Conexant Combines Single-Chip Silicon and Software to Create a Complete, Low-Cost System Platform for Interactive TV Set-top Boxes.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 1999--

Fully validated software helps manufacturers shorten

development cycles and quickly adapt products to

multiple digital network environments

Conexant Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT), formerly Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, has combined single chip silicon and software to create a complete system solution for building feature-rich set-top boxes for the interactive broadband digital TV marketplace.

Conexant's CN8600/8610AVD solution will eliminate the previously costly and time-consuming task of marrying multiple chips and then developing and testing all of the associated drivers and other baseline software for today's mainstream, consumer set-top boxes (see sidebar box below).

Additionally, Conexant's integrated architecture will enable network operators to quickly adapt their products to multiple digital network environments, while offering the advanced processing and graphics horsepower that is required for a wide variety of current and anticipated interactive TV services ranging from news, weather and games to banking, shopping and other electronic commerce applications.

"For the first time, manufacturers have a complete set-top box reference design, with components specifically engineered for compatibility and the lowest total system cost," said Vernon Cheng, director of consumer products for Conexant's Digital Infotainment Division.

"OEMs can now focus on application differentiation, time-to-market acceleration, and product cost reduction for consumers and operators. Plus, our CN8600/8610 CPU/decoder engine interfaces seamlessly with our industry-leading network interface, TV encoder and modem solutions, creating an extensive set-top box portfolio."

Conexant's CN8600/8610AVD solution is the centerpiece in the company's growing portfolio of next-generation set-top box components including tuners, demodulators, TV encoder chips and analog modems. The CN8600/8610AVD provides the majority of electronics and software for a set-top receiver/decoder box that can operate in multiple interactive network environments.

Conexant's system software solution for OpenTV is the first in a family for third-party interactive TV middleware/operating-system platforms. Conexant has licensed OpenTV's Hardware Porting Kit, and developed a complete set of set-top box software drivers and other key system, application and support software components. All of these elements are included in a comprehensive reference design that provides Conexant's customers with a fully-functional interactive set-top box platform.

"Conexant's CN8600/8610 chipset provides an ideal solution for next-generation set-top box development using the OpenTV platform," said Vincent Dureau, chief technology officer for OpenTV Inc., a global leader in interactive television software for digital television receivers, with an operating system deployed in more than 1.9 million receivers throughout the world.

"The CN8600/8610 offers the critical advantage of being a complete, network-agnostic solution, with the added benefit of offering some of the fastest response times we have measured," Dureau added.

"Plus, Conexant's solution showcases how the OpenTV platform can be customized with extended capabilities that exploit today's advanced hardware features and superior CPU and graphics performance. And thanks to Conexant's focus on set-top box software validation, manufacturers can quickly move on to the network integration phase without requiring additional support from OpenTV."

Products using Conexant's CN8600/8610AVD solution will typically be deployed on a Direct To Home (DTH) system, Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) system or Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial System (HFC), and can use Conexant's embedded analog software modem for a low-bandwidth back channel on the network.

No other solution provides the same combination of system software support, feature-rich silicon integration, superior processor power, embedded analog-modem connectivity, complete development environment, and the availability of easily bundled peripheral components for today's set-top box products. Customers can evaluate and prototype their own specific product feature and performance requirements using Conexant's modular, fully functional set-top box hardware development system.

"Conexant's solution is the first in a series of milestones they're planning as the industry migrates from expensive, proprietary Digital TV equipment to mainstream consumer products based on open standards and easy-to-implement silicon-plus-software solutions," said Gerry Kaufhold, principal analyst, at market analyst firm Cahners In-Stat Group.

"Conexant's highly integrated solution is key to driving down the costs of interactive television while, at the same time, dramatically improving the performance of many types of set-top boxes and Digital TV products."

Technical Details

The embedded 32-bit, 133 MIPs ARM940T processor used in Conexant's solution provides a powerful hardware platform for executing operating system instructions, interactive applications, graphics drawing and signal processing tasks for imaging, audio and communications. Fast integer processor performance enables the smooth execution of advanced, downloadable applications targeting high-level middleware APIs.

The fast embedded processor also enables customers to add features and reduce system costs through host-based signal-processing algorithms for functions like modem connectivity (at speed options ranging from 2400baud to V.32), and still-image and audio codecs. The CN8600/8610AVD further optimizes total system bill-of-materials costs by including all common set-top box peripheral port controllers.

A graphics coprocessor works with the ARM940T CPU to accelerate 2D drawing operations such as BitBlt, TextBlt and color expansion for fast screen updates. This design supports today's new class of interactive applications that use graphical animation. An advanced video/graphics display compositing engine supports a rich visual interactive user interface and the ability to scale video, filter graphics and blend multiple image planes (with MPEG scaling support for picture-in-picture applications).

The CN8600/8610AVD is the first of its kind to use an advanced, high-performance Unified Memory Architecture (UMA). All system DRAM requirements can be efficiently supported in a single flexible, 32-bit-wide 100 MHz memory system using standard SDRAM. A minimum 4MB memory footprint satisfies entry-level applications using software modem functionality.

