Broadcom Announces High Definition PVR Satellite System-on-a-Chip Solution for Direct Broadcast Satellite Set-Top Boxes

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new single-chip, multi-format high definition (HD) satellite set-top box solution that enables manufacturers to develop low cost satellite set-top boxes (STBs) with personal video recorder (PVR) functionality.
The new Broadcom® satellite system-on-a-chip (SoC) is manufactured in 65 nanometer (nm) process technology that features the highest level of functionality, fully integrating a dual tuner/demodulator, and the latest generation of AVC (advanced video coding) decoder that supports multiple video formats. By reducing the number of components required to develop satellite set-top box products, Broadcom has reduced power consumption by more than 50% over competing solutions, lowering system bill of materials (BOM) cost while reducing the complexity and size of designing next generation satellite STBs with watch-and-record capabilities.

Announced today is the single-chip BCM7335 satellite SoC set-top box solution with PVR functionality that supports worldwide standards for direct broadcast satellite (DBS) set-top boxes based on DVB-S2, DVB-S and 8PSK, and is backward compatible with the DVB-S standards. Built around previous generations of Broadcom digital cable and satellite STB chips and technology, service providers that deploy set-top boxes designed around the BCM7335 can cost effectively provide their subscribers with advanced HD television viewing features, improved picture quality and PVR functionality.

"The BCM7335 offers the highest level of integration in a single chip that enables service providers to offer advanced features, such as watch-and-record functionality, to their subscribers to enhance the viewing experience," said Nicholas Dunn, Director of Marketing for Broadcom's Satellite Set-Top Box line of business. "With this new SoC, coupled with our successful 65 nanometer process technology, Broadcom continues to fuel the technical innovation in the satellite industry and highly integrated single-chip solutions that reduce power, PCB size, complexity and overall system cost."

"With the expanding number of HDTV channels being delivered by satellite pay-TV providers, it has become essential for them to continue offering advanced STBs with robust features and improved functionality as a differential advantage," said Michael Inouye, Research Analyst at In-Stat. "Broadcom's BCM7335 with PVR functionality, and higher capacities enabled by 8PSK modulation, is one of those SoCs well suited for more efficient HD channel delivery and widespread adoption."

Technical Information

The BCM7335 is Broadcom's next generation satellite set-top box system on a single chip manufactured in the 65nm process. It integrates a dual tuner/demodulator from the BCM4506 front-end device and the latest generation of AVC decoders that supports multiple video formats.

It operates on a dual-threaded MIPS® CPU core running at 450 MHz resulting in over 950 DMIPS in performance. The BCM7335 is designed to support UMA and non-UMA memory architectures, utilizing a 400-MHz clock, 32 + 16-bit wide double date rate (DDR2) memory interface for enhanced performance and allows cost effective memory implementations.

The BCM7335 supports several interfaces for TV output on-chip that is integrated on-chip including the HDMI, baseband composite, component or S-Video, and incorporates Broadcom's advanced 2D graphics engine that enables true studio-quality text and graphics, efficiently using its memory and bandwidth.

The BCM7335 is designed using the 65 nanometer process -- the most advanced lithographic node for manufacturing semiconductors in large volumes today that provides significant benefits over 90nm and 130nm processes by enabling lower power consumption, smaller size and higher levels of integration. For Broadcom, the move to 65 nanometer process technology is changing the competitive landscape because of the breadth and depth of the communications intellectual property the company possesses. Without a broad portfolio of market-leading solutions to integrate, competitors are not able to take full advantage of the benefits that these next generation processes provide.

Availability and Pricing

The BCM7335 high definition PVR satellite SoC is sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request for manufacturers of satellite TV set-top boxes.

Broadcom also makes available to early access customers a fully supported reference design (BCM97335) that ensures cost efficient design and manufacturing, and faster time-to-market. The BCM97335 reference design is a development platform for set-top box design based on the BCM7335 and is available with complete software source code, schematics and Gerber files, and provides detailed design information for manufacturers of satellite TV set-top box terminals.

About Broadcom's Broadband Communications Group

Broadcom offers manufacturers a range of broadband communications and consumer electronics SoCs that enable voice, video and data services over residential wired and wireless networks. These highly integrated silicon solutions continue to enable the most advanced system solutions on the market, which include digital cable, satellite and IP set-top boxes and media servers, broadband modems and residential gateways, high definition and digital televisions, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc® players, DVD recorders and personal video recorders.

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom® products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.

Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2006 revenue of $3.67 billion, and holds over 2,300 U.S. and 1,000 foreign patents, more than 7,100 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data.

Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at http://www.broadcom.com.