Audio Video News

Long heralded as one of the most promising video technologies, the flat-panel display could get a big boost from a recent agreement between Pixelworks, Inc. and Analog Devices, Inc. to integrate their respective technologies in a new generation of products.

The deal will have Pixelworks marketing displays that incorporate Analog Devices' state-of-the-art analog and digital receiver technology with Pixelworks' "system-on-a-chip" ImageProcessor ICs. The result could be what advance publicity calls "the industry's highest-performance dual-interface display technology."

Under the terms of the deal, the two companies will work to develop a new system-controller chip. Analog Devices will supply both "triple analog-to-digital converter" and "compatible digital receiver" interfaces supporting displays with resolution up to SXGA level. Copyright issues are being addressed by the inclusion in the new IC of "High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection" (HDCP) firmware. The resulting single chip will contain all of the functions needed to operate an LCD monitor, according to a joint press release.

"This alliance extends our collective technical leadership to capitalize on the explosive growth in the flat-panel monitor, multimedia projector, and advanced television markets,'' said Robbie McAdam, VP and general manager of Analog Devices. "By combining our technologies, we can offer our customers premium performance while continuing to drive cost out of the system through unprecedented levels of integration,'' said Pixelworks CEO Allen Alley.

Analog Devices is a leading IC manufacturer with a major market share in flat-panel-display interface technology. Pixelworks is a leading developer of system-on-a-chip semiconductors and software that enable the visual display of broadband content. ImageProcessor ICs using the Analog Devices core should be available in 2001.