HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc players and DVD recorders
Overview
The Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is the fastest growing consumer electