Press Release

Contact Tokyo:- Aston Bridgman NEC Corporation TEL: 81-3-3798-6511 FAX: 81-3-3457-7249 E-mail : Aston_Bridgman@HO-PRD.ccgw.nec.co.jp

Contact London:- Andrew Shephard EML TEL: +44-181-547-3955 E-mail : Andrews@eml.com

*****For immediate use June 8, 1998

NEC Launches World's Most Advanced System On A Chip Set Top Box and Digital TV Solution

µPD61030

NEC Corporation (NEC) and its affiliate NEC Electronics (UK) Ltd. have announced the world's most advanced system on a chip solution for digital set top boxes (STB) and integrated digital TVs (DTVs).

Specified at NEC's Multimedia Application Center (MMAC) in the United Kingdom, the µPD61030 will satisfy the requirements for digital satellite, cable or terrestrial receivers, and requires only the addition of memory, an appropriate 'front-end' and interface components.

The µPD61030 is the world's most highly integrated and powerful single chip STB solution and includes all of the core components necessary to decode an MPEG-2 stream and present it for display. It also generates the graphics associated with electronic program guides and the other interactive applications that digital television is expected to provide. Capitalizing on NEC's proven leadership in MIPS microprocessors, MPEG-2 and graphics engines, the µPD61030's highly efficient 'Enhanced Multi-Media Architecture' is designed explicitly for the digital receiver market.

Dr. Handle Jones, president of market analysts IBS said, "We feel that within the high-volume application segment, only two or three major vendors will be able to survive. NEC has all the key capabilities to be one of the leaders in the system on a chip market."

The µPD61030 combines high performance and code efficient 64-bit VR4110 100MIPs processor with MIPS16^TM support, an MPEG-2 Transport Stream Demultiplexer, an MPEG A/V decoder and a graphics engine. Peripheral support functions include: smart card interfaces, IEEE1284, parallel port, I²C interfaces and UARTS.

Implemented using NEC's 0.25-micron process technology, the µPD61030 represents another example of the company's market-leading system on a chip capability. The resulting 304-pin PQFP device will be easily handled by system manufacturers and only requires a low cost, two layer PCB.

Evaluation Board

A comprehensive µPD61030 evaluation board is available which allows the demonstration of all set top box functions. Provision has been made to accommodate different front-end devices for cable, satellite and terrestrial reception.

The evaluation board is an ideal platform for software development, a task which is becoming a more significant part of STB development. Application programming interfaces (APIs) such as OpenTV^TM and Media Highway^TM together with MHEG5 and JAVA extensions, provide a defined environment for broadcaster applications. This is essential to ensure confidence of future compatibility across the widest range of platforms and of upgradeability for applications. Recognizing the importance of broadcaster applications, the µPD61030 processing power has been generously specified and, says NEC, far exceeds that of any other available solutions.

European Design Effort

While realized through NEC's organization in Japan, the µPD61030 was designed in Europe by the MultiMedia Application Center based in Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom. The use of this local design effort reflects the fact that the digital video broadcast market is driven from Europe, as illustrated by the continent's involvement in the definition of standards, through the digital video broadcasting (DVB) standard and the progressive attitude towards the adoption of digital services by broadcasters. Europe is already leading the world in production of digital receivers.

Bob Giddy, Director and General Manager of NEC Electronics (UK) Ltd. said, "NEC recognized early on that closeness to these activities was essential to be successful in this very dynamic industry. The MMAC group was formally established in January 1997 with the objective of providing the best possible support for our customers, which of course includes ensuring the best solutions with products like the µPD61030. Local design in terms of software and hardware macros has added considerably to NEC's customer responsiveness."

The successful short development lifecycle of the µPD61030, which is designed specifically to meet both broadcaster and box manufacturer requirements, bears testament to the role of the MMAC group.

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