STMicroelectronics - the world's largest supplier of silicon chips for set-top boxes (STBs) - has announced a new high-performance, secure MPEG-2 decoder intended for STBs in all low-cost cable, satellite and terrestrial TV markets.

The new STi5100 integrated circuit will allow peripherals to be easily added to a low-cost STB in order to provide additional features and capabilities. In particular, the STi5100 allows consumers to purchase the STB and, at a later date, attach a hard disk drive to add Digital Video Recorder (DVR) capabilities. Although some earlier decoders have included a USB interface, it is only the availability within the STi5100 of the 40-times-faster Hi-Speed USB standard - operating at 480 Mbit/second - that opens up the real opportunity to add fast peripherals such as disk drives.

DVR is beginning to grow significantly, as viewers increasingly use it for 'timeshifting' while preserving video quality, and this new decoder will enable STB manufacturers to offer consumers a low-cost upgrade path. Other peripherals that could be connected to a set-top box through the USB interface, using suitable drivers, include digital cameras, printers and memory cards.

ST's Set Top Box Division general manager Christos Lagomichos was quoted in an official release as saying, "By including Hi-Speed USB in the STi5100, not only are we giving consumers the ability to upgrade their set-top box to have DVR capability, but also to transfer images, movies, and music to their box, through an industry-standard interface. Furthermore, STB manufacturers have the ability to provide additional applications to customers following the sale of the original box, delivered on USB drives."

The STi5100 is the first dedicated STB device to include TruSurround XT, an advanced audio technology from SRS Labs Inc. This technology creates cinema quality, virtual surround sound over any two-speaker television or entertainment system. It also includes SRS TruBass and SRS Dialog Clarity, features which deliver rich bass enhancement and improved dialog intelligibility in audio passages where dialog competes with music or other audio.

The STi5100 contains a 243MHz version of ST's ST20, the most popular embedded CPU in the STB market. Touted as the fastest version yet, it can easily run all high-performance STB software with power to spare for future software enhancements said the official release. A unified memory interface, with Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM support, optimises the use of RAM chips and further increases performance, while an embedded high-performance graphics engine supports graphics-intensive tasks such as the channel's presentation of programs, and 2-D games. An innovative system for flexible routing of both Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) and DIRECTV video streams from different sources simplifies transport-stream management software and improves reliability.

The decoder also integrates a market leading system-side Direct Access Arrangement (DAA) technology from Silicon Laboratories Inc. The DAA is compatible with worldwide PTT standards using a single layout, further minimizing system and manufacturing costs for STB manufacturers.