Broadcom Corp.
Monday introduced a new chip that it says will improve the video quality on
set-top boxes and other television appliances.
Targeted at next-generation set-top units, the company’s new graphics
accelerator has 3-D capabilities and supports studio-quality text, graphics
and video on ordinary television displays.
The new chip is Broadcom’s first entry in the graphics set-top chip market.
Broadcom currently supplies high-speed transmission technology for many
set-top boxes. Officials hope to soon incorporate all the major functions
of a set-top box on to a single chip.
“This breakthrough technology will cost effectively allow consumers to view
Internet content directly on their television with quality similar to their
PC,” said Henry Nicholas, Broadcom’s president and chief executive officer.
Broadcom said the BCM7014 chip is the first to convert computer video
output to standard television video without resulting in lower quality
graphics or video. That allows graphics to be properly displayed along with
digital and analog video. The chip also contains anti-flicker filters that
improve the television display by filtering out imperfections typically
seen when graphics and text are viewed on standard televisions.