1998-03-03 , ESC-9851

Re-programmable TriMedia™ processor provides the flexibility needed for advanced digital TV

The world is moving from today's analog TV signals to digital. It will give dramatically better, high definition picture quality and multi-speaker sound to surround the viewer. In the United States, the ATSC Digital TV standard permits eighteen different picture formats to provide a wide variety of video services as well as broadcast data with the program content. Designing TVs to handle the compressed digital signals and data content was proving a challenge: it requires a lot of computational power to decompress the signals - more than a typical PC.

Philips Semiconductors has a new solution for Digital TVs (DTVs) that will be shown for the first time in Europe at this year's CeBIT exhibition (19-25 March in Hannover, Germany). The company used Philips' world famous research facilities to develop a special type of silicon chip: a media processor. The TriMedia™ processor has been specifically designed to process high-quality video, audio and communication signals simultaneously and forms the heart of the new DTVs.

One of the unique benefits of the TriMedia processor is that it can be easily re-programmed with new software to do different jobs. This enables a TriMedia-based DTV to handle all eighteen different video formats, including the most demanding high definition, wide-angle video streams. And with additional software, the TriMedia chip can also support a data communications modem, an Internet browser, video mail and videotelephony.

Because there are no specifications for the data content and interactive services in the ATSC standard, the industry expects that 'standards' will evolve and change. As the standards change, new software to support them can be easily downloaded to the TriMedia processor using either the data-handling capability of the broadcast signal or by using its modem capability. Consequently, unlike many of today's electronic devices, a TriMedia- based DTV will not be outdated in a few months.

Other countries, particularly in Europe, are following the lead that has been set by the US and are defining DTV broadcast standards. Any variations between these various new standards can be easily handled by software so the costs of producing different TV sets for different countries is minimised. This enables TriMedia-based DTVs to be produced quickly, efficiently and inexpensively for worldwide use.

Philips Consumer Electronics is one of the world's leading TV manufacturers and has already standardised on the TriMedia concept. It will have products in the shops this year. Samsung has also announced that TriMedia processors will be used in digital TV products expected on the market in 1998. Already three out of the top five TV manufacturers in the world have selected the TriMedia processor for their ATSC DTV products.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by systems labs.

TriMedia is a trademark of Philips Electronics NV. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NTSC = National Television Standards Committee; the colour TV system used in North America.
PAL = Phase Alternate Line: European colour TV system with the exception of France that uses SECAM
ATSC = Advanced Television Systems Committee