Philips, STMicro to bundle hardware/software platforms for digital TV, set-top boxes

Philips, STMicro to bundle hardware/software platforms for digital TV, set-top boxes
By Semiconductor Business News
February 26, 2002 (9:02 a.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020226S0005

EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands -- Royal Philips Electronics N.V. and STMicroelectronics today announced an agreement to jointly develop platform products for set-top boxes and digital television sets. The alliance will apply Philips' software for multimedia home platforms and STMicroelectronics' single-chip digital decoder to provide new turnkey solutions.

Philips here and STMicroelectronics based near Geneva said the turnkey solutions will help to dramatically reduce the development and production time for new set-top boxed and integrated digital TV sets. Both companies will develop and market pre-integrated solutions of the Philips MHP 1.0.x Software Platform and ST's Omega series of digital set-top box decoder chips.

In Europe and Asia, the new DVB-MHP open standard for interactive digital television is providing a platform for software and content development, said Philips managers. Philips Softworks, a business unit of Philips Digital Net works, has developed and implemented an MHP 1.0.1-compliant software 'stack' offering full interactive digital television functionality.

"These software bundles dramatically cut product development and production times for set-top box and TV manufacturers looking to enter the digital market in a fast and flexible way," said Frank Bosveld, general manager of Philips Softworks.

Reference systems combining hardware and software for integrated operation will make use of technologies from both ST and Philips. Under the new agreement, ST will work with Philips to jointly market MHP Reference Systems based on the Omega series of set-top box decoders. Demonstration models are scheduled to be available in early 2002 with a complete reference system in product quality following in the middle of this year.