Release of World-First Single-Chip CD-ROM Controller LSI

[µPD63721]

NEC has developed a CD-ROM controller which integrates the functions on a single chip necessary to control the x4 speed CD-ROM device of the ATAPI (*1) specification and started sample shipment today under the name "µPD63721GD-LBD".

The main features of the new product include:

(2) Servo system automatic adjustment is achieved by combining it with the "µPC2572", RF amplifier for NEC CD

(3) The host interface is compliant with the extended IDE (*2: ATAPI) suitable for a CD-ROM device incorporated in a personal computer.

The sample price of the new product in a kit with the "µPC2572" RF amplifier is 2,000 yen and a monthly production of 1 million units is scheduled starting from December of this year.

In recent years, with the trend in personal computers toward higher performance and multimedia, the amount of data handled for personal use is also increasing. Accordingly, CD-ROM devices have spread drastically in these years and are establishing their position as the 3rd external storage devices incorporated as standard in personal computers as well as floppy disks and hard disks. At the same time, CD-ROMs with large capacities and low production costs are being generally recognized as distribution media for OS and application software and as transmission media for multimedia related information.

The actual CD-ROMs have their origin in musical CD devices and have been introduced to computer applications because of their large capacity and ease of use, and then become widespread and developed. Therefore, the mode in the mainstream is to configure a CD-ROM device using control LSIs different from those of the CD digital audio block and host interface/CD-ROM decoder block.

However, because the disk rotation speed of CD-ROM devices is being increased, CD-ROM devices are forming their own market different from the musical CD player market. In addition, the demand for low cost and high performance CD-ROM devices is increasing drastically with the advent of lower cost personal computers and those incorporating CD-ROM devices as standard.

The new product has been developed to respond to such a need.

The main features of the new product are as follows.

(1) Integration of all necessary functions for a CD-ROM device on a single chip

Integration of all function blocks necessary for a CD-ROM device such as digital servo, data processor, decoder, host interface on a single chip makes it possible to reduce the number of CD-ROM device components, resulting in cost reduction and miniaturization.

(2) Provision of servo system automatic adjustment function

Use of a digital loop filter in the servo control block and incorporation of an automatic adjustment function enables parameters of each servo system such as of fset, gain and balance to be automatically adjusted in combination with the "µPC2572 (RF amplifier for compact disk)." Furthermore, the filter characteristics can easily be changed by software setting according to the mechanism used.

(3) Host interface compatible with extended IDE (ATAPI)

The interface with the host is compliant with the extended IDE, the world standard for interface incorporated in personal computers, allowing an internal CD-ROM device to easily be configured within a personal computer.

Furthermore, incorporation of the command packet automatic reception function compliant with the ATAPI protocol makes it possible to realize a high performance CD-ROM device suppressing the CPU occupancy in a personal computer.

NEC believes that with the development of this new product, it will be able to sufficiently respond to demands from the personal computer peripheral storage device market facing the coming multimedia age. Based on this new product, NEC will engage in a vigorous campaign for developing the element technology to implement multimedia, and LSIs for the corresponding peripheral storage devices and will focus on sales activities for the fields requiring these products. For the specifications of the new product, see the attachment.

See the attachment for the major specifications of the new products.

(*1) ATAPI (AT Attachment Packet Interface):
Interface standardized to make it possible to connect a CD-ROM device using hardware standardized by ATA. It is provided with a command system that can access the drive in packet format in addition to the ATA commands. On hardware, the IDE connector for hard disk connection can be used as it is. This can be done by changing the BIOS.

(*2) Extended IDE (Integrated Device Electronics):
An extended standard of IDE proposed in September 1993 at the ANSI under the leadership of Western Digital Corporation in U.S.A. The name IDE is generally used , but the official standard name is ATA (AT attachment). The extended standard improves most of the ATA restrictions, achieves large capacities up to 8.4 GB and allows for connection of up to four units.