Microsoft, Sigma Designs Collaborate On Set-Top Box Technology - InformationWeek

Microsoft and chipmaker Sigma Designs said Monday they are working together on enabling the software system maker's Mediaroom Internet telecasting platform to run on future set-top boxes using Sigma's up-to-the-minute system-on-a-chip (SoC) design.

The Sigma SMP8654, a second-generation platform for Microsoft Mediaroom, betters overall public presentation over the former SMP8634 SoC by about 50%, the companies said. The concerted software-hardware merchandises from the sellers are designed to back up television services, such as as PC-to-TV photo, music sharing, and digital picture recording.

The two companies have got partnered on set-top box engineering for the last two years. They introduced their up-to-the-minute collaborative attempt at the National Association of Broadcasters demo in Las Vegas.

"Our up-to-the-minute SoC coaction with Sigma will give our clients the ability to offer their endorsers new ways to acquire the best in television plus all their media, such as as as photos, music, and favourite shows, in one place," Christine Heckart, general director of selling for Microsoft TV, .

The SMP8654 includes a 500-Mhz Mips 24K chief central processing unit and a 2nd Mips processor called an IPU for managing disrupt trading operations and offloading system tasks, such as parts of the web stack, to optimize chief central processing unit performance. There is also a 3rd processor for managing security.

The platform back ups decoding of high-definition H.264 video, Windows Media Video 9, VC-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4. The SoC back ups up to 16 independent watercourses on silver screen in different formats, multi-standard audio decoding, and HDMI 1.3 end product to a digital television.

Microsoft is designed for Internet communications protocol television and is licensed directly to broadband service providers. Features include an on-screen programme usher and the ability to watch shows dwell or record them for future viewing. In addition, the software's multi-view characteristic back ups showing up to six programs, each on a separate window on a television screen.