TI unveils new decoder chip for high end DVD recorders

Texas Instruments is on a roll. They already have a winner with their DLP or Digital Light Processing technology. Now they are releasing a new digital video decoder IC featuring image improvement features for high-end DVD recorders and the TV market. Combining the power of what normally requires three separate chips into a single chip solution, TI has set it's sights set on competition like Philips and Micronas. They best look out too, if this is as good as DLP.

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TI wants to meet the growing demand for improved image quality for high-resolution displays such as DLP, LCD and plasma TVs along with high-end DVD recorders. The new video decoder, supporting all major worldwide broadcasting standards, is capable of receiving a video stream whether it's a composite, S-Video, component or Scart (Syndicat francais des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radio et Television).

Most current video decoders offer 2D comb filter, which is designed to process several lines of video data to capture and improve, for example, a moving image. To further improve video images, system vendors have been adding a separate 3D comb filter, which uses multiple frame buffers to process video over the time domain, for static background images.

The TVP5160 includes a dedicated video processor core and a flexible motion-detection algorithm that can examine video images on a per-pixel basis. The technique is used to determine whether the improved 2D, five-line adaptive comb filter is needed for moving images or if three-frame 3D comb filter should be used for static background images, according to TI.

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The amount of effort going into the improvement of video for television, begins to remind me of the work put into designing video cards for computer displays. In addition, it seems as though these displays and various components are being improved at an accelerated pace. For those of you interested in this technology, be sure to share any information here or in our Satellite, HD-TV, Blu-ray and HD-DVD Forum.

Source: EE Times

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