TV Chip Supports Intel 810 Chipset
A company called Focus Enhancements, Inc. (Wilmington, MA) announced today that it's starting limited sampling of what it calls an "i-net TV" interface chip. Targeting OEMs designing Internet set-top boxes and PCs, the device works with the recently announced Intel 810 3-D graphics chipset. When in full production, Focus anticipates selling its IC at under five dollars a pop in quantities greater than 500,000/year.
Focus already enjoys design wins for its video conversion digital video coprocessors at Philips, Samsung, Panasonic, Apple, and Zenith. The company says its newest chip will bring a number of innovations to low-cost but high-quality TV interfaces.
For one, the IC uses a patented variable scaling technique to exactly fit a PC or Internet image to any TV screen. Also, the firm says its technology is plug-and-play and can therefore accommodate any refresh rate up to 160 Hz, as opposed to recently introduced PC-to-TV approaches from competitors that only accommodate up to 60 Hz refresh rates.
Little Else Needed
Focus Enhancements' digital video convergence technology is at the heart of its PC-to-TV video convergence chips. These devices work with TVs, PCs, or set-top boxes to display images without any additional software drivers, or external circuitry. The firm claims it's the only such ASIC technology available that doesn't require software to be VGA-chip independent.
The latest device will also have built-in interfaces to permit standard TV broadcasts or DVD movies to be digitally switched through the chip. This feature will let you design a set-top box that can include a TV tuner or DVD. It also promises to ease customer hookups.
The "i-net TV" also has an innovative 2-D flicker filter. Rolled out in previous Focus Enhancements video conversion silicon products, the patent-pending flicker filter enhances text readability while eliminating flicker.
Focus Enhancements' existing line includes the previously announced FS401 chip. It's optimized for TV OEMs. An FS402 (with Macrovision 7) is aimed at high-end PC motherboard and graphic card developers. (Focus also plans to have a version of its newest chip that will eventually include Macrovision 7). The company's FS403 is aimed at OEMs designing stand-alone video scan converter set-top boxes.
The Focus Enhancements digital video co-processor family is claimed to be the only PC-to-TV encoder line that supports resolutions of 640 x 480 pixels, 800 x 600 pixels, 1024 x 768 pixels, and 1600 x 1200 pixels. It does this by means of the patented variable scaling capability. The firm's convergence chips also provide underscaling and compression.
With multiple patents and patents pending, the company is also developing a family of products that will enable the current installed base of televisions, VCRs, and camcorders to remain functional in upcoming high definition TV (HDTV) environments. These should enhance the firm's market position, which some analysts say is 45% of the market.
Want more details? Contact Thomas Hamilton at Focus Enhancements, Inc., 600 Research Dr., Wilmington, MA 01887. Phone: (503) 520-2917, or (978) 988-5888. Fax: (978) 988-7555.