Digital ICs/DSP: Motherboard Chip Set Delivers Low-Overhead MPEG, HDTV Imagery

April 12, 2004

High-definition video experiences for Intel Pentium 4 motherboards are possible with the PM800 and PM880 IGP chip sets. Each set uses the company's S3 Graphics UniChrome Pro IGP core, delivering HDTV outputs up to 1080p, hardware MPEG-2 decoding, and intelligent video rendering. The embedded 2D/3D graphics engine and the Chromotion CE video display engine let the chip sets offer a true high-definition visual experience on CRT and LCD screens, as well as on standard and new-generation digital TVs. The integrated MPEG-2 decoder ensures flawless DVD playback with ultra-low CPU utilization and includes adaptive de-interlacing and video de-blocking to deliver perfect playback of interlaced video. Both chip sets offer AGP 8X ports for graphics upgrades. The PM880 packs the DualStream64 dual-channel DDR400 memory controller, while the PM800 uses the FastStream64 double-data-rate controller.

VIA Technologies Inc.www.via.com.tw/en/p4-series/pm-800.jsp or /pm880.jsp (408) 369-545

About the Author

Dave Bursky

Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.