SONY DEVELOPS i.LINK™ (IEEE1394) LINK LSI
INCORPORATING 5C DIGITAL CONTENT PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY
SAN JOSE, Calif. and TOKYO, Nov. 30, 1998 -- Sony Corporation today announced the development
of an i.LINK (IEEE1394) link layer LSI that provides robust protection for digital content transmitted
between digital electronics products. Sony has begun planning a series of related LSI products and
preparing for volume production with the aim of launching products on the U.S. market by Spring 1999.
The newly developed LSI currently supports the secure, two-way transmission of digital content across
the i.LINK (IEEE1394) interface at speeds of up to 200Mbps. Designed for use in a wide variety of digital
electronics products, the chip can process AV content transferred in MPEG data streams and other digital
AV formats. It can also simultaneously transmit multiple isochronous signals and support functions that
allow electronic programming guides and other applications to provide users with interactive network
services.
On Nov. 2, 1998, the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers' Association (CEMA) and the U.S.-based National
Cable Television Association (NCTA) made a press announcement identifying the IEEE1394 interface as an
important digital interface which will promote compatibility between digital television receivers and
digital set-top boxes. Sony's newly developed i.LINK (IEEE1394) link LSI offers a practical solution for
the safe, reliable transmission of copy protected digital content across this interface. Moreover, the
introduction of Sony's new i.LINK (IEEE1394) copy protection LSIs in Spring 1999 may make it possible for
consumer electronics hardware manufacturers to introduce products that are equipped with digital content
protection enabled IEEE1394 interfaces by November 1999 - as forecast in a recent letter sent by the
presidents of the NCTA and CEMA to the Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The digital content protection method employed by Sony's new LSI is based on a technical proposal presented
to the Copyright Protection Technical Working Group (CPTWG), an ad-hoc cross-industry body organized to
evaluate content protection technologies, in February 1998 by five companies. They include: Hitachi, Ltd.,
Intel Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation, and Toshiba Corporation. The
technology jointly developed by the five companies - which is known as the Digital Transmission Content
Protection Method (DTCP) - addresses the concerns of the entertainment content industry, including the
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) which has requested two-way key exchange and multiple level
copy protection.
Under the DTCP method, AV and multimedia content would be classified into three levels of copy protection:
copy prohibited, copy one generation, and copy free. 'Copy prohibited' content sent through the IEEE1394
interface can be displayed but not recorded. Content designated as 'copy one generation' can be recorded,
but the resulting content would be designated 'copy prohibited'. 'Copy free' content could be freely
recorded by the user. This system provides flexibility for both content providers and consumers.
Sony hopes that the development of its new digital content protection enabled i.LINK (IEEE1394) link LSIs
will facilitate the swift adoption of a cross-industry digital transmission content protection solution
for a broad range of digital Audio-Visual (AV) and Information Technology (IT) electronics products.
Key Features of the Cryptographic Signal Processor LSI for the IEEE1394 Digital Interface:
- The newly developed LSI reduces the load on a product's microprocessor by internally encrypting and
decrypting AV content, such as MPEG data streams. This allows for robust, high-speed protection of high
bandwidth content such as video and animation.
- The chip supports the Program ID (PID) parser and packet insertion functions used by Electronic
Programming Guides (EPGs) and other interactive broadcast and network applications.
- It allows for the simultaneous transfer of two separate isochronous signals over a single connection.
For example, the LSI can transmit one isochronous signal while receiving another, or it can simultaneously
transmit two separate isochronous signals.
- The i.LINK (IEEE1394) link LSI supports the IEEE1394-1995 standard, offers a maximum data transfer
rate of 200Mbps, and comes equipped with an on-board 68000 series CPU interface.
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