Intel Corp. has unveiled at Intel Developer Forum in Beijing its new system-on-chip product that enables variety of consumer electronics (CE) devices, primarily set-top-boxes, with advanced multimedia capabilities. The announcement once again outlines the importance of highly-integrated solutions for next-generation CE products.

The Intel CE 2110 media processor is a complete system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture that combines an embedded 1GHz Intel XScale central processing unit, MPEG-2 and H.264 hardware video decoders, DDR2 memory interface, 2D/3D graphics accelerators, and is supported by a modular software development environment. The platform architecture also allows CE developers and manufacturers to deliver pure IP or hybrid set-top-boxes designed to receive content from IP and digital broadcast pipes.

This all-in-one component design becomes increasingly important in today’s marketplace as CE manufacturers look to accelerate time-to-market, and develop smarter, more cost-effective consumer electronics designs that provide the processing performance, flexibility and headroom needed to deliver advanced revenue-generating services, such as voice-over-IP (VoIP), video phone, interactive gaming, enhanced karaoke and e-learning.

Intel works with several consumer electronics companies to bring advanced video and interactive services to consumers, the company indicated. Asustek Computer has a set-top-box with the new Intel SoC media processor today. Digeo plans to deliver new Moxi Multi-Room HD digital media recorders, and OKI and ZTE will build set top boxes based on the Intel CE 2110 Media Processor. System integrator Hwacom plans to provide application layers for IPTV services using the new Intel media processing platform. In addition, Radvision will deliver VoIP and video conferencing capabilities; Amino Communications will provide the IntActTM IPTV client software stack and Verimatrix will deliver content protection software based on the new media processing platform.

“As far as the set top box is concerned, one of the most important capabilities will be processing performance that can scale to meet the requirements of advanced applications and support new services,” said CY Feng, vice president of Asus Broadband BU. “The Intel CE 2110 Media Processor level of performance is essential for supporting advanced applications and providing headroom for future applications. Intel’s platform solution is designed to be a multifunction device, and in this respect, it stands apart from traditional set top boxes. The bottom line is that we can use Intel's new media processor to bring more value to our customers.”