--------------------------------------------
***A Computer Chip that Runs Multiple OS's?
(November 13)
Reuters reports that a secretive secretive start-up may be working on an microprocessor that can run multiple operating systems and all the software programs that they support. On November 3, the U.S. Patent and Trademark office issued a patent to Transmeta, one of the Valley's most closely watched technology companies, and the object of enormous speculation.
"(The patent) appears to be (for) a processor that's able to, on-the-fly, translate the instruction set of a second processor," said Steve Gribble, a graduate student researcher at U.C. Berkeley's Computer Science division. "What that basically means is given enough software support, it could run programs from multiple types of computers."Transmeta employs a number of chip and software pioneers, including CEO David Ditzel, who formerly worked at Sun on its SPARC microprocessors, and Linus Torvalds, the inventor of the Linux operating system. The company is financed in part by billionaire Paul Allen.
Transmeta representatives could not be reached for comment on Friday. Gribble and other participants in developer discussion forums on the Net think that the patent might be a red herring, meant to throw off competitors such as Intel. If Transmeta's product really delivers what the highly detailed patent says it will, the company is developing a fast and flexible "one size fits all" processor.
The ability to imitate another architecture is called emulation and emulators are notoriously slow. A Macintosh application, for example, can mimic the Windows OS, but at a glacial pace. It's not really effective for everyday computing because the emulation is handled at the software application level-which spells slow programs. The technological claims contained in the Transmeta patent suggest that the company's chip will emulate any number of other processors at much higher speeds. Such a chip would theoretically allow a PC manufacturer to build one computer capable of running many operating systems. It would also allow software designed for older processors to run equally fast on newer ones.
A telling, if dense, passage of the patent tells the tale: "... a microprocessor comprising a host processor capable of executing a first instruction set, code morphing software for translating programs written for a target processor having a second different instruction set into instructions of the first instruction set." This implies "one processor fits all." Gribble said that although the patent makes many references to translating x86 code as one application of the patented technology, the company also claims to be able to run Java code and postscript code directly on its processor.
"It mentions that they can run x86 substantially faster than the Pentium Pro, even though they use far fewer transistors," he said. Gribble added that the patent's abstract, or summary, is craftily written. It outlines Transmeta's research efforts without spelling out exactly what the results will be. A chip that could run multiple operating systems-Windows, Macintosh, Unix, Linux, etc.-would form the core of an immensely flexible and highly sought-after PC. Gribble stressed that any guesses as to Transmeta's actual product plans are purely speculative at this point.
***LG Electronics Announces PC Add-In Card and All-In-One Chip For Digital Television (November 15)
LG Electronics and LG Semicon has developed a all-in-one digital TV receiver chip which will also work on a PC add-in card. The single chip decoder meets the ATSC standard for both high-definition (HDTV) and standard-definition television (SDTV). The chip set enables digital televisions, set top boxes, personal computers and other digital appliances to receive digital video and CD-quality audio signals from terrestrial broadcasting stations. In addition, this chip developed jointly by LG Electronics and LG Semicon, is expected to cut the cost in products like DTV, STB, and PC add-in cards while making system integration easier. The is a PCI bus board for digital which allows users to watch Digital TV on their PC.
The chip fully complies to the ATSC specifications and handles system parsing, video and audio decoding inside the chip. The chip uses LG proprietary video decoding algorithms which require only 4 MB external SDRAM space for decoding all 18 ATSC video resolutions and displaying the decoded video images on NTSC resolution monitors without any degradation on visual picture quality. The chip also handles Dolby Pro Logic, 3-D virtual sound, dual audio service as well as Dolby AC-3 digital audio decoding. In addition to the system, video and audio decoding, the chip provides several features, such as VIP ver. 1.1 host and video port interface, 12C master port, IEEE1394 Link Controller interface, Linear PCM and digital audio output port, CCIR601 or 656 video output with sync master or slave. Production of the digital chip set will be available first quarter 1999.
