Sigma Designs (News - Alert) today released its new SMP8644 media processor system-on-chip (SoC) for next generation IPTV set-top boxes, IP cable set-top boxes, and Blu-ray players. The SMP8644 improves performance and have array of interface capabilities to support greater interactivity, extended system features, and studio level image quality typically associated with high end consumer products.

 

"Sigma is a leader in high definition media processors, which are widely used in the IPTV (News - Alert) set-top box and Blu-ray player markets," said Ken Lowe, vice president of strategic marketing at Sigma Designs. "We see a great deal of opportunity in providing a high-end solution in several of our market segments. Therefore, our new SMP8644 adds the needed performance and extensibility to address a broad range of consumer applications where feature differentiation and video quality are especially important."

 

Sigma's SMP8644 media processor integrates advanced capabilities for a system-on-chip (SOC) solution with multimedia processing, robust content security system, multiple on-chip CPUs, on-chip system peripherals and a wide range of external interfaces.

 

Its combination of on-chip processors enhances performance while its expanded system interfaces enable support for a wide complement of additional devices and features. The SMP8644 silicon is also complemented by software suites featuring Sigma's multimedia library, secure operating system, and OS support environment.

 

This enable SMP8644 to provide better performance solution for IPTV set-top boxes, Tru2way(TM) IP cable boxes, and Blu-ray Players with Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) support.

 

From a media processing standpoint, the SMP8644 offers a full complement of advanced decoder engines with high definition video decoding, including H.264 (MPEG-4 part 10), Windows Media(R) Video 9, VC-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (part 2), and the new AVS (News - Alert) standard.

 

Its multimedia core has high-performance graphics acceleration, multi-standard audio decoding with 3 on-chip DSP engines which can decode all required standards including DTS (News - Alert)-HD MA 7.1, advanced display processing capabilities, and HDMI 1.3 output.

 

Powerful content security is ensured through a dedicated secure processor, on-chip flash memory, and a range of digital rights management (DRM) engines for high-speed payload decryption.

 

 

The SMP8644 also features a full complement of system peripherals, including a dual Ethernet controller, dual USB 2.0 controller, NAND and NOR flash controllers, IR controller, and a dual SATA controller.

 

The SMP8644 supports optional capabilities through an expanded set of interfaces.

 

Using a direct interface, the addition of a VXP Image Processor such as the VXP9452 enables studio quality video output. VXP technology uses advanced image processing algorithms, such as professional grade deinterlacing, scaling, and a host of noise reduction and image enhancement algorithms for crisp, natural looking, artifact-free images on displays of virtually any size.

 

The multi-core media SMP8644 processor features a 667 MHz MIPS main CPU, providing 1330 DMIPS to enable crisp user interaction and a wider range of application-based features which enhance the "future-proofing" of this platform.

 

A second MIPS processor called the IPU manages real-time interrupt operations and offloads tasks such as networking and graphics to enhance CPU utilization.

 

A third MIPS processor manages all system security functions including decryption and key generation. The SMP8644 also features two 32-bit DDR-2 memory controllers which supports double-data-rate memories up to 667 Mbps as well as an improved arbitration engine to maximize the efficiency of accesses.  The SMP8644 has several standby modes, including full sleep and wake-on-LAN, to meet the low-power requirements of consumer products.