/en/archive...1.html?src=hp1

Quote:

The EMMATM 3PF has the following features.
1. All of the main functions required for Blu-ray Disc players are included on one chip, including the digital conversion of analog data read from optical discs, the digital decoding of encoded images and sounds and a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) for output to televisions.
2. The package area has been reduced by 50% due to the single-chip configuration, the integration of external memory and the internalization of peripheral functions.
3. The EMMATM 3PF supports BD-ROM Profile 2.0, the latest Blu-ray Disc specification. This profile includes picture-in-picture playback, high quality sound, and network connections for downloading additional content.
4. The EMMATM 3PF has a multi-core CPU, which delivers an industry-best 1150 DMIPS (Dhrystone MIPS), and a graphic processing accelerator.

The EMMATM 3PF allows users to create compact, high performance Blu-ray Disc players. In the future, this new product will make an important contribution to the integration of Blu-ray Disc playback into all audio-visual systems.

Monthly production is expected to be 1,000,000 units from the fourth quarter of 2008.

Quote:

Recently, new Blu-ray Disc compatible devices have entered into the digital audio-visual and computer peripheral markets. Despite being a new market, the Blu-ray Disc player market is still expected to grow rapidly. Sales are projected to triple from 2,200,000 units in 2007 to 6,800,000 units in 2008. Blu-ray Disc players require a frontend to convert analog data read from optical disk to digital data and a backend to decode the encoded digital video and audio data and output it to televisions.

mytime · 08-05-2008, 02:56 PM

Thanks for the link Lancer.

Dare · 08-05-2008, 03:03 PM

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeenteresting...

Such a thing could open the door for $50 BD players.

mytime · 08-05-2008, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dare

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeenteresting...

Such a thing could open the door for $50 BD players.

Wouldn't THAT be sweet. A player for the price of 2 discs.

HD Goofnut · 08-05-2008, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mytime

Wouldn't THAT be sweet. A player for the price of 2 discs.

Not with Fox, it would be the price of 1.25 of their movies.

Lee Stewart · 08-05-2008, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dare

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeenteresting...

Such a thing could open the door for $50 BD players.

What about all the royalties for selling a BD player?

Robertoy · 08-05-2008, 03:36 PM

Panasonic also have a LSI chip for BD-Live Blu-ray players :

http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/off...n080521-2.html

Regarding NEC chip, add also a NEC SRT chip inside of a BD player to get DVD upconvert with Super Resolution:

Quote:

Originally Posted by NECEL

NEC Electronics Announces New Technology to Boost Low Resolution in Images and Video

KAWASAKI, Japan, May 14, 2008

NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723) today announced that it has developed a technology for improving the display of low-resolution images and movies on large screen panels. Working with NEC Corporation, NEC Electronics has achieved a new technology for greatly reducing the blurring and graininess that occurs when low-resolution media is magnified for large-screen display.

The new technology is a single frame super-resolution technology which analyzes and processes the information contained in one frame of data to improve blurring and graininess. It is based on an algorithm which refines the contours of people and objects in image magnification process, and compensates for the quality and enhances the color rendition for crisp images.

Additionally, the technology boosts image data in VGA format (720 × 480 pixels) ordinarily used for TV broadcasts and DVD storage to six times the resolution, providing clear images for HDTV (1920 × 1080 pixels).

There does exist a technology for improving the quality of still images and movies to create a clear image. With this technique, high-frequency component is restored by analyzing multiple observations of the target captured in successive frames. This technique requires a dramatic increase in analysis data, however. It also entails increased component costs for the larger external memory required, and real-time processing is difficult, making it unsuited for consumer electronics applications.
With the aim of developing a technology to improve image quality that can easily be incorporated into a system quickly and without high costs, NEC Electronics has therefore developed an algorithm to reproduce clear images with one frame analysis, decreasing the data required, and is planning the start of supplying the algorithm in an IP core loaded on ASICs.

http://www.necel.com/news/en/archive/0805/1403.html

http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/...to_highres.php

http://www.highdefforum.com/showpost...postcount=1592

Roberto

HD Goofnut · 08-05-2008, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

What about all the royalties for selling a BD player?

Even at $150 I would be happy.

Lee Stewart · 08-05-2008, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genufett

Here's the press release, which is chock-full-o'-goodies:Faster, smaller, cooler chips for standalones? Built in BD-Live? Availability starting in September with large volumes shipping in Q4? This definitely speeds up the timetable of cheaper Blu-ray players that are also BD-Live compatible, which is good for everyone involved, especially consumers. Plus, it's good to have actual parts, with actual release dates instead of a nebulous "when it's done", unlike some companies *cough*Toshiba*cough*SRT*cough*.

Hate to burst your balloon . . .

Toshiba has been selling the SpursEngine since June of this year.

And all I see is a projected delivery date of the chips themselves - not the players that will contain them.

Apples to apples.

Nikopol · 08-05-2008, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Stewart

What about all the royalties for selling a BD player?

bulk discount

Lee Stewart · 08-05-2008, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikopol

bulk discount

What do you believe the royalty is now on a BD player?

Total - "soup to nuts."

ack_bak · 08-05-2008, 03:56 PM

I don't think we will see $50 BD players anytime soon (maybe $50 BD drives for PC's in the next 18 months). But I do see $199 BD players this year (holiday sales) and perhaps $99 player as early as Q4 2009. I think 2009 will really be the breakout year for BD. Chinese manufacturers are authorized to make BD players next year for the US and global markets and that alone will force prices down.

Lee Stewart · 08-05-2008, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ack_bak

I don't think we will see $50 BD players anytime soon (maybe $50 BD drives for PC's in the next 18 months). But I do see $199 BD players this year (holiday sales) and perhaps $99 player as early as Q4 2009. I think 2009 will really be the breakout year for BD. Chinese manufacturers are authorized to make BD players next year for the US and global markets and that alone will force prices down.

Here are your costs to get a BD player into a retailer:

1. Components - you can shrink the circuit board but you still have the BD drive with the expensive zoom lens assembly.

2. Assembly of above

3. Packaging of above

4. Shipping of above

5. Rotalties for all the different technologies that exist within a BD player.

Keep these in mind when you speculate about how low a BD player can be priced. No comparison to a DVD player.

08-05-2008, 03:03 PM	#5
Dare I moon you. Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Posts: 4,436	Eeeeeeeeeeeeeenteresting... Such a thing could open the door for $50 BD players. __________________ LG GGC-H20L Super Multi Blue Blu-ray & HD DVD ROM Drive 58 31

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08-05-2008, 02:53 PM	#2
ack_bak Hidef Junkie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,416	Great news. It would be great to see $199-250 2.0 players this year, but if not I suspect they will be just around the corner.

08-05-2008, 02:56 PM	#4
mytime Nanerpuss Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Jackson, Missouri Posts: 5,060	Thanks for the link Lancer.

08-05-2008, 03:56 PM	#14
ack_bak Hidef Junkie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,416	I don't think we will see $50 BD players anytime soon (maybe $50 BD drives for PC's in the next 18 months). But I do see $199 BD players this year (holiday sales) and perhaps $99 player as early as Q4 2009. I think 2009 will really be the breakout year for BD. Chinese manufacturers are authorized to make BD players next year for the US and global markets and that alone will force prices down.