The PC add-in Card using the above single chip A/V decoder features an RF signal input port to receive incoming DTV signals from terrestrial broadcasting stations. The signal is demodulated with LG's one chip VSB demodulator and fed to A/V decoder for audio and video decoding and displays on a PC monitor or an NTSC TV monitor. The board is a standard PC card size and runs on Windows 98. Through the PCI-bus, a PC system can down-load the incoming digital TV signal either after selecting a certain channel or all together, such as recording at VCR while enjoying digital TV. It is also possible to playback encoded digital A/V data from hard disk by feeding into the card through PCI-bus. The board decodes all 18 ATSC video formats and has VIP ver. 1.1 video port for a PC monitor and S-VHS video output for TV. The PC card features 5.1 channel PCM output and S/P DIF digital audio output ports and handles Dolby AC-3, Pro-Logic and 3-D virtual surround decoding and dual audio service. Since LG's DTV capturing card is based on one A/V decoder, it does not require any computing power from the PC microprocessor nor from the PCI bus bandwidth.
The card functionality is presented to the user via an application software, called "EPG (Electronic Program Guide) Navigator". This interactive on-screen "TV guide" not only allows browsing the program information while watching digital TV, but also integrates various TV/VCR functions such as channel tuning, volume control, recording, and screen capture to name a few. It also supports DTVCC (Digital TV Closed Caption) and allows viewers to choose among caption services provided in multiple languages. This software runs on Windows 98 and utilizes the WebTV for Windows database for the program information as well as PSIP (Program and System Information Protocol) information sent together with audio and video signal by the broadcasting station.
***Getting Blown Away at 160mph
by John Latta
For the second year in a row STB has sponsored an event for industry analysts prior to COMDEX where they can have the Richard Petty Driving Experience. This year NVIDIA was a co-sponsor. This is all about driving a real Winston cup stock car on a real race course. As an entertainment experience we have never experienced anything like this. In comparison, it makes a VR driving experience on a motion platform, even using multiple screens, about the level of a 5 year old's bicycle with training wheels. Well, upon second thought, we probably over stated the relative quality of the VR experience.
This is a real as it gets. I took both the Riding Experience and the Rookie Experience. The former is 3 laps around the track as a passenger with speeds up to 160mph. The latter is 2 X 4 lap runs where you are the driver and sole person in the car with speeds up to 140mph. The track was excellent - the Las Vegas speedway which is a 1.5 mile circuit with 12 degree banks. I was in a group which began at 5pm and completed about 8pm, thus, our runs were at night on a beautifully lit race course.
Taking the Riding Experience first was very valuable. I gained a sense for the car and how it handled on the course. The driver was particularly aggressive as he moved in and out of the designated path for the rookies. My greatest concern was coming into the turns at high speed and losing the rear end in a slide. However, the professional driver was able to run at higher speeds and the rear end was solid. A few times it appeared that the rear end would skip on the track at high G's but the driver told me that traction was never lost.
I was strapped into a tight bucket seat which provides little comfort but much support on both sides. Using a standard racing 5 point seat harness, neck strap, helmet and the lateral support of the seat, one is tightly confined. The roll cage surrounds the inside of the cockpit which is functional but very sparse. There should be no association with this racing car and a conventional car both internal and external.
One's physical response to the Riding Experience is difficult to describe. When the engine is started it is clear that 650 hp is only a foot away from the fire wall. Chest thumping low frequency audio and the power of the engine is the best descriptive combination to use. Moving out from the pits we began slowly but as the pit lane approached the track it was pedal to the metal. As the car accelerated, and I was thrust back into my seat, there was no doubt that even the ride was going to be a unique experience.
The track has been marked by the Richard Petty Driving Experience with two narrow white paint strips approximately 1 foot long and separated about 20 feet. This occurs about every 200 feet along the track. As the instructors stated in the pre-briefing, the car pretty much drives itself as long as one stays in the grove between these markings. The professional driver for the Riding Experience followed the grove - approximately. He, however, would run closer to the wall and at these speeds anything adjacent to the right window was just a blur. One of the most striking aspects of the ride was the lateral G force. The driver would come in high at the entrance to a curve and pull low into the curve. This seemed to make the forces even greater. However, this was the natural course of the track which the car followed. There is a tendency to back off in the curves but this loses valuable speed. With the professional driver one would go from the short straight sections to the G forces in the corners with no backing off. The essence of this experience is immersion. None of this "suspension-of-disbelief" garbage. At no time did I experience fear but it was the assault on multiple sensual modalities that created the incredible experience. The combination of G forces, the unknown, the speed and noise level all created a very unusual set of stimuli unique to racing.
