Analog Devices Launches Blackfin Fusiv Platform, Spurring Convergence Of Secure Broadband Video, Voice And Data For Multiservice Access Solutions
ADI also announces new Fusiv-Vx series processors for VoIP applications.
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Norwood, MA (May 24, 2004) - Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a leader in semiconductors for signal processing applications, today announced its Blackfin® Fusiv™ Platform, using integrated technology to deliver secure, high-speed data, voice and video convergence in a single solution. By uniting the exceptional media processing of ADI’s Blackfin architecture with the next-generation network processing of its Fusiv technology, this new convergence platform enables high-quality video, voice and data services for applications such as data and media gateways, Integrated Access Devices (IADs), and IP-PBXs for residential and business markets. ADI also introduced a new family of Fusiv-Vx processors, based on the popular ADSP-2100 core digital signal processing (DSP) technology, for the fast-growing voice over IP (VoIP) market.
“Convergence is defining the current decade, and the new Blackfin Fusiv Platform is a leading example of the progress the industry is making,” said Rob Enderle, Principle Analyst for the Enderle Group. “By combining video, voice and data services on the same platform, ADI has created a solution that should drive down prices and drive up demand for the rapidly emerging classes of customer premises equipment (CPE) devices.”
“Other semiconductor companies have focused on media processing or network processing or voice processing, but with our Blackfin Fusiv Platform, ADI is the first to unite all these capabilities in a single system,” said John Croteau, general manager, Media Platforms and Services Group at Analog Devices, Inc. “Convergence at the architectural level is crucial for triple-play services that depend on uncompromising performance, security and scalability. Blackfin Fusiv brings OEMs a fully optimized, integrated, scalable, feature-rich converged system solution for the multiservice market—not only reducing time-to-market but also lowering total BOM costs.”
New VoIP Processors
Fundamental to this converged market approach, ADI’s Fusiv-Vx 150 and the Fusiv-Vx 200 processors integrate fast, secure network and voice processing in a system-on-chip (SOC) product with a completely integrated and optimized software solution. Providing excellent price/performance, wired/wireless connectivity options, router functionality, Quality of Service (QoS), firewall features and an IP security protocol (IPsec)-based security framework, these offerings are geared to help equipment makers address the rapidly growing segment of residential and business VoIP markets. The Fusiv-Vx processors meet the requirements of a fully integrated solution for applications such as IAD, residential and business gateways, and Analog Telephone Adapters (ATA).
Fusiv-Vx Processors Set Performance Standards
ADI’s new Fusiv technology is setting new performance standards. According to recent benchmarks from the Tolly Group, an independent testing and strategic consulting firm, the Fusiv-Vx 200 processor overwhelmingly outperforms other leading processors in areas critical to secure Internet communications. According to The Tolly Group, the Fusiv-Vx 200 achieved 31 times the small-packet mixed-system VPN throughput of its nearest competitor, delivering wire-speed fast Ethernet routing, firewall and VPN throughput. The Fusiv-Vx processors’ performance results from ADI’s high-speed engines that offload much of the packet processing and forwarding functionality from the CPU and help provide wire-speed routing with firewall support for packets as small as 64 bytes. For more information, please see ADI news alert: “Analog Devices’ Fusiv Technology Sets Stunning New Performance Level for Internet Communications,” May 24, 2004.
ADI’s Blackfin Fusiv Platform
ADI’s Blackfin Fusiv Platform reduces the development time and cost for equipment providers creating the next generation of CPE required to deliver a range of broadband services, beginning with VoIP services and extending to full “triple-play” voice, video and data offerings. Complementing the established strengths of the company’s Blackfin Processor in media processing, ADI’s new Fusiv technology provides wire-speed secure transport and dynamic QoS for small packet sizes for next-generation multiservice convergence platforms. ADI’s Blackfin architecture delivers high-performance, scalable, flexible and cost-effective media processing, including multiformat video decoding and multichannel voice processing.
Customer Win Demonstrates Acceptance
ADI also announced an early customer win for its new Blackfin Fusiv Platform: Groupe SAGEM, an international high-technology group. The Fusiv technology was chosen by Groupe SAGEM for its residential modems and gateways, which enable high-speed video, voice and data services to be delivered over broadband connections. For more information, please see ADI press release: “Analog Devices’ Blackfin Fusiv Platform Enables SAGEM F@st Series Modems and Gateways to Deliver Converged Video, Voice & Data Solutions over Broadband,” May 24, 2004.
