1998-11-10 , E/IC-1040/54
Product News From Philips Semiconductors

Of all the picture improvement techniques available to designers of conventional TV sets, one of the simplest and most effective is the elimination of flicker by doubling the frame rate from 50 Hz to 100 Hz or from 60 Hz to 120 Hz. With the introduction of its new  SAA4977H BESIC Picture Improvement Processor at  Electronica '98, Philips Semiconductors, the largest European Semiconductor manufacturer, provides set makers with a low cost solution to frame rate doubling that can optionally be extended to provide additional and more advanced picture enhancement features.

"We believe that set-makers won't want to charge an excessive premium for a basic 100 Hz TV set, which means they must be able to incorporate this feature at minimal cost," said Theo Akkermans, general manager of Philips Semiconductors' Business Line Video. "However, they also need expandable solutions so that they can manufacture a range of TV sets using the same printed circuit board design," he added.

Operating in conjunction with a single 2.9 Mbit serial field memory such as Philips Semiconductors' SAA4956, and incorporating on-chip A/D and D/A converters to convert the TV set's analog YUV signals to and from the digital domain, this innovative new 100 Hz TV chip not only performs frame rate doubling - it also acts as a digital gateway for other memory-based picture enhancement processors. For example, set makers can insert additional Philips video processors into the digital YUV pathway to provide more advanced picture enhancement features such as 2-D noise reduction, progressive scan (non-interlaced display) and line flicker reduction, or they can achieve the ultimate in standard definition picture quality by adding Philips Semiconductors' unique 'Natural Motion' processor. The SAA4956 field memory includes its own dynamic noise reduction, utilising a new noise shaping algorithm to eliminate smearing effects even at high noise reduction settings.

To match the higher video bandwidth (twice the line frequency) generated by all these picture improvement techniques, the SAA4977H applies an innovative digital colour transient improvement technique, plus digital luminance peaking, before regenerating analog YUV signals via its three 10-bit on-chip D/A converters. It also includes a programmable horizontal picture compression function so that 4:3 format pictures can be displayed on 16:9 screens.

Because of the simplicity with which a basic 100 Hz TV set can be upgraded, a single printed circuit board design can be used for an entire range of TV sets right up to high-end models with picture-in-picture capabilities. By adding Philips Semiconductors' new TDA9321H high-end input (HIP) and TDA9332H high-end output (HOP) processors, the same pc board design can also be used to produce high-performance PAL, SECAM and NTSC TV sets.

Unique features of the HIP/HOP processors include fully integrated vision and sound IF circuits in the input processor that significantly reduce component count and circuit alignment problems, and a full SVGA capability in the output processor that allows TV sets to display high-bandwidth RGB signals from a PC. The output processor also incorporates all the deflection processing required to operate the TV set in a wide range of display modes.

The unique versatility of Philips Semiconductors' TV architecture allows designers to select from a choice of IPQ (Improved Picture Quality) modules, and to integrate them easily into a base design. In this way they can create a highly differentiated product range within the short time-to-market deadlines demanded by today's consumer product markets.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world and the third largest supplier of discretes 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.