Broadcom is touting its next-generation chips for Internet-enabled cable gateways and HD digital terminal adapters as not only being chock-full of new features -- but also greener than ever.
The chip maker claims its two new system-on-chip solutions, one for gateways and the other for HD DTAs, can reduce energy consumption up to 65% over a 24-hour period. That's thanks to power-management features that put the devices into "stand-by" mode when they're not being actively used.
To date, operators including Comcast have deployed 40 million DTAs with Broadcom chips throughout North America. The relatively low-cost devices are designed to let MSOs eliminate analog TV signals, by converting digital signals to analog outputs.
Broadcom's fifth-generation DTA chip, 40-nanometer EZ-HD DTA system-on-chip, provides twice the performance of the company's previous 65-nm DTA SoC, said Brett Tischler, senior marketing manager for cable set-top boxes at Broadcom.
The BCM7574 chip has more graphics-processing power to be able to render full-featured interactive guides on DTAs, which typically have been limited to displaying the channel number on the screen. The new chip also can enable connectivity for DLNA applications, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission, which has restricted the kinds of features it allows in DTAs under its integrated-encryption ban.
"It lets operators deploy more advanced user interfaces and more advanced application frameworks to offer more compelling visual experience," Tischler said.
The chip's power-management features are based on a dedicated component that monitors when it can shut down system features.
At full power, an HD DTA will consume under 5 watts, but in standby mode DTAs with the BCM7574 will use less than 100 milliwatts. The new platform supports the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed Energy Star 4.0 requirements, according to Broadcom.
An estimated 45 million analog TVs in North America were still in use among cable TV customers at the end of 2011, according to In-Stat Research. "There is still a very large footprint of devices that need to be converted to HD," Tischler said.
As with its previous DTA chips, the BCM7574 is a universal DTA with integrated security for both Cisco Systems and Motorola headend networks. The chip also provides audio-leveling features designed to help operators comply with the Commercial Advertisement Level Mitigation (CALM) Act, which mandates constant volume across commercials, programs and channels.
Separately, Broadcom is introducing the BCM7435, which it claims its the industry's first 40-nm dual-core hybrid gateway SoC that includes a Web domain security function -- so that Internet applications don't crash the device.
Now, cable operators can provide traditional video services and Web applications in a common delivery system.
"Instead of having two chips and two data streams delivering separate content, on a single screen the subscriber will see seamless convergence of services," said Joe Del Rio, associate director of marketing for Broadcom's cable set-top box business.
The security function ensures that "the Internet applications won't interfere with the high-value subscription TV," Del Rio said.
The 7000-DMIPs dual-core, quad-thread chip provides twice the overall processing power of Broadcom's prior-generation gateway chip, and a threefold improvement in rendering 3D graphics, according to Broadcom.
The SoC also can transcode up to four video streams simultaneously and transmit them wirelessly to multiple devices, such as tablets and smartphones. Moreover, the BCM7435 supports up 22 video streams -- providing the ability to deliver live TV and recorded programs to multiple screens in the home.
Like the DTA chip, the BCM7435 provides advanced power-management capabilities, to drop to under 250 milliwatts in standby mode, according to Del Rio.
However, the chip does not include integrated DOCSIS features. For that, Broadcom supplies the BCM 3383 8x4 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem chip set.
The HD DTA and gateway chips are sampling with customers now, Broadcom said.
The company is showing off both products at the 2012 CableLabs Winter Conference in Philadelphia, which runs March 11 to 13. The conference is open only to CableLabs members and invited vendors.