Pricing and Availability
The Fusiv-Vx 200 processor is in production today, and the Fusiv-Vx 150 processor will be sampling in Q4 ‘04. Per-unit pricing in quantities of 10,000 units for the Fusiv-Vx 200 is $40 and for the Fusiv-Vx 150 is $20.
About Analog Devices
Analog Devices, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of precision high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications. ADI is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, and employs approximately 8,700 people worldwide. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina, Ireland, and the Philippines. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and ADI is included in the S&P 500 Index.
National Semiconductor Drives New Interface Standard for Liquid Crystal Display TVs
Point-to-point differential signaling architecture dramatically simplifies the display interconnect while enhancing the viewing experience of very large LCD TVs
Society for Information Display (SID) Conference, Seattle, WA - May 25, 2004 - In a breakthrough for display technology, National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM) today announced its new point-to-point differential signaling digital interface architecture and chipset for LCD TVs. The PPDS™ architecture enables cinema-quality display performance and smaller bezels, and can support LCD TVs up to 90 inches in diagonal. The architecture also simplifies the design of the intra-panel interconnect which significantly reduces the total number of column driver input signals by up to 50 percent. National is actively working with TV designers and technology partners to drive adoption of the PPDS architecture as a new standard for LCD TVs.
"The worldwide market for 23-inch and larger LCD TVs will increase from 3.5 million units in 2004 to over 47 million units in 2008, at which time 85 percent of all LCD TVs will be in that larger category," said Bert McComas, director of Display Electronics Research at DisplaySearch. "Consumers' demand for larger panels and thinner bezels, along with the migration to 10-bit driver ICs, sets the stage for this technology transition. National has the upper hand because of its experience leading the industry's migration from TTL to LVDS and RSDS™ technologies for LCD."
"Consumers expect large, thin-profile LCD TVs to match the performance standards of today's CRT and plasma displays, but features such as higher color depth, cinema-quality motion video and high resolution cannot be delivered cost-effectively in LCDs with traditional intra-panel architectures," said Dick McCartney, principal display technologist for National Semiconductor. "National developed the PPDS architecture to bring these features to the consumer while dramatically simplifying the display interconnect and reducing cost for manufacturers."
About the PPDS Architecture
National's PPDS architecture combines a physical layer interface with high-level protocol to create an efficient interface that reduces the overall required printed circuit board size. Capable of delivering more than one billion colors to the display for true 30-bit color, the PPDS architecture is designed to drive large panels up to 90 inches at resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 lines.
National Semiconductor is the technology leader in LCD display interconnects and the pioneer of both LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) and RSDS (Reduced Swing Differential Signaling) interface technologies. RSDS technology is a derivative of the LVDS technology used in National's FPD-Link interface chipset, now a widely used standard for the notebook motherboard to flat panel display interface.
New Chipset Supports PPDS Architecture
National also has developed a new timing controller and column driver to support its new PPDS architecture.
The FPD80200 timing controller uses the industry standard FPD-Link input to receive video data and a unique PPDS interface output for communication with the column drivers. Its advanced data manipulation algorithms, such as National's response time compensation, create cinema-quality video images. Unlike traditional panel driving schemes, the gamma conversion occurs in the timing controller instead of the column driver. This enables digitally programmable and independent gamma curves for red, green and blue, providing best-in-class color temperature control.
The FPD80200 operates off a 2.5 V digital supply for lower power and lower EMI, but includes 3.3 V I/O cells to be compatible with typical gate driver ICs. All of the functions of the timing controller can be programmed with an external EEPROM to enable rapid prototype and product development.
The FPD48084 column driver receives data via the PPDS interface and uses a linear DAC to convert the incoming data to the appropriate output voltage. The column driver also operates at a 2.5 V digital supply. Because the column driver uses a linear DAC instead of the traditional non-linear R-DAC, the total number of reference voltages needed for the gamma curve has been reduced from 18 to 6. Overall, the PPDS interface significantly reduces (by up to 50 percent) the total number of column driver input signals.
