standby, says ST.
(Click here for a larger view of ST's STi7105)ST's STi7105 is related to the
STi7109 SoC the company introduced in 2005. Other variants of that SoC have already included last-year's
STi5202 which can decode standard-definition video.
A block diagram of ST's new STi7105
(Click to enlarge)All members of the STi710x family employ SH-4 processor cores, but the STi7105 has been upgraded to a 450MHz clock speed. Two STI231 programmable DSPs (digital signal processors) also add processing power dedicated to audio and video decoding, respectively. In addition, says ST, a "high-performance graphics processor" includes a "triple-source 2D blitter engine and compositor," providing full 1080p output.
The STi7105 is said to decode a bevy of video formats, including the AVC standard -- also known as H.264, and as MPEG-4 Part 10 -- maintained by the
AVC Alliance. The STi7105 also supports Windows Media 10 DRM (digital rights management), as well as the SVP (secure video processor) standard, a project of the
SVP Alliance.
Apart from its faster clock speed, the STi7105 adds a new DDR2 interface, along with enhanced power management, says ST. Products incorporating it will be able to standby while using under one Watt, the company claims.
Features and specifications cited by ST for the STi7105 include:
- Advanced high definition video decoding
(H264/VC-1/MPEG2)
- Advanced standard definition video decoding
(H264/VC-1/MPEG2/AVS)
- Advanced multi-channel audio decoding (MPEG 1, 2, MP3, DD/DD+, AAC/AAC+, WMA9/WMA9pro)
- Windows CE, Linux, and OS21-compatible SH-4 CPU clocked at 450MHz
- DDR1/DDR2 compatible local memory interface
- 2 x USB 2.0 hosts
- 6-channel PCM output
- S/PDIF output
- SATA interface
- Dual video outputs, and HDMI interface with HDCP copy protection
- 10/100 Ethernet
- PCI interface (32-bit, 66MHz)
According to ST, the STi7105 comes in a 27 x 22mm FPBGA (flat pack ball grid array) package, and is sampling now. It costs $15, "when purchased in large volumes."
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