Philips Semiconductors Introduces the World's First High-Performance Macrovision 7 Compatible Digital Video Encoder for Both PAL and NTSC.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 1997--Philips Semiconductors today introduced the world's first single-chip digital video encoder to fully support Macrovision 7 copy protection for both PAL and NTSC.

The SAA7120 high-performance DVDenc provides the vital bridge required between today's digital TV media and traditional "analog" video equipment such as TV sets and video recorders. Target applications for this unique new encoder include digital broadcast systems, such as DSS and DVB, as well as hot new DVD players.

"Macrovision copy protection, which allows video to be displayed on a standard TV set but prevents it from being recorded on a VCR, has been a crucial factor in persuading the Hollywood entertainment industry to release the latest movies on digital video disk and satellite TV channels," said MPC general manager Jon Thompson.

Unlike competing hardwired implementations, SAA7120 supports a unique "Progra-Mac" capability, which offers full control over Macrovision's anti-taping algorithm. The SAA7120 therefore breaks the DVD market wide open by fully supporting the new programmable PAL "striping" algorithms without waiting for optimum implementation parameters to settle.

TV set makers are even dispensing with expensive test rigs and using this flexibility to fine-tune sensitive DVD performance issues for PAL. The SAA7120's flexibility extends into the digital broadcast arena as well. With a unique "7-up" split-burst enabling scheme, digital satellite receiver boxes designed with SAA7120 this year for Macrovision 6 can be remotely upgraded next year in the field to Macrovision 7 by satellite-transmitted data.

For systems which do not require Macrovision anti-taping, such as Video-CD players, a new companion part SAA7121 is also available. Both the SAA7120 and SAA7121 accept industry-standard CCIR 656 format video data at a standard CCIR pixel frequency of 13.5 MHz, making them perfectly compatible to all leading MPEG decoder chips.

After encoding to PAL or NTSC standards, the video is converted to simultaneous analog composite-video baseband (CVBS) and S-Video (Y/C) signals by on-chip 10-bit D/A converters, offering two to four times the output resolution of competing 8- or 9-bit cased encoding solutions.

Two-times oversampling improves digital processing performance and eliminates the need for sin x/x signal filtering on the analog video outputs. Both SAA7120 and SAA7121 also feature line-23 wide- screen signaling, closed captioning and WST/NABTS Teletext encoding capabilities. They even include a look-up table that allows generation of a color bar test pattern.

In common with the rest of Philips' industry-leading range of digital video encoders, the SAA7120 and SAA7121 operate in both master and slave modes, allowing them to generate the master system timing of an MPEG system, or to be a synchronized slave to the MPEG stream. All the necessary clock signals and sub-carrier frequencies are generated from a single external crystal, saving the expense of additional oscillator circuitry.

The SAA7120 and SAA7121 also incorporate Philips' proprietary real-time-control locking system, which maintains sub-carrier fidelity in remote gen-lock systems using advanced Philips digital video decoders such as the SAA7111A.

The SAA7120 and the SAA7121 use cool power-saving 3.3-volt technology to reduce power consumption by 50 percent to 80 percent relative to competing devices, making them suitable even for portable applications. They are housed in 44-lead QFP packages. Samples are available now, with volume production scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 1997. The SAA7120 is priced at $6.37 for 10k OEM quantities. For pricing and availability outside the United States, contact your local Philips Semiconductors Sales Office or Authorized Philips Distributor. Product availability and specifications may vary in non-U.S. markets.

Philips Semiconductors, Inc., a subsidiary of Philips Electronics North America Corporation and an affiliate of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the eleventh largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position that company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia, and wireless communications market.

Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by regional customer applications labs.

Additional information on Philips Semiconductors can be obtained by accessing their home page at http://www.semiconductors.philips.com. -0-

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