The advantage of the Riding Experience is that it lowered the number of unknown factors by watching the professional. Next was the driving experience. It is best to step back and describe the sequence of the experience because the drivers are exposed to much more than the rider experience described above.
There were 13 in our class, the last of the day. After suit-up in a driving jump suit the drivers are given a pre-show in video. This explained the experience but did not go into the details of the training. The next was a verbal overview of what we were to do while driving and some ground rules for the pits and adjacent areas. A key to the driving experience is the role of the instructor. Every driver is paired with an instructor which runs ahead of the driver's car. As a driver you are to, above all else, follow the lead of the instructor. A series of hand signals are laid out to set your distance from the instructor and to provide instructions during the run. At the center of the track is the nest tower just above the track and adjacent to the stands. During a real race this is where the flags are waved to the drivers. The same applies in the Richard Petty Driving Experience. However, you can also be given signs which tells one to pull up closer behind the instructors or open up a greater distance. The following are key guidelines:
When coming out of the pits stay behind the instructor from 1 to 2 car lengths;
During the driving on the track keep back from the instructor from 6 - 8 car lengths;
Do not drive high on the track;
Follow the grove in the track by staying between the white markers; however, above all follow the instructor;
Never spin the tires (this will most likely lead to loss of control - a no no);
Begin in first gear and make sure this gear is in place; watching the dash light showed it was engaged;
Begin moving the car by gradually letting the clutch out with
the engine running at 2000 RPM, and
If the large red light comes on, indicating a loss of oil pressure, disable the engine by turning off three switches to kill the engine and coast to the in-field sections of the track and come to a stop.The valuable information came when we loaded into a van and another instructor drove the race track. He pointed out the watch points, the grove, the signal nest, and how to conduct our interaction with the instructors in front us during the drive. At times I found some of the instruction redundant but I would much rather have heard it more than once than to have missed it.
From here we went with our assigned groups for driving. In advance of the driving those running the experience had a print out of the drivers and their driving sequence. Drivers were paired with certain cars because the distance from the seat to the pedals is fixed. Thus, it is important to find the proper fit between a given car and those who can drive it. All of this was worked out in advance before the driving begins.
The Rookie Experience is broken into two runs of 4 laps each. This is important because the first run is familiarization. One could run at the top speed for this level, that is 140 mph, but those who had not driven before, were typically more conservative. After the 4th lap of the first run one started to become familiar with the driving patterns and how to improve one's skill, including getting the speed up.
At the end of the run a race coordinator would speak with the instructor. I got some valuable information, which, in part confirmed what I sensed on the track. After all had run the course the first time we were coached on improvements and technique. Then the second run began.
During a run there were typically 6+ cars on the track. Given the pacing by the instructors one typically did not overtake other drivers, however, some would be going quite slow and overtaking them was a possibility. More importantly, the Riding Experience was on-going at much higher speeds. I was driving the first set of laps and the instructor went low on the main stretch, whom I followed. The next thing I watched the professional driver zoom past me to the right like a bullit. What a feeling.
The driving experience began when one's time came up and the car of the previous driver came into the pits. Even before the current driver got out of the car I was instructed to stand behind the left rear tire. When he got out I moved in. Since the car has no doors, one has to angle in one leg at a time and then the head makes it in. With the helmet this was a little cumbersome but at this point such an inconvenience is immaterial to the building excitement.
After being strapped in the crew member attaches the steering wheel. Once the car is ready to engage with the instructor, the crew member starts the engine. There is no turning back at this point. The linkage with the instructor is accomplished under the direction of one of the crew members directing traffic in the pit. The instructors bring each car into the pits but they stay on the right side while the drivers park as directed in multiple rows to the left. The instructor stays only a short time and is ready to move out again and following immediately behind the next driver. Thus, there is a continuous coordinated flow of drivers linking up with instructors. This speeds the process and keeps the track full.
