Video Decoders Tool Up For Next Generation Set-Top Boxes

A new family of interactive TV video decoder chips are designed to accelerate the transition from standard broadcasting to two-way interactive 2-D and 3-D programming. Four devices, the BCM7020, BCM7030, BCM7021, and BCM7031, provide support for dual decode of MPEG-2 video for picture-in-picture and watch-and-record function, Dolby Digital AC-3 and MPEG audio, studio-quality 2-D text and graphics, and support for analog TV.
Designed as pairs, the 7020/7030 employs a unified memory architecture while the 7021/7031 is for PCI-client devices. Each pair has the same pinout and features except for the 3-D capability found in the 7030 and 7031. All four devices are available in a 420-pin TBGA package and are priced at $50 each/10,000.