Date: 16/01/2012

Renesas's HD set-top-box reference design makes ordinary TVs smart and connected

Renesas Electronics Corporation has developed compact reference design board that can be used as an IP network-compatible High Definition set-top box (STB) solution. The new reference board allows non connected TVs receive content from other devices at home.

Renesas has began supplying the new reference board to partner companies and said it has plans to submit business proposals to those companies offering content distribution services and manufacturers of consumer products. Renesas has used its own STB SoC in this compact STB reference board

Key features of the new IP network-compatible STB reference board:

Supports Full-HD quality 1920 × 1080/30 progressive (1080/30p) content.
Measuring only 6.5 centimeters (cm) × 2.1 cm × 1.1 cm, the reference board offers portability and flexibility. Users can move it around the house and use it with multiple devices, simply connecting it to a TV or other HDMI or MHL compatible screen device
The reference board supports two kinds of audio and video (AV) output: MHL (mobile high-definition link) and HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface). The MHL version can be plugged directly into the MHL interface of a TV or other device, making it even more convenient to enjoy video content.
The semiconductor device used in this board is built around the dual core ARM Cortex-A9 with the NEON media extension. It also incorporates an on-chip AV engine capable of decoding HD content, which allows playback of full-HD quality of 1920 × 1080 pixels/30 progressive (1080/30p) in multiple formats such as H.264, MPEG4, and VC-1.

This reference design board also supports Wi-Fi.