Display processor supporting LiquidHD revealed

Silicon Image Inc. has announced the SiI6100 HD display processor, the world's first device supporting the newly introduced Silicon Image LiquidHD technology. LiquidHD is the new personal entertainment technology designed to connect TVs, home theater, PCs and portable consumer electronics devices into a seamless network where consumers can enjoy digital content from any source device on any LiquidHD-enabled display in the home.

A silicon implementation of the LiquidHD specification, the SiI6100 display processor allows CE manufacturers and multiple service operators to shorten time-to-market for their next-generation networked equipment. In addition, the SiI6100 reduces the cost of deployment of multiroom services while offering secure, high-quality video and a pixel-accurate remote user interface on a CE network.

The SiI6100 is a highly integrated SoC that incorporates a multistandard HD and standard-definition video decoder for H.264, MPEG-2 and VC-1 formats. It features a multiformat audio decoder for Dolby Digital, MPEG-1 Layer 2, MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3), MPEG-2 AAC stereo and DTS 5.1 formats. The LiquidHD protocols are built into the SoC, enabling manufacturers to create low-cost micro clients and to develop LiquidHD-native TVs. With LiquidHD-enabled micro clients and LiquidHD-native TVs, cable, satellite and IPTV service operators can quickly deploy multiroom digital video recorders (DVR) and video-on-demand services at reduced expenditures. In addition, service operators will be able to provide their content to LiquidHD-enabled mobile phones, PCs and laptops.

"As the number of TVs per household grows, worldwide service operators are actively looking for cost-effective ways to introduce multiroom, multiscreen HD video solutions to a larger customer base," said Payam Kermani, senior product marketing manager at Silicon Image. "The SiI6100 HD display processor is a key component in extending popular services like HD DVR programming to multiple locations in the house, creating the potential of increased average revenue per user for cable, satellite and IPTV service operators."

Supporting the SiI6100 is a LiquidHD developer's kit for implementing the LiquidHD technology in residential gateways, master STBs, Blu-ray disc players, hard disc recorders and DVRs. Each device will be able to automatically discover LiquidHD-enabled TVs and micro clients using LiquidDiscover technology, display its user interface over the network using LiquidPixels remote user interface technology and provide high quality HD streams using LiquidMedia streaming technology.

The SiI6100 display processor will be sampling in the Q2 09 along with the LiquidHD developer's kit.

- Cliff Roth
Video Imaging DesignLine