NEC Electronics Introduces Cost-Effective EMMA SoCs with Built-In Support for Next-Generation H.264 Video Compression Standard

KAWASAKI, Japan, DUESSELDORF, Germany, SANTA CLARA, Calif., (U.S.A.) -- May 26, 2008 – NEC Electronics Corporation and its subsidiaries in Europe and the Americas, NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH and NEC Electronics America, Inc., today introduced two new image-processing solutions based on NEC Electronics' enhanced multimedia architecture (EMMA®) platform. The new EMMA3SL/HD™ and EMMA3SL/SD™ devices enable users to build set-top boxes (STBs) and digital TVs (DTVs) with next-generation H.264 video compression standard, which offers twice the compression ratio as the current MPEG2 standard. The EMMA3SL/SD system-on-chip (SoC) supports standard-definition video broadcasts, while the EMMA3SL/HD SoC supports high-definition broadcasts. The devices are the latest additions to NEC Electronics' family of H.264-compliant EMMA3 SoCs, which have achieved market success since 2006 in blue laser DVD players and high-definition TV (HDTV) products.

In addition to having an H.264-compliant video decoder, the devices combine all of the key functions needed to receive and decode digital broadcasts, including built-in digital signal processors (DSPs) that enable systems using Dolby“ Digital Plus or high-efficiency advanced audio coding (HE-AAC) to play back high-quality audio streams even at low transfer rates.

A built-in Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI)-compliant USB 2.0 host controller and IEEE 802.3/802.3u/802.3x-compliant Ethernet media access controller (MAC) replace the external components traditionally required. This integration enables low-cost connection to external devices and networks and makes it easy for systems to import and process video and audio streams.

The EMMA3SL/HD SoC includes a built-in High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)-compliant interface for digital transmission of uncompressed video and audio streams, a built-in deinterlacer to convert interlaced signals into progressive signals and a built-in fast digital-to-analog (D/A) converter to produce high-definition signal output.

NEC Electronics expects strong demand for the new EMMA chips in Europe, Russia, India, Brazil and other STB markets where H.264 video compression, Dolby Digital Plus and HE-AAC have been growing in popularity.

Since launching its first EMMA chip–the world's first SoC for STBs with digital broadcast receivers–in 1998, NEC Electronics has been actively developing a wider selection of EMMA products with greater functionality for STBs, DTVs, and DVD recorders.

Pricing and Availability

The new EMMA devices are available now in sample quantities, with pricing starting at $50 for the EMMA3SL/HD and $40 for the EMMA3SL/SD. Volume production is scheduled to begin by the third quarter of 2008 and expected to reach 300,000 units per month for each product. (Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.)

About NEC Electronics

NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) specializes in semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions for the high-end computing and broadband networking markets; system solutions for the mobile handset, PC peripheral, automotive and digital consumer markets; and multi-market solutions for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc. and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH. More information about NEC Electronics worldwide can be found at www.necel.com.

Onboard CPU specifications

• Built-in MIPS32® 24KEc™ core
• 470 MIPS at 327 MHz
• 16 KB instruction cache and 16 KB data cache

Memory interface

• DDR2 memory interface
• 16-/32-bit bus widths
• 32 to 256 MB capacities
• 2.6 GB/s bandwidth
• Flash ROM interface
• Up to 64 MB capacity
• 8-/16-bit bus widths

MPEG transport stream processing engine

• Selectable two-system parallel/serial interface stream
• MPEG-compliant transport streams
• 36 PID filter
• 32-section filter

MPEG video decoder (formats supported)

• EMMA3SL/HD high-definition SoC
• MPEG2 MP@ML/MP@HL
• H.264/AVC HP@L4.0/MP@L4.0/3.2
• VC-1 AP@L3/L2
• EMMA3SL/SD standard-definition SoC
• MPEG2 MP@ML
• H.264/AVC HP and MP@L3.2
• VC-1 AP@L1

Audio controller

• MPEG-1 L1/2, MPEG-2 L1/2, MPEG-4 AAC, MPEG-4 HE-AAC, DD, DD+, MP3, WMA
• SPDIF output
• 5.1-ch output

Graphics and display engine

• 2D BitBlt
• Five main planes and one subplane
• 256-gradation alpha blending
• 1/4–8 real-time scalar × 2
• Deinterlacer (EMMA3SL/HD only)

Video encoder

• Built-in 6-ch video D/A converter: CVBS, YC, YPbPr, and RGB
• NTSC, PAL and SECAM support

USB 2.0 interface

• EHCI-compliant host controller
• High-speed (480 Mbps), full-speed (12 Mbps), and low-speed (1.5 Mbps) data transfers

Ethernet interface

• Built-in IEEE 802.3/802.3u/802.3x-compliant Ethernet
• 10 Mbps/100 Mbps Ethernet connection via Reduced Media Independent Interface (RMII)

HDMI interface (EMMA3SL/HD only)

• Built-in HDMI transmitter
• High-Definition Copy Protection (HDCP) via built-in EEPROM

Peripherals

• Fast UART × 2 (FUART × 2)
• UART × 1
• Two SmartCard interfaces
• I²C × 2
• Clocked serial interface
• Two IR receivers/blasters
• Two system timers plus watchdog timer and real-time counter

596-pin plastic BGA package