STMicroelectronics announced a new MPEG-2 decoder/processor for set-top boxes (STBs) and other products. The DTV150 handles both high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) decoding and provides HD video processing, high-quality audio and video switching functions.

STMicroelectronics designed the chip to balance performance and cost.

The new silicon constitutes a single platform for WXGA or full HD applications, with single- or double-video pipe for Picture-in-Picture display, the company said. It is fully compliant with MHEG-5 and multimedia home platform (MHP) middleware requirements.

STMicroelectronics also introduced a single-chip HD STB decoder that combines both the demodulation and decoding functions on a single device. The STi7111 was designed specifically for the satellite market. The company mentioned DirecTV specifically.

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