NTT Electronics Develops FPGA Version of Decoder LSI for 10-bit 4:2:2 H.264/MPEG-2
To Be Demonstrated at NAB2010
April 7, 2010

NTT Electronics Corporation announced that it has developed an FPGA version of a multi-standard single chip LSI for both H.264/AVC 4:2:2 10-bit (including AVC-Intra 100/50) and MPEG-2 4:2:2 decoding, prior to the release of the commercial product.

In the broadcasting industry, high-quality video is currently handled by 4:2:2 10-bit editing and storage equipment. However, most of the hardware (encoder/decoders) used to transmit content only supports the 8-bit format. For this reason, conversion between 8-bit and 10-bit formats is done during video transmission, resulting in loss of picture quality.

NTT Electronics' new chip supports H.264/AVC 4:2:2 10-bit decoding, including AVC-Intra 100/50, helping to improve efficiency in the transmission and editing of high-quality video. The chip also supports 10-bit and 8-bit H.264/AVC 4:2:2 and 4:2:0, as well as MPEG-2 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 8-bit specifications, thereby covering most of the formats currently used to send video. Therefore, by using this chip in equipment on the receiving side, video can be received without concern about which format is used on the sending side.

Shoichi Otake, general manager of NTT Electronics' 1st Product Group, says: “Our aggressive development of codec chips for the H.264/AVC 10-bit specification has led us to the development of an FPGA version (for 1080i 60), the broadcasting market's first decoder LSI to support all formats including 10-bit 4:2:2 H.264/AVC and MPEG-2.”

“We plan to release a version for 1080p 60 in the first quarter of 2011, between January and March," continued Mr. Otake. "Looking ahead, we intend to develop and provide over 10 models of next-generation H.264/AVC encoder/decoder LSIs by 2012, enabling broadcast content to be transmitted, edited, and delivered with the highest possible quality.”

The new FPGA decoder will be demonstrated at NAB2010, the world's largest broadcasting industry exhibition, in Las Vegas from April 12 to 15. The demonstration will take place in a meeting room, so advance appointments are required. For more information or to make an appointment, please contact NTT Electronics' 1st Product Group via phone or e-mail.