Micronas Introduces Display Processor and Scaler Tailored for Flat-Panel TV Applications (0405)
New IC Offers HDTV Signal Input and a Wide Range of Picture Improvement Functionalities
Freiburg, March 25, 2004 - Expanding its product line of display processors and scalers, Micronas today announced its new DPS 9455B aiming at the fast growing market for flat-panel TVs. The DPS 9455B features HDTV and a PC signal input as well as line-based de-interlacing. Furthermore, it is the only display processor and scaler in its class offering a set of picture improvements delivering an unequalled picture quality on LCD TVs with sizes up to 22 inch for applications in home, car and in-flight entertainment systems.
"With the new DPS 9455B we support the fast growing market for flat-panel TVs as well as the HDTV market, which is rapidly gaining momentum in the USA and Japan," says Harun Duyan, marketing manager video & graphic at Micronas. "With Micronas' industry-leading picture improvement technologies the new display processor will improve the viewing pleasure of flat-panel TVs."
The DPS 9455B supports all panel resolutions from VGA (640 x 480 pixel) to W-XGA (1366 x 768 pixel). Other than conventional scaler chips designed for applications in PC monitors, the DPS 9455B is tailored to the specific requirements of TV sets with LCD and plasma panels. Together with the Micronas VCT 49xyI chips integrating all IF, audio, video and control processing functions into one package, system manufacturers can design a complete flat-panel TV set by employing only two chips. This is a highly cost-effective global solution since the VCT 49xyI family supports all analog TV audio and video standards worldwide.
The image quality improvement features of the DPS 9455B offer traditional algorithms known from television engineering and dedicated algorithms newly developed for LCD and plasma displays. The picture improvements include Dynamic Contrast Improvement (DCI), Black Level Expander (BLE), Luma and Chroma Transition Improvement (LTI /CTI) and Dynamic Peaking (DP). While the BLE makes sure that the darkest picture values are rich deep black rather than grey, LTI CTI and DP improvements enhance the picture sharpness and enable crisp and clear pictures.
Although designed for working with 8-bit panels, the DPS 9455B can also work together with still existing 6-bit panels through dithering. Panel control outputs needed for some panel models are also available.
The digital On Screen Display (OSD) input supports full and half panel clock frequency allowing to reduce the OSD input resolution while still enabling to fill the entire display size. This enables the use of lower resolution OSD generators even with W-XGA panels.
Availability
Packaged in a 144 pin PMQFP, the DPS 9455B will be available in sample quantities starting in May 2004.
About the DPS 9455B
The DPS 9455B consists of three main functional units. The first unit consists of the video interfaces for the incoming analog and/or digital signals. In the second unit, picture scaling to flat-panel display format takes place and in the third unit, functional blocks of the video signal improvement and gamma correction as well as the OSD input interface and mixer are integrated. The output interface to the flat-panel display supports single and dual-pixel modes.
The following input interfaces are available: ITU-601/656, YUV/RGB (3 x 8 Bit) and analog YUV/RGB plus fast blank (FBL) as well as a RGB digital 4:4:4 input plus FBL for the On Screen Display signal. The ITU-601/656 interface connects to outputs of all Micronas color decoder chips. The digital YUV/RGB interface supports also an external DVI receiver.
For the analog YUV/RGB plus FBL interface, Micronas integrated a Quadruple ADC with a sampling rate of 81 MHz replacing external ADCs which are necessary to realize such functions today.