There is no other way to describe the experience than intense. We were told by one crew member that only one driver had hit a wall in the last year, apparently with no injuries. We were also told multiple times how fixed the path along the course was for the cars given how they were set up by the mechanics. Thus, by all measures it was very safe. None of this meant anything as the car accelerated out of the pits. It took nearly ½ the track to get up to speed and enter the race track. There were stories of how earlier in the day some drivers were going slower on the race track that the speeds they drove to the race track. This was certainly not my intent.
The level of concentration was just one factor in the intensity. I had to keep my eyes on the grove, the instructor and the nest when it appeared. However, the real challenge was to continually look ahead and anticipate the track and next actions. All of this was taking place as I entered a turn high and pulled quickly low with the G forces pulling me and the car to the outside of the track. The continual tendency was to slow down but this only put one farther behind the instructor. If you got too far behind the nest would signal to narrow the gap - a signal I did not get.
One could not escape the reality of what was happening. With one small mistake it was possible to end up against the wall. There was an element of fear of making a mistake but at the same time there was the continual challenge of attempting to do well. Although none of the timing data was available until the end of the race, I was continually sensitive to being competitive. As a form of entertainment, in spite of riding many rides, including the dragster in Atlanta which was reported on in WAVE, there is nothing like this. You are in complete control and the ultimate end result is yours. Yet, the range of end results can vary widely including a mistake that causes a crash. At the same time skill plays a significant role and this was obvious from the first run to the second.
I had the greatest trepidation about coming in high at the beginning of the curves and rapidly heading low. As I came out of the stretch the last inclination was to pull to the wall yet this is what the grove and instructor called for. As the speed increased with the later laps I continually felt like the rear would crawl out from under me at the apex of the curve. Of course, this was not to happen at these speeds but there was still the feeling.
It was instructive to watch the other drivers and how they improved from the first run to the second. The gaps between them and the instructor narrowed and it was easy to see how the speeds were going up.
On my second run I felt much more at ease. The focus was very much on keeping a fixed distance with the instructor and I did much better. In fact, I missed the checkered flag which signified that this was the last lap and I was to head into the pits on the back stretch. I was going so fast that the instructor signaled me to slow down as we entered the last portion of the track.
In spite of it being the end of the driving experience and getting out of the car, dropping down to reality took about an hour. As I drove back from the race course to Las Vegas this was also driving but the two experiences were in no way coupled. My mind was still on the track and experience.
When all the drivers were done we assembled for the final packages to be passed out. This included a diploma and our race times. An incredible experience not to be forgotten.
There are 3 bases from which the Richard Petty Experiences are staged: Harrisburg, NC the headquarters, Las Vegas and Orlando. A new one will open in Atlanta in February 1999. Each site has its own crews and these can be deployed to other race tracks in the area to stage the racing experience. The Harrisburg site does the most traveling and this has included Daytona, Texas and Indianapolis. Las Vegas has gone to Pikes Peak in June and July for 3 weeks. The movement takes a large convoy which includes 12 cars on 2 transport trucks, a number of vans for support, spares, tires and personnel. The preparation time is 1 week. In Las Vegas they typically run 18 days/month and at times have handled up to 1,100 rookies in 10 days. There are 9 full time employees in Las Vegas and typically 30 part time on school days.
The Richard Petty Driving Experience pays the race course for using the track and the track provides safety and ambulance services when it is being used. Typically the experience must request the number of days it wants to use the track 1 year in advance, however, we had the impression that the actual days used are flexible. The busiest days are Friday, Saturday, Sunday and sometimes also Monday.
The majority of the riders are individuals, however, there has been a recent increase in the number of corporate events. The demographics of who raced on the STB/NVIDIA day was skewed by the fact that these were analysts. In this crowd the range was from 40 - 55. It was estimated ,by a crew member, that typically 90% of the drivers are male.
The cars are virtually identical to Winston Cup race cars. The suspension, transmission and rear ends are the same. However, the bodies are fiberglass compared to steel in the actual race cars. This is done for maintenance purposes. These cars have two seats where the race cars have only one. An experience car has from 600 - 650 hp while an actual race car has 700 - 750 hp. The maximum rpms of the experience cars is limited to 7000. An engine replacement costs $30,000 and one went out the day we were at the track.
