To accommodate the accelerating growth of the set-top box (STB) market, Philips Semiconductors will introduce the Nexperia processor, including the PNX8300 aimed at the low-end synthesizer/decoder market and the PNX8500 aimed at the high-end STB market, during Computex Taipei 2000.
Bas Fransen, consumer semiconductor product manager, said, “The STB market has high potential for Philips Semiconductors. We plan to make Nexperia adaptable to worldwide STB hardware specifications, with a combination of various software applications for different STB functions.”
Chien-Zhou Chen, marketing manager of Digital Media, explained that Philips has different models for different STB markets. Low-end STBs are mainly used for TV broadcasts and web surfing. Therefore, a user-friendly interface is a must. Philips’ PNX8300 is targeted at this market, but as this market is price-sensitive, the PNX8300 will use a single microchip to reduce costs and to quickly satisfy demand.
As for the high-end PNX8500, Philips will use more sophisticated technology incorporating more functions, including 3D games, network browsers, telecommunication services and videophone. “The PNX8500 can accommodate the high performance requirements of STBs and CPUs and can also satisfy various STB application needs,” Chen remarked.
Article translated by Noah Sauve
