STMicroelectronics Demonstrates Strategic Approach for Consumer Electronics to Help Drive Development of Chinese Digital Consumer Market

“At the beginning of 2010, ST restructured its sales and marketing organization in Asia; creating the Greater China & South Asia Region, the largest of ST’s four major regions, with key potential markets in China, Taiwan and India,” said François Guibert, executive vice president of ST, and President of the company’s Greater China and South Asia Region. “ST has maintained its investment in the fast-growing Chinese market and we will work with partners to fully support the development of broadcast TV, 3D and HD STB technology in China, and look forward to greater success in China’s consumer electronics market.”

The solutions and initiatives of the convergence of three networks has been approved by the Chinese government and will begin implementation in 2010, which will further drive the rapid growth of China’s demands for digital home entertainment. Data from the Research Institute for New Media Industry under China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) shows that, as of the end of 2008, around 63 million of 163 million cable TV users (including both analog and digital), or approximately 39 percent, in China upgraded to digital services, demonstrating the huge market potential for STB and digital TV technology.

“Following network convergence trends, consumers expect home entertainment to integrate more features, such as high-definition, connectivity and IPTV; and they also expect 3D features,” said Philippe Lambinet, executive vice president and general manager of ST’s Home Entertainment and Displays Group. “At CCBN 2010, we are exhibiting our leading products and solutions for next-generation TV technology, such as: the first ultra-realistic 3D display driver chip for 3D games; middleware solutions customized for TV broadcasting, IP operators, media player manufacturers and Internet TV manufacturers; and ISDB-T interactive high-definition television.

ST boasts unparalleled innovation and technical advantages in HD AV decoders, interconnection technology, 3D driver chips, Internet TV and microcontroller technology. The new STi5197L, a tailor-made System-on-Chip STB IC for the Chinese market, supports the local Ethernet interface standard, so that Chinese STB manufacturers can produce interactive STBs.

Based on environmentally-friendly and energy-saving technologies, ST enables full-function entertainment using minimal power. ST has also established an energy-saving strategy that covers energy generation, transportation, and consumption. Employing the latest semiconductor manufacturing techniques, ST has introduced an ultra-low-power technology platform and produced and encapsulated its semiconductor using environmentally-friendly materials. At CCBN, ST will also demonstrate its energy-saving solutions for consumer electronics products, including power management, standby power efficiency and battery level monitoring.