Each car has a lap counting mechanism that is used to signal maintenance intervals. Here is the maintenance schedule:
300 miles - Car check
750 miles - Oil Change and valve adjustment
? miles - A Level Service including complete car tear down
9,000 miles - Change MotorThere are four experience levels:
Riding Experience - with Professional Driver
$105.99
Rookie Experience - 8 laps for a 3 Hour Experience
$423.99
Experience of a Lifetime - 30 laps in 3 X 10 lap sessions
$1377.99
Racing Experience - 2 days with 80 laps, Focused on skill development and competition. 1 instructor and 4 students simultaneously driving behind. At the end of this program the students can reach the level of the professional driver in the Riding Experience. The student may be within 1 second of the professionals time. This program has just begun and started running the day after our experience.
$2,200This event was run buy those who love racing. The preparation was professional but not staged. Everyone was very approachable.(800)BE-PETTY.
***Gateway Announces its First Sub-$2000 Technical Workstation (November 9)
Gateway announced the E-5200 workstation, a technical workstation for less than $2,000.
The Gateway E-5200 technical workstation includes the following features:
· Intel Pentium II 350MHz processor with L2 cache and dual-processor capability
· Intel 440BX Chipset featuring up to 1GB ECC SDRAM with 100MHz system bus technology
· SCSI Hard Drive Options
· Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
· LANDesk software
· VX Series Monitors
· Mid-tower CaseEach Gateway technical workstation is built to client specifications based on a single product platform. Listed below is the E-5200 configuration for the $1,999 technical workstation:
· Intel Pentium II 350MHz Processor with 512K ECC L2 Cache, 64MB 100MHz ECC SDRAM expandable up to 1GB, 10GB SMART II Ultra ATA Hard Drive, VX 900 (18" viewable) Monitor, 3Com 10/100 Ethernet with Wake-up On LAN, and 8MB AccelGraphics Permedia 2 graphics card with 8MB SGRAM, Windows NT and LANDesk Client Manager 3.3 for $1,999.
***IBM and Mentor Graphics to Expand Reach of PowerPC Chip Architecture (November 9)
IBM and Mentor Graphics announced a strategic licensing relationship that allows Mentor Graphics to offer IBM PowerPC 401 and 405 embedded processor "cores" as part of its extensive library of proven commercial cores. The agreement enables design teams to incorporate IBM PowerPC architecture and performance into systems-on-a-chip for next-generation consumer and communications products.
The agreement is unique in that this is the first time a 32-bit microprocessor architecture will be available through an independent intellectual property (IP) provider. Typically, such technology is licensed through semiconductor vendors and manufacturers, and is linked to those providers' foundries.
The agreement will extend the use of IBM's embedded PowerPC architecture by making it available through Mentor Graphics' worldwide IP sales force and its Mentor Consulting division, specializing in design reuse methodologies and IP integration.
Embedded processors, like the PowerPC 401 and 405, are special-function microprocessors designed to carry out specific tasks. They can be combined with other functions to create "systems" on a single chip using sophisticated design software tools like those from Mentor Graphics. With PowerPC cores available for such tools, more customers will be able to incorporate the PowerPC into their chip designs.
As a result of the agreement between IBM and Mentor Graphics, customers will receive one-stop, easy access to PowerPC-based designs. Mentor Graphics will be able to directly sublicense the PowerPC 401 and 405 cores, enabling improved time-to-market for chip designers. The agreement, which also grants Mentor Graphics the right to sublicense IBM's processor local bus and on-chip peripheral bus architectures, is a step in making IBM's PowerPC embedded chip designs broadly available. The Mentor Graphics intellectual property portfolio, in particular its physical layer DSP offerings, opens many design possibilities in a range of markets and complements IBM's intellectual property and manufacturing expertise.
IBM and Mentor Graphics have existing relationships in which IBM licenses Mentor Graphics' Inventra intellectual property (including its Virtual Library) and Mentor Graphics supports the PowerPC 401 and 405 cores in its hardware/software co-verification environment.
***Triscend Announces 32-bit Configurable Processor Will Be ARM-based (November 9)
Triscend announced that its first 32-bit Configurable Processor family will be based on an ARM7TDMI core. This ARM-based family will complement Triscend's first Configurable Processor family, the E5, which is based on a performance-enhanced version of the 8032 microcontroller. Triscend plans to reveal more details on the ARM-based family in mid-1999 and expects to begin delivering products in late 1999.
Triscend and Sharp Microelectronics Technology (SMT) have entered into a joint-development agreement and will co-operate on the design and definition of this Configurable Processor family.
As part of this agreement, Sharp will contribute proprietary technology as well as expertise in ARM-based systems-on-chip. Triscend will add this product family to its expanding line of Configurable Processors. Device fabrication will be at Sharp's 0.25 micron Fab IV CMOS facility located in Fukuyama, Japan.
A Configurable Processor integrates a dedicated ("hard-wired") industry-standard microprocessor, programmable logic, memory and a dedicated system bus. Triscend's first Configurable Processor, the E5, is based around a performance-enhanced 8032.
The ARM-based family will feature a "hard-wired" industry-standard ARM7TDMI core. This technology allows the designer to configure the peripherals around the processor core using programmable logic, while still benefiting from the standard ARM architecture with its existing 3rd party software support.
ARM7TDMI is a high performance 32-bit RISC core that includes the "Thumb" architectural extension, EmbeddedICE debug and a DSP-enhanced multiplier. Thumb is a 16-bit instruction set drawn from the original 32-bit ARM7 instruction set.
On execution, Thumb instructions are "decompressed" by the processor into equivalent ARM instructions in real time. The Thumb 16-bit compressed instruction set gives exceptional code density, leading to a reduction in the required memory size and bandwidth, which directly reduces system cost.
A Configurable Processor, also referred to as CPSU (Configurable Processor System Unit), is a single-chip combination of a dedicated industry-standard microprocessor, programmable logic, memory and a dedicated system bus.
With these technologies are integrated on a single chip, an embedded system designer can instantly configure a customized microprocessor derivative or system-on-a-chip, permitting extremely rapid time-to-market advantages without sacrificing product differentiation.
The key to the Triscend CPSU architecture is the Configurable System Interconnect bus (CSI bus) and the CSI Socket, which is a processor-independent, open-system interface between the CSI bus and the programmable logic. Similar to an API, the CSI Socket allows for the interface and re-use of soft peripheral logic across all Triscend CPSU families.
Triscend has openly documented the CSI Socket so that users and third-party IP developers can create application solutions that will operate on all Triscend Configurable Processor families, now and in the future.Triscend programmable logic is called Configurable System Logic (CSL). This technology utilizes SRAM-based Configurable System Logic cells (CSL cells) to implement the functions defined by soft peripherals and other user-custom logic.
The CSL matrix is a collection of CSL cells, interconnect routing, debugging circuitry and CSI Socket connections. It is optimized for a very tight integration with the system and the CSI bus, which enables "drag and drop" configuration. The CSL matrix also supports advanced real-time processor-synchronized debugging of the entire system.
Triscend is developing Configurable Processor families based on leading microprocessors, including 8-bit, 32-bit, and DSP cores. The first Triscend Configurable Processor family, the 8-bit E5, is based on a performance-enhanced version of the industry-standard 8032 microcontroller.
The E5 is sampling in December 1998 and a demo version of the FastChip Configurable Processor Development System is available now. The Triscend 32-bit ARM-based CPSU family is scheduled to see production in 1999 and will be compliant to the CSI Socket standard introduced in the first Triscend CPSU family-the 8-bit E5 family.
http://www.sharpsma.com
http://www.butterflydsp.com
http://www.triscend.com
***Siemens Announces Silicon of 64M/72M Direct Rambus DRAMS (November 9)
Siemens Semiconductors announced the first functional silicon of 64M/72M Direct Rambus DRAMs (Direct RDRAM).
At only 58mm(2) die size, these chips are the industry's smallest 64M/72M Direct RDRAM parts. Siemens' Direct RDRAMs are manufactured in 0.20um process technology and are mounted in a micro ball grid array package. The first samples are being evaluated and will undergo exhaustive functional testing. First engineering samples for customers will be available end of 1998. Mass production of 64M/72M Direct RDRAMs is scheduled for mid-1999.
