Product category:
Reference Designs
News Release from: STMicroelectronics | Subject: DVB-MHP STB reference design
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 02 July 2004
Reference design speeds DVB-MHP boxes to
market
A new complete hardware and software reference design targets the expanding market for digital TV services requiring the DVB-MHP middleware.
A new complete hardware and software reference design targets the expanding market for digital TV services requiring the DVB-MHP (Digital Video Broadcast Multimedia Home Platform) middleware The reference design comprises ST's successful STi5517 MPEG-2 decoder, a choice of satellite or terrestrial demodulators, a comprehensive suite of software drivers, and a fully certified DVB-MHP software stack that includes a Java virtual machine (JVM)
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 8 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The DVB-MHP standard defines generic interfaces between the underlying STB hardware, the interactive TV applications, and the broadcast network.
DVB-MHP applications can therefore be delivered via cable, satellite, or terrestrial networks with minimal change to the underlying hardware and software.
ST's software stack not only meets the requirements of all services currently using MHP by being compliant with Enhanced and Interactive Profiles of DVB-MHP 1.0.2, but also includes code to implement the more recently published DVB-MHP 1.0.3 specification.
The stack features a customisable user interface that manufacturers can adapt to reflect their brand.
The reference design provides full support for downloaded applications and the ability to add proprietary extensions through standard interfaces.
"The key component of the new reference design that ensures our customers' products are brought to market in the shortest possible time is the pre-integrated, fully certified DVB-MHP software stack", said Christos Lagomichos, General Manager of ST's Set Top Box Division.
"The availability of this software gives set-top box manufacturers the opportunity to obtain all the core hardware and software components for their products from ST, saving them time and money from both the administrative and engineering perspectives".
Customers for the new reference design can take advantage of ST's modular approach and address both terrestrial and satellite services by choosing one of ST's proven demodulator products.
The STV0360 terrestrial and STV0299 satellite demodulators have been widely deployed and provide a glue-less interface to the STi5517 decoder.
The STB6000 tuner chip completes ST's silicon offering for satellite STBs.
"The availability of interchangeable front-end modules ensures our reference design can be applied to all DVB-MHP services with minimal change to the underlying hardware", continued Lagomichos.
"The software architecture also reflects this modular structure, so customers can address different markets with minimal engineering effort".
By using STAPI (ST's application programming interface) as the underlying driver layer over the STi5517 hardware, ST provides customers with a simple migration path to other MPEG decoders in the ST product range, allowing them to take advantage of the increased performance and feature set of that comes with each new generation of devices.
ST has licensed STAPI to manufacturers worldwide and it is currently being deployed in many high volume STBs.
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