SONY TO LAUNCH SINGLE-CHIP LSI SOLUTIONS
FOR THE SECURE TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL A/V CONTENT
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 27, 1999 -- Sony Electronics today announced the launch of two IEEE1394-compliant LSI
chips that protect digital content transmitted between digital audio/video appliances. The Sony i.LINK® CXD3204 and CXD3205 chips provide a single chip controller
LSI solution by integrating Digital Transmission Content Protection technology (DTCP) in the link layer with the
physical layer.
Targeted for use in digital set top terminals, the chips support the secure, two-way transmission of digital content
across the i.LINK (IEEE 1394) interface at speeds of up to 200Mbps. Sample pricing for the CXD3204 is $25 while the
CXD3205 will be $30. Both chips are scheduled to ship August 1999.
"Secure and reliable transmission of digital content is obviously very important," said Jodie Hughes, general
manager and senior vice president of the Semiconductor Solutions Division at Sony Electronics. "With our
entertainment and electronics businesses, Sony understands this better than anybody; that's why we've designed our LSI
to be the ideal solution for content protection."
The CXD3204 supports two ports while the CXD3205 supports
three ports, allowing a single LSI to control multiple i.LINK (IEEE 1394) digital interfaces. These solutions allow
digital appliances to easily connect to form a home network. The CXD3200 family supports simultaneous transmission of
two separate isochronous streams over a single connection. This allows recording and playback at the same time, or the
simultaneous playback of two different
signals.
In addition, the CXD3204 incorporates both parallel and serial input/outputs for MPEG2
transport streams, making it ideal for digital set top terminals and other applications.
The digital content protection method employed by Sony's new LSI is based on the Digital Transmission Content
Protection (DTCP) system, jointly developed by five companies, including Hitachi, Ltd., Intel Corp., Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. With DTCP, content sent and received over the i.LINK
interface is encrypted. The Sony CXD3204 and CXD3205
encrypt and decrypt digital content in real time with no load on the appliance's microprocessor.
Based in San Jose, Calif., the Semiconductor Solutions Division is a part of the Component Company of Sony Electronics
Inc. Sony is a leading supplier and technology leader in the development of semiconductor solutions for emerging and
cutting-edge high performance markets in multimedia, communications and ultra high speed SRAM memory. The division
offers an array of innovative products ranging from memory and multimedia, to communications, networking and wireless
ICs.
Incorporates DTCP Compliant Copy Protection Technology
Content sent and received over the i.LINK interface is encrypted using DTCP compliant copy protection technology. This
LSI incorporates content encryption and decryption circuitry to allow for the real time encryption and decryption of
digital content with no load on an appliance's microprocessor.
Allows for Simultaneous Transmission of Isochronous Data Streams
Supports isochronous data transfer allowing the LSI to reliably handle transmission of continuous data such as video
content. Since a single chip can handle the simultaneous transfer of two different isochronous signals, the chip can
be used in home servers and other applications to allow for simultaneous recording and playback or playback of two
different signals at the same time.
Supports Multiple Ports for Network Appliances
CXD3204R supports two ports; CXD3205R supports three
ports allowing a single LSI to control multiple i.LINK interfaces. Appliances incorporating this LSI can be easily
connected to multiple appliances to form a home network. Moreover, i.LINK allows up to 63 devices to be connected to a
single network.
Other Key Features
- 200Mbps Maximum Transfer Rate
- Incorporates Program Identification (PID) -- Parser and Packet insertion functions to support the use of EPG
services for recorded data
- Input/Outputs for MPEG2 transport data streams
- CXD3205R supports parallel input/output
- CXD3204R supports serial input/output
- Integrated interface for input/output of IEC958 audio streams, D/A converter outputs, and isochronous data transfer
- i.LINK (IEEE 1394) interface allows for easy Internet Protocol implementation
- i.LINK LSI Evaluation System available for system development
| Sony LSI Solutions |
CXD3205R |
CXD3204R |
| Source Voltage |
3.3V +/- 0.3V |
| Package |
176 LQFP |
| Simultaneous ISO |
Yes |
| Audio Interface |
IEC958 compliant |
| Asynchronous Stream |
Supports |
| Copyright Protection |
DTCP (M6x2ch) |
| FIFO (ISO) |
960 packet x 32 bit x 2 ch |
FIFO
Asynchronous Transfer
Asynchronous Reception |
128 packet x 33 bit |
| Physical Layer Specification |
S200 / 3 Ports |
S200 / 2 Ports |
| Host CPU Interface |
68K / Intel |
68K |
| MPEG TS Interface |
Parallel |
Serial / Parallel |
| Sample Availability |
August |
August |
| Sample Pricing |
$30.00 |
$25.00 |
For more information, please see the 5/27/99 editorial story in EE
Times Online.
Customer contact:
Please contact your local
area sales representative
for Customer Support.
