Chip Set Gives TV Sets JPEG-Image Display Ability

Aug. 18, 2003

Thanks to a pair of controller chips, television manufacturers can cost-effectively integrate memory-card-based features like digital photo display into TV sets. The PUC 3030A 32-bit controller...

Dave Bursky

Thanks to a pair of controller chips, television manufacturers can cost-effectively integrate memory-card-based features like digital photo display into TV sets. The PUC 3030A 32-bit controller and SDA 6001 ("M2") graphic processor combination, developed by Micronas of Freiburg, Germany, can be used with interlaced, progressive scan, and flat-panel TVs to deliver flicker-free images with enhanced picture resolution. In contrast, when transferring data to a TV set using a PC, DVD player, or digital camera, image quality tends to be considerably impaired.

Memory-card data is processed via the PUC controller, which decodes the JPEG image. The M2 processor then converts the image data into a video stream and handles the on-screen user interface. The combination eliminates image quality degradation and removes the cost associated with external devices such as a PC or other system.

The chip set quickly processes and displays JPEG pictures of all sizes. It can also be configured to decode files in MP3, WMA, and AAC formats, letting users play digitally downloaded music on a high-quality TV system in a very simple manner. The PUC 3030A also provides USB connectivity, enabling easy TV software and parameter updates.

In cooperation with Munich-based software design house Tara Systems (www.tara-systems.de), Micronas offers the PUC as a fully programmed controller. It provides tools for the M2, which allows TV system manufacturers to easily create a specific user interface. In a standard configuration, three modes may be applied. A preview mode displays several images in small format. With the remote control, the user can select one image as a full image. And, the slide-show mode displays images one after another.

A PUC-M2 reference platform for evaluation and easy and quick integration is available. Micronas can also custom-develop a user interface for a nominal fee. The PUC and M2 are available in plastic QFP-100 and QFP-128 packages, respectively. Many TV systems are already using the M2 graphics processor, so adding the PUC 3030A for the image display feature upgrade costs less than $9 per system in high volumes.

See associated figure

Micronaswww.micronas.com

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.