Broadcom announced chipsets for set-top boxes and gateways that will be able to support UltraHD video. The new silicon – for satellite, cable and IP – integrate support for the advanced high-efficiency video codec (HEVC) standard H.265.
The HEVC chip offerings have been architected to support UltraHD (aka 4K) up to Main10 profile and up to 60 frames per second, and are designed to rapidly incorporate the latest HDMI 2.0 digital TV interface standard.
Broadcom’s series of systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) includes the BCM7251 for multi-HD/UltraHD IP settop boxes, and the BCM7366 with a direct broadcast satellite Full Band Capture front-end receiver.
There are two corresponding MoCA 2.0-enabled STB SoCs for cable and satellite video gateways: the BCM7439 and BCM7376.
Another version, the BCM7438, is also offered as an HEVC MoCA 2.0 companion IP client solution for use with MoCA 2.0 video gateways.
With these HEVC-enabled devices, Broadcom said, operators can offer additional channels on IP, cable or satellite networks, and deliver these services to more locations throughout the home on managed or unmanaged devices.
Service providers with limited broadband capacity, such as telecommunications companies deploying video over ADSL, or over-the-top providers, may also choose to leverage the higher bandwidth efficiency of the technology to expand their video subscriber footprint by deploying HEVC enabled set-top box gateways and/or clients.
The chipsets feature dual-core Brahma15 10000 DMIPs ARMv7 processors, and 2180p60 or dual 1080p60 decode and transcode capabilities. The also integrate connectivity peripherals, such as USB 3.0, PCIe, Gigabit Ethernet and MoCA 2.0.
Broadcom’s latest generation security core is included in all devices. Support for DDR3 and DDR4 devices is included, as well as dedicated interfaces to a range of Broadcom companion front end cable, DOCSIS, satellite and 802.11ac Wi-Fi devices.
The BCM7251 and BCM7439 also incorporate a new feature called Dual Display, which enables presentation of two simultaneous video channels from the same set-top box via independent HDMI outputs and remote control devices.
