NEC Electronics Introduces New EMMA™ System LSI Chips for Set Top Boxes with Hard Disk Drives

NEC Electronics today introduced two new additions to its acclaimed EMMA™ lineup of system LSI chips for digital AV devices. The EMMA2SE (part number μPD61140) and the EMMA2SE/P (part number μPD61142) are designed for set top boxes (STBs) with internal hard disk drives. The chips include all of the key functions needed for reception, recording, and playback of digital television broadcasts, in a single-chip solution. Compared to the previous generation EMMA2 device, the EMMA2SE and EMMA2SE/P offer higher performance to enable even smoother execution of common middleware, higher integration to lower bill of materials (BOM) costs, and software compatibility to shorten development times. Both chips also offer a second independent TV or DVD-Recorder output. In addition, the EMMA2SE/P also has additional security features for content protection. The main features of EMMA2SE and EMMA2SE/P are as follows:

(1) Enhanced CPU and memory interface
An integrated MIPS32®4KEC microprocessor core capable of executing 284 million instructions per second (MIPS) offers a 40 percent improvement in performance compared to the previous EMMA2 chip. In addition, the chips utilize a new 1-gigabit DDR SDRAM interface capable of operating at 266 megahertz (MHz), as compared to the 512-megabit 133MHz SDRAM interface employed in the EMMA2. The improved performance from these new features enable smooth operation of middleware such as MHEG and MHP commonly employed in STBs.

(2) Internal USB host controller
A USB host controller and oscillator are incorporated on-chip, which facilitates transfer of stored data between the STBs and peripheral devices such as flash memory readers or digital cameras. The reduction in external components also helps to lower BOM costs.

(3) Software compatibility
The software for EMMA2SE and EMMA2SE/P is compatible with the software used in NEC Electronics’ previous EMMA devices, allowing customers to shorten development times by making effective use of their existing software resources when designing new systems.

(4) Advanced security features
In addition to the above, the EMMA2SE/P also incorporates advanced on-chip security features needed to protect and ensure the integrity of valuable audio-visual content. By detecting content protection violations at startup, the EMMA2SE/P helps to prevent illegal operation of STBs and preserve the intellectual property of conditional access vendors and broadcasters worldwide.

 (5) Dual output capability
The EMMA2SE and EMMA2SE/P also offer the unique ability to deliver dual output, enabling a STB to simultaneously stream different video content to a television as well as an external recording device such as a DVD recorder or VCR.

NEC Electronics has long been a leading player in the digital consumer space. Since introducing the world’s first system LSI chip for digital broadcast STBs in 1998, it has continued to launch numerous market-leading devices based on the company’s EMMArchitecture™, and now boasts a lineup of 13 devices for STBs. The company is dedicated to delivering even more innovative solutions in the future, and aims to grow sales of EMMA products to 100 billion yen by 2010.

Availability
Samples of the EMMA2SE and EMMA2SE/P will be available from June. Volume production for both chips is scheduled to begin by the end of 2007. Availability is subject to change.

Exhibition at ANGA Cable
EMMA2SE and EMMA2SE/P, together with many other digital AV solutions, will be exhibited at NEC Electronics Europe’s booth #K6 at the ANGA Cable Trade Fair for Cable, Satellite, and Multimedia held May 22-24, 2007 in Cologne, Germany.

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