Broadcom Begins Sampling Single-Chip 3D Decoder/Processor

Broadcom started sampling a single decoder/processor chip capable of decoding two separate 3D 1080p streams simultaneously (CED Sept 9 p1) as it chases a market for 3D-capable video gateway set-top boxes, company officials said at a conference in California.

The BCM7422 features 1.3 GHz multi-threaded MIPS processor and is compatible with H.264/MPEG scalable video coding and multiview video coding standards for distribution of full-resolution 3DTV, company officials said. The chip combines the processor with a 1-Gbps OpenGL 2D/3D graphics processor and supports multimedia-over-coax (MoCA) and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standards for networking. The chip will have a MoCA subsystem processor and the DLNA software stack and has a 430 MHz DSP for audio. MoCA, DSP and security each operate via a separate 300-400 MHz subsystem IC to offload some processing from the main chip, John Gleiter, senior director of marketing, told us.

The BCM7422 will start volume production by second half 2011, using a 40-nanometer process, and will be priced at roughly the same as the chip it replaces, the BCM7420 that lacked many of the features, Gleiter said. Broadcom also will ship the BCM7421 that’s stripped of MoCA to target non-MoCA deployments and will be priced “a few dollars” less, he said. The IC also cuts active “active” power consumption in half from the previous chip to 10 watts, 50 milliwatts in the idle mode, Gleiter said.

The BCM7422 follows up the BCM35230 introduced earlier this year for 3D TVs that contained many of same features but was minus MoCA. It’s likely a new version of the BCM35230 will be introduced using technology developed for the BCM7422, including the fast main processor, Gleiter said.

The video gateway set-top IC, which has been sampling for two weeks, was introduced as Broadcom seeks to help build a market for 3D-capable products such as Blu-ray players and TVs. Sales of 3D TVs this year are expected to fall well short of forecasts, analysts agree, citing a dearth of content as one key reason why. Still, 3D-ready Blu-ray players and TVs are expected to account for 40-50 percent of sales at 48 million and 43 million units by 2014, said Dan Marotta, executive vice president and general manager of the broadband communications group. Sales of 3D Blu-ray players and TVs are expected to be about even this year, but Blu-ray will gain the upper hand in 2011 at 9 million units, against 8 million for TVs, he said. The growth in 3D will be fed by broader availability of content, Broadcom officials said. About 160 Blu-ray titles have been released and another 92 are due in 2011-2012, company officials said.

The new chip also could work into Broadcom’s plans to spread broadband powerline technology it acquired in buying Gigle Networks for $75 million across its product portfolio, company officials said. Gigle developed HomePlug AV-certified powerline networking technology that’s designed to be compliant with the IEEE 1901 standard for high-speed powerline communications. The technology allows Ethernet signals to run over electrical lines in the home. Gigle would likely be used in cases where a customer decides not to deploy MoCA, Gleiter said.

The broadband technology plays into Broadcom’s plans for extending its reach in Internet-capable TVs, which it supplies chips to LG Electronics, Samsung and others. There are more than 100 Internet-ready TVs and Blu-ray players using Broadcom chips and more than 75 applications available for the platforms, Marotta said. Sales of Internet-ready TVs will hit 161 million units by 2014, up from 57 million this year, while those of Blu-ray players jumps to 100 million from 40 million, Broadcom officials said.

Broadcom is seeking to expand use of its combo WiFi/Bluetooth chips from cellphones, where it has a 70 percent market share, to TVs. About 60-70 percent of TVs are expected to have built-in WiFi/Bluetooth by 2014, company officials said. WiFi/Bluetooth chips from Broadcom and others are expected to be in 100 percent of the 50-60 million tablet PCs that will ship globally in 2011, Broadcom officials said. Broadcom’s Bluetooth/WiFi/FM combo BCM4325 and BCM4329 have been “significant growth drivers” for the company, including design wins in Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, Berger said. In addition to combo chips, Broadcom is a major supplier of baseband processors to Nokia and Samsung and has hinted at adding a third customer in 2011. Broadcom’s baseband processor revenue is expected to be $500 million this year from a chip that carries a $7-$10 average selling price, FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger said. “Indeed, this substantial IP portfolio should allow Broadcom to stitch together chips in combinations that other competitors cannot provide, as well as develop scale, IP reuse, and cross-selling benefits galore,” Berger said.

Broadcom’s top customers for combo ICs include Apple. Apple’s Q1 production of iPhones is set at 16.1 million units, up 7 percent from the Q4, Berger said. Total iPhone production -- Foxconn is a major supplier -- could reach 75 million units in 2011, he said. In addition to the combo Bluetooth/WiFi/FM chip, Broadcom also supplies a touchscreen controller for the iPhone, Berger said. In the case of the iPad tablet PC, Q1 production is projected at 6 million units, down 21 percent from Q4, as Apple seeks to clear out inventory in advance of iPad 2, which Foxconn is expected to start manufacturing in Q1, industry officials said. Total iPad production will be 35-40 million units in 2011, Berger said. Broadcom also provides combo chips and a touchscreen controller for iPad.

The company also is expected to expand use of near field communications (NFC) technology it gained in buying Innovision Research & Technology in June for $47.5 million. NFC has applications cellphones and television and could allow for the wireless exchange of data between devices within four inches, said Bob Rango, wireless connectivity group general manger. NFC is compatible with existing passive RFID in the RF ISM band of 13.56 MHz and combines the interface of a smartcard and a reader in a single device. It supports 106-848 kbps data rates.

Broadcom is continuing to develop its cellular business with a focus on baseband processors that have gained design wins with Nokia, Samsung and others. It has developed and is sampling the BCM2157 dual-core baseband processor that designed for 3G Android-based smartphones that could enable sub-$100 component costs, company officials said. The BCM2157 is designed multi-touch LCD screens, mobile hot spots and media applications processing, the company said.

The company will build on its 4G technology with the recent purchase of WIMAX chipset developer Beceem for $316 million. Beceem’s ICs are designed in Long Term Evolution (4G)/WIMAX routers and would bolster Broadcom’s 4G develop effort that began in earnest in 2009 with the hiring of additional engineers. In addition to router products, Beceem also develops dual-mode LTE/WIMAX baseband processors. The total market for 4G handsets could eventually reach $10-$20 billion in annual revenue split among Broadcom and 4-6 competitors, including Intel’s Infineon Wireless Group, Mediatek, Qualcomm and others. With the purchase of Beceem, Broadcom “has a much more solid footing” in 4G, Berger said.