NEC Electronics - High Definition MPEG-4 Hybrid Set-Top Box Reference Design to address Pay TV and Free-To-Air (FTA) Markets

The design is based on NEC Electronics 3rd generation MPEG-4 decoder IC, EMMA3SL/P (Enhanced MultiMedia Architecture). The reference design enables High Definition dual tuner MPEG-4 Pay TV or FTA STB-applications (DVB-S2 or Dual DVB-T implemented) from simple low cost to mid range with optional features such as:
• Embedded conditional access
• NAND flash for data storage
• DVR ready
• Ethernet connectivity with Wake-on-LAN support
• Front and rear USB2.0 ports
• HDMI output
• Optical audio output via SPDIF

The reference design implements the advanced security features of the EMMA3SL/P digital TV processor that have been defined to meet the most stringent security demands of Conditional Access Companies. Furthermore the reference design utilizes NEC Electronics second generation DVB-T channel decoder and a microcontroller (78K0 series) for remote control, ultra-low power stand by and CEC control. Therefore the combination offers outstanding performance, low-power consumption and low-cost for set-top box applications.

By including the 78K0 microcontroller for low power standby control this reference design further enhances NEC Electronics reputation for low power solutions and enables manufacturers to meet the EU 2012 ecodesign target for standby power. EMMA powered Set-Top Boxes also remain cool during full operation due to the low power dissipation offered by NEC Electronics' EMMA3SL/P decoder IC.

The solution’s primary purpose is to give manufacturers the flexibility to balance time to market, R&D and product function costs according to the manufacturers priorities. This is achieved by making different combinations of hardware and software packages (including a full Linux distribution) available directly from NEC Electronics or via its design partners.
“We have found that our customers really benefit from the complete solution offered by the range of NEC Electronics reference designs for the EMMA architecture products to accelerate their time to market and make efficient use of their design resources” stated Daniel Tannière, General Manager, Communication and Consumer Business Group, NEC Electronics Europe. “With EMMA3SL/P NEC Electronics brings its widely recognised cost, power consumption and time to market benefits to manufacturers and broadcasters needing to launch High Definition services with CA-enabled or FTA STBs.”

NEC Electronics can supply various databases for the reference design hardware containing schematics, Layout Gerbers or material list. Low level driver code and demonstration software is available from NEC Electronics, and fully featured DVB stacks are available from 3rd parties.