A mid-range interactive system can use a single 2Mx32 SDRAM device for 8MB of memory and a hardware data pump for V.34/V.90 modem connectivity. For more advanced interactive systems on high-bandwidth cable networks, the memory footprint can be scaled to 16MB or 32MB with an integrated PCI bridge supporting direct attachment of cable modem, Ethernet, HDD and USB controller ICs.

The CN8600AVD provides a decoder solution for DVB-compliant broadcast transport streams encoded with MPEG-2 MP@ML video, and MPEG-1 and -2 audio. Conexant's OpenTV-based solution can address the requirements of many leading DVB-compliant multi-channel TV networks worldwide including Dish Network, News Corp.'s Sky networks, and many European satellite and cable TV operators.

The CN8610AVD offers the additional capability of Dolby Digital audio decoding and is ideally suited for interactive set-top boxes complying with CableLabs' OpenCable specifications, as well as set-top boxes for North American MMDS networks.

Pricing and Availability

Sampling of the CN8600AVD chip and evaluation system will begin in the first calendar quarter of 1999. In the second calendar quarter, samples will be available for the CN8610AVD. The chips are priced at $29 for the CN8600AVD and $31 for the CN8610AVD in OEM volumes of 100,000 units.

Volume production is scheduled for Q3 `99.

Conexant Systems Inc. is the $1.2 billion company that was created when Rockwell International spun off its semiconductor systems business to shareowners in December 1998. Conexant is the world's largest independent company focused exclusively on providing semiconductor products for communications electronics.

The company aligns its business into five product platforms: Personal Computing, Personal Imaging, Wireless Communications, Digital Infotainment and Network Access. With more than 30 years of experience in developing analog modem technology, the company leverages its expertise in mixed-signal processing and communications technology to deliver integrated systems and semiconductor products for a broad range of communications applications.

These products facilitate communications worldwide through wireline voice and data communications networks, cordless and cellular wireless telephony systems, and emerging cable and wireless broadband communications networks.

Certain matters discussed in this news release regarding future digital broadband products may constitute forward-looking statements, such as discussions of product release dates, product availability, market acceptance and customer demand. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including the timely release of products by manufacturing suppliers, the availability of components and technologies from partners, suppliers and licensors, the acceptance of applicable technologies, the impact of competitive markets, products and pricing, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including the reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending Jan. 1, 1999. Actual results may vary materially.

BOX:

Conexant Aims to Dramatically Simplify Previously

Difficult Silicon/Software Integration Task for

Interactive TV Set-Top Boxes

In developing its CN8600/8610AVD, Conexant has offered the advantages of system-on-a-chip integration while simultaneously resolving the challenges associated with developing robust embedded system software for digital TV receiver/decoder set-top boxes.

The software challenge has become more and more formidable. The market is quickly moving from "dumb" set-top boxes designed solely for TV viewing, to feature-rich interactive networked systems. These interactive networks are deploying client set-top boxes, some of which resemble personal computers in their integer-processing and graphics capabilities.

Meanwhile, equipment manufacturers increasingly must support multiple networks, which means completely redesigning complex system software in support of multiple Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Conditional Access (CA) solutions.

Further complicating the software picture is the arrival of system-on-a-chip integration at the IC level. Today's highly-integrated chips dramatically cut bill-of-material costs, but also limit the software developer's ability to use off-the-shelf CPU/peripheral board support packages since the CPU and other critical system components are deeply embedded in a single chip.

The solution to these challenges is to combine system-on-a-chip silicon integration with a complete, high-quality system software validated by the middleware vendors and a well-integrated software development tool set.

Popular interactive TV system software platforms such as OpenTV, Mediahighway, and NCI's DTV Navigator are based on middleware runtime engines that provide the application-level APIs for downloadable applications. They also require the use of a third-party, low-level real-time operating system (RTOS) kernel for basic embedded operating-system functionality.

This class of software architecture requires the added task of integrating middleware with RTOS runtime components and more complex device drivers to support the enhanced functionality of the interactive applications.

Manufacturers must ensure that the system software not only supports network-specific applications, but also is compatible with the standard middleware-platform API. This is typically supported through a middleware vendor's validation or certification process, followed by a network-specific customization and integration phase. The former will ensure that a generic or basic system software solution can support any application coded to the middleware interpreter API, while the latter provides a more rigorous qualification for operating on an actual target network.

Conexant has addressed these software integration-and-testing challenges with a solution that is supported by a complete software development environment, including embedded CPU development tools and third-party operating-system tools with enhanced customization.

Conexant believes that this comprehensive, system-level approach will dramatically reduce development costs and time-to-market schedules by allowing equipment vendors to immediately launch into the network-specific integration phase. Additionally, OEMs will have the flexibility to customize their solutions to take full advantage of the IC's fast CPU and 2D graphics capabilities.