1999-04-22 , SSC-9905
Business News From Philips Semiconductors

Programmable TM-1100 processor provides core processing for Digital Television first SD TV receiver to decode all 18 ATSC video formats for 480p Display

Samsung Electronics demonstrated the company's SIR-T050S, ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee) Standard Definition (SD) receiver in the Philips Semiconductors exhibit at the National Association of Broadcasters trade show, 19-22 April, Las Vegas. The Samsung receiver is based on the Philips Semiconductors TriMedia  TM-1100 processor. Designed for use with an existing NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) receiver, or other video display, Samsung's ATSC SD receiver is capable of high-level MPEG2 video decoding and provides an enhanced video signal for any analog input signal.

"Samsung is proud to present the industry's first ATSC standard definition television receiver. The technology provides consumers with excellent video quality and low cost by implementing many of the core DTV features in software," said Dr. Noh Byung Park, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics' Corporate R&D Center. "By working closely with Philips Semiconductors, Samsung is able to introduce a quality SD digital TV receiver with many features that are beneficial to consumers."

"Philips Semiconductors is constantly striving to bring innovative technology to its customers and is leading the way for these technologies to reach the consumer," said Dirk Logie, general manager of Philips Semiconductors DTV Business Line. "Philips Semiconductors is pleased that Samsung has selected the TriMedia processor for the company's first ATSC product."

The SIR-T050S is capable of decoding and converting all 18 ATSC video formats for standard definition display, resulting in excellent video quality. The ATSC receiver provides 480 line, 60Hz progressive video output with a 16:9 display and features Dolby Digital AC3 audio, embedded digital peak processing and a unique feature that allows the viewer to zoom to a window of a high definition video signal and see a portion of the picture in full resolution, then move around the image within the window. The TriMedia  TM-1100 supports many core processing functions required for DTV, such as ATSC transport stream demux, Dolby AC3 decoding, video format conversion and EPG (Electronic Programming Guide). By implementing these key features in software on the TriMedia processor, Samsung is providing a lower cost, highly flexible DTV solution. Samsung's SIR-T050S is also well suited for PCTV and integrated standard definition televisions, in addition to the receiver application.

Samsung's ATSC SD receiver uses Philips Semiconductors TriMedia  TM-1100, 8MB SDRAM and pSOS Operating System. The receiver is equipped with Samsung's MPEG2 high-level video decoder, front and rear composite video input, front and rear S-VHS video input and monitor output. The SIR-T050S is built with AC-3-to-stereo down mix to left and right speakers on front and fully decoded 5.1 channel AC-3 (left, right, center, rear and subwoofer) output enabling the receiver to provide theatre-like audio quality.

Philips Semiconductors' TriMedia processor is based on breakthroughs in VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) hardware and software technology. By processing up to five instructions with each clock cycle, a low cost TriMedia processor can achieve exceptional performance necessary for demanding multimedia applications. The TriMedia software compiler handles the complex instruction scheduling, and allows a TriMedia processor to be programmed entirely in C/C++ programming languages. To view TriMedia Processor, please visit Philips booth # L24001. For additional information about TriMedia technology, connect to the TriMedia website:  www.semiconductors.philips.com/trimedia.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEC), an US $16.6 billion (1998) flagship company of the Korea-based Samsung Group, is a world leader in electronics, with operations in more than 74 countries and 59,000 employees worldwide. The company is the world's number one producer of DRAMs and computer monitors. SEC is the second largest microwave oven manufacturer in the world and holds the number five ranking for color televisions. SEC was also the first company to launch big screen HDTV with built-in decoder in US retail market last year. Samsung Information Systems America (SISA) is the U.S. research and development subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Our website address is  http://www.samsungelectronics.com/.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the eighth 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. Additional information on Philips Semiconductors can be obtained by accessing its home page at  http://cdrom.semiconductors.com/.

TriMedia is a trademark of Philips Electronics North America Corporation