The FPD80200 timing controller is available in a 144-pin low profile quad flat pack (LQFP) package and the FPD48084 column driver is in a tape-carrier package (TCP)/chip-on-film (COF) package. Both are manufactured at National Semiconductor's fabrication facility in South Portland, Maine.
Pricing and Availability
Samples of the FPD80200 timing controller and FPD48084 column driver are available to select customers now, with production quantities available in September 2004. In 1,000-unit quantities, the FPD80200 is priced at $10.00 and the FPD48084 is priced at $5.00. For more information on National's PPDS architecture and products, visit http://www.national.com/appinfo/fpd/. To view a high-resolution downloadable photo of the FPD80200 and FPD48084, visit National's photo gallery at http://www.national.com/company/pressroom/gallery/display.html.
National at Society for Information Display (SID) 2004 Conference
National Semiconductor's display experts will present two sessions on the PPDS architecture, "A New Intra-panel Interface for Large-Sized, High-Resolution TFT-LCD Applications" on May 25 at 4 p.m. by Craig Zajac, marketing manager for National Semiconductor, and "Third-Generation Timing Controller and Column Driver Architecture Using Point-to-Point Differential Signaling" on May 27 at 3:40 p.m. by Dick McCartney, principal display technologist for National Semiconductor. More information on National's activities at the SID Conference may be found at http://www.national.com/events/.
About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor, the industry's premier analog company, creates high performance analog devices and subsystems. National's leading-edge products include power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers, and data conversion solutions. National's key markets include wireless handsets, displays, PCs, networks and a broad range of portable applications. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $1.67 billion for fiscal 2003, which ended May 25, 2003. Additional company and product information is available at www.national.com.
Cypress Readies for 3G Evolution by Joining Open Base Station Architecture Initiative
Release Date: Jun. 09, 2004
Membership Focused on Open Internal Modular Structure of Wireless Base Stations
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SAN JOSE, Calif., June 9, 2004 – Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY) today announced that it has become a supporting member of the Open Base Station Architecture Initiative (OBSAI), an organization formed to create open specifications for base-station architectures. Cypress’s decision to join OBSAI demonstrates the company’s commitment to designing products that support next generation mobile communications systems.
One of the key challenges facing cellular operators and other mobile telecommunications service providers today is the rising cost of the infrastructure needed to provide sufficient capacity for advanced mobile Internet services. By standardizing base station modules, manufacturers will now be able to focus their development efforts on creating differentiation within the base station, thus encouraging greater innovation and more cost-effective products.
“OBSAI provides a well-defined, fundamental framework for base station design specifications,” said Dan Morris, vice president of Cypress’s Communications Business Unit. “By participating in industry initiatives such as this, we can build on our broad portfolio of physical layer devices, dual-ported and SRAM memories, closely aligning to the needs of our customers, and ultimately leading to highly refined and competitive products.”
By defining a basic modular architecture and the detailed specifications for the internal interfaces among modules, OBSAI promotes an open market for cellular base stationmodules. Benefits to mobile network operators include access to more cost-effective products and the ability to bring new and advanced services to market more quickly. In addtion, end-users benefit by having quicker access to attractively priced, advanced mobile services.
About Cypress
Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY) is Connecting From Last Mile to First Mile™ with high-performance solutions for personal, network access, enterprise, metro switch and core communications-system applications. Cypress Connects™ using wireless, wireline, digital and optical transmission standards, including USB, Fibre Channel, SONET/SDH, Gigabit Ethernet and DWDM. Leveraging its process and system-level expertise, Cypress makes industry-leading physical layer devices, framers and network search engines, along with a broad portfolio of high-bandwidth memories, timing technology solutions and reconfigurable mixed-signal arrays. More information about Cypress is accessible online at www.cypress.com .
About OBSAIThe Open Base Station Architecture Initiative (OBSAI) is a new organization formed among leading base station vendors, module and component manufacturers to create a set of open specifications for base station architecture. By defining a basic modular architecture and the detailed specifications for the internal interfaces between modules, OBSAI aims to create an open market for cellular base stations. For more information about OBSAI can be found online at www.obsai.org.