MICRONAS INTERMETALLs Multistandard Sound Processor now also suitable for use in American and Japanese TV sets (9808)

One Chip for All Audio Standards

Munich, November 12, 1998 - At the Electronica'98, MICRONAS INTERMETALL will unveil the new generation of its successful multistandard audio processor, the MSP: The IC family MSP 34xxG processes all TV audio standards in use worldwide and, thanks to the expanded processor intelligence, the system design is simpler than ever. The new MSP generation from MICRONAS INTERMETALL, therefore, enables TV equipment manufacturers the possibility of a global, efficient, and economic system design. In addition to applications in TV receivers, the MSP 34xxG is also suitable for use in video recorders, satellite receivers, and multimedia PCs.

"Global T" concept

Manufacturers of TV receivers have already been able to equip their sets with the MSP for all European A2, NICAM, and satellite standards; in fact, it has already been built into 40 million TV sets of all the leading brands. Now, the new MSP generation also covers the US standard BTSC and the Japanese system EIA-J. MICRONAS INTERMETALL offers the MSP 34xxG family in four basic versions:

• The MSP 3410G is designed for A2 and NICAM, and therefore targets the European market; special capabilities have been integrated which enable the Chinese NICAM standard (often characterized by overmodulation) to be processed, too.
• The BTSC version MSP 3430G is suitable for use in America.
• The NTSC version MSP 3440G understands the Korean A2 standard, as well as BTSC and EIA-J, and is equally suitable for use, therefore, in both America and Asia.
• The"globa" version MSP 3450G, finally, can be used in all TV receivers worldwide.

All versions are pin- and software-compatible. This means that MICRONAS INTERMETALL customers can choose between two different strategies for implementing a"global T" concept:

• global chassis with regional equipment variations.
• global chassis equipped with the "do-it-all" MSP 3450G.

Intelligent functions

The MSP 34xxG is equipped with an"internal operating syste" which takes over many of the functions previously performed by the external controller; therefore, the exchange of information between the audio processor and the controller can be reduced to an absolute minimum and the scope of controller software is reduced by around 80 %.

For example, no polling by the controller is required in order to establish the current operating mode (stereo, mono, bilingual) or the audio standard; the MSP 34xxG can now be configured via a control word so that it automatically sets an interrupt for every internal change and makes the necessary information available to the controller in a read register (STATUS).

The required audio standard or a group of standards is initialized with the aid of the Standard Selection function. This is done by a single I2C command. The MSP 34xxG is capable of switching automatically between related standards. The current audio standard can even be established automatically without any previous knowledge (Automatic Standard Detection).

On the basis of the STATUS information, the processor automatically matches the dematrixing to the transmission standard and the operating mode, and delivers the audio channels transparently to the outputs (Automatic Sound Selection). On the control side, it is only necessary to set, via an I2C command, the preferred operating mode for each output (e. g. "Stereo/Both languages" for SCART, "Stereo/ First language" for loudspeakers).

Thanks to the downward-compatibility of the software and hardware of the latest generation, it is easy to replace an existing MSP with the corresponding new IC. In this case, the automatic features described above are deactivated.

Standard delivery and available package types

All versions of the MSP 34xxG offer the complete audio signal processing in the TV set from the IF to the output stage on a single chip. Apart from the full-feature versions MSP 34x0G (recognizable by the'' in the IC designation), MICRONAS INTERMETALL offers IC versions with a reduced range of functions in the baseband processing. These versions are intended for use in special system configurations, for example in budget-priced TV sets, video recorders, and satellite receivers.

The ICs in the MSP 34xxG family are available in a choice of package types: 68-pin PLCC, 64-pin PSDIP, 52-pin PSDIP, and 80-pin PQFP. The versions with restricted baseband processing are also available in smaller packages (e. g. 44-pin PQFP).
The standard delivery includes an application kit comprising product and application documentation, two test boards, and a Windows software package with a user-friendly interface intended as an introduction to the functions of the MSP 34xxG, as well as for debugging and controller matching purposes.