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PCI video/audio decoder chips receive full Macrovision certification

With its receipt of Macrovision certification, Philips Semiconductors has reaffirmed its continuing commitment to digital copyright protection. The certification validates the integration of Macrovision's copy protection detection scheme into Philips Semiconductors' SAA7130 and SAA7134 PCI 9-bit video/audio decoder ICs.


Protecting source code from illicit copying and piracy is an essential requirement for time-shifting applications. This becomes an even more sensitive issue when code is being converted from analog to digital signals because it is more accessible to piracy during that stage. Copy protection detection enables PC manufacturers to safeguard video content programming, in advanced PC-based applications, from unauthorized recording.

Philips Semiconductors is the first digital video IC supplier to provide Macrovision-detection certified devices for both standalone video capture and PCI applications. Macrovision's copy protection technology, integrated into Philips Semiconductors' new family of highly integrated PCI video/audio decoder ICs, ensures that source programming remains protected throughout the entire analog-to-digital conversion process. This technology prevents the permanent recording of copyrighted and copy-protected content. The SAA7130 and SAA7134 video/audio decoder ICs can be designed into both PC and consumer devices by manufacturers wanting to ensure that their hardware is compliant with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

“The PCI video/audio decoder family was designed to bring superior performance and picture quality to PC-based video capture systems,” said Jerome Morris, marketing manager for Philips Semiconductors. “By receiving this Macrovision certification and our continued commitment to implementing this technology throughout our wide range of digital video ICs, Philips Semiconductors further confirms its market position as the leading multimedia device manufacturer. Philips Semiconductors is also the first semiconductor manufacturer to offer volume production quantities of Macrovision-certified video/audio decoder ICs.”

The SAA7130 incorporates analog audio pass-through and support for analog audio loop-back to a PC sound card. The SAA7134 features multistandard NICAM and dual-FM stereo decoding. In addition, the SAA7134 incorporates a stereo audio DAC for optional analog connection to PC soundcards and stereo audio ADC for digitizing microphone input. The SAA7134 also bus masters the digitized decoded stereo over the PCI bus, eliminating the need for expensive audio loop-back cables used in PCs. Both the SAA7130 and SAA7134 include a multistandard (NTSC/PAL/SECAM) TV decoder, a high-performance, best-in-class adaptive 4-line multistandard comb filter, a versatile VBI data slicer, and an advanced up/down 2-D scaler with interpolation filters and video FIFO.

http://www.semiconductors.philips.com/news/publications/content/file_963.html