STMicroelectronics: Tomorrow’s TV is 3D, Connected and Green

The recent launch of the movie Avatar has drawn audiences’ attention to 3D entertainment globally. According to the latest estimate by Displaybank[1], 6.2 million 3D TV units will be sold in 2010 and sales are expected to grow to 33 million units in 2012 and 83 million units in 2014, representing 31% of the overall TV market. The driving force in 3D home entertainment comes from a friendlier user interface, best-in-class picture quality, and higher processing capabilities enabled by the industry’s leading semiconductor technologies. Last, but not least, the newest set-top box and TV ICs allow manufacturers to keep power consumption in check in both operation and stand-by modes.

“COMPUTEX Taipei is an important platform for sharing visions for the IT industry.” said Y.U. Lee, STMicroelectronics Consumer Segment Regional Vice President. “With 15 years at the forefront of the digital consumer electronics, ST today is a major contributor to realizing the vision of 3D, Connected and Green TV. “

ST’s STi7108 is the market’s first single-chip set-top box solution that integrates 3D graphics, Ethernet, USB and e-SATA interfaces to connect Internet devices, and storage on DVR or external Flash and hard-disk drives. Its processing performance supports demanding audio-visual, security and connectivity applications and the graphics engine enables a new class of user interfaces including 3D Electronic Program Guide, as well as advanced Internet content and high-performance gaming. It provides full-motion 3D HDTV with an advanced copy protection and supports content sharing across a home entertainment device network.

Addressing both the digital broadcast and fast-emerging broadband-Internet TV markets, ST’s Freeman chip combines a flexible and powerful decoder, supporting all major video content formats, with world-class video and audio processing capabilities. The device is Internet-TV-ready with a fully dedicated application processor, advanced graphics capabilities and content protection. A combination of ST’s low-power manufacturing process, leading-edge stand-by power management and power-aware drivers enables ST’s set-top box and digital TV chips to meet the increasingly stringent energy consumption standards for green consumer electronics equipment.