***Panasonic and Compaq Co-Develop High Definition Digital
Television Tuner-Decoder for Personal Computers
(November 9)
Panasonic and Compaq Computer Corporation announced a digital television (DTV) tuner-decoder for personal computers. The two-card device enables computers to receive, decode and display digital television signals on the screen of a PC. Broadcasts of High Definition and digital TV signals began in major markets around the country on November 1.
Compatible with all of the approved Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) digital broadcast formats, plus the existing National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) analog format, the new PC-DTV device leverages the computing power already in the PC to provide an alternative digital TV solution.Panasonic Industrial Co. will initially market the device on an OEM basis to manufacturers, broadcasters, content creation studios, content developers and others with a stake in the developing DTV industry. The device will be manufactured by Matsushita Electronics Components Co., Ltd.
***Philips Semiconductors Debuts Digital TV Reference Design for the PC (November 9)
Philips Semiconductors announced a complete digital TV (DTV) reference board for the PC, allowing hardware makers to develop solutions for PCI-based designs. Philips Semiconductors' Coney board is designed to bridge DTV capabilities via a highly integrated solution for hardware manufacturers-allowing users to receive both ATSC and NTSC broadcast signals via the PC.
Combining an advanced TV front-end tuner with desktop video ICs, Philips Semiconductors Coney board is now being used by Intel Corporation in the company's DTV broadcast trials. In conjunction with Intel's high-end Pentium II processors and an accelerated graphics port, the Philips reference design allows users to tune into DTV broadcasts and automatically download data and video via their PC.
The Philips Semiconductors' Vestigial Side-Band (VSB) chipset consists of the TDA9829T, or TDA9819 IF down converters, the TDA8763 A/D converter and the TDA8960 8-VSB integrated demodulator and decoder. The chipset is capable of processing terrestrial signals and converting them to the stage of a digital MPEG-2 Transport Stream that can then be used in a personal computer, television or hybrid set top box device.
The Coney board front-end uses a Philips TD1536 multi-format tuner module and a single-chip IF stage (TDA9819), which can handle both VSB modulated signals for ATSC broadcast reception and analog NTSC terrestrial and cable signals.
Separate outputs from the IF stage feed digital VSB signals to an ADC converter-which are then handled by the single-chip TDA8960 VSB demodulator/decoder-while analog signals go to the SAA7113, the world's first 9-bit single-chip multi-standard video capture device.
This IC can also accept video inputs from separate external sources, in CVBS or S-video format, via connectors on the board. A TDA9851 BTSC sound decoder handles stereo sound processing, and external audio inputs can also be digitized. The SAA7146A Media Streaming Engine interfaces the other ICs to the PCI-bus, carrying the MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS) from the VSB decoder, the ITU-R 656 representation of the analog NTSC signal, video from the external inputs and the digital audio signals.The Coney board is compatible with all 18 ATSC formats, ATVEF and DASE data formats. The ATSC transport stream demultiplexing, MPEG2 HL decoding and decoding of broadcast data services are performed on the host using combinations of hardware and/or software, depending on the application. A license is available, royalty free, from Philips Semiconductors to use the PCB layout (Gerber) files as well as the original design schematics.
***Dell Selects Turtle Beach Montego II A3D 2 As Sound Card Upgrade for Dimension PCs (November 9)
The Turtle Beach Montego II A3D sound card has been designated by Dell Computer as the standard sound upgrade for Dimension PCs with Intel Pentium II processors.
The Montego II A3D places the Aureal Vortex 2 chipset on a Turtle Beach board to deliver sound quality and positional audio effects. In addition to doubling the processing power of the original Montego, the Montego II A3D utilizes the new A3D 2.0 API to add Wavetracing technology, which models the acoustic characteristics of a virtual environment via wall reflections and occlusions in real-time. The Montego II A3D requires a single pair of speakers or headphones for full 3D functionality. More than 100 PC game and entertainment titles currently support A3D or are under development.
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Copyright 1998 4th WAVE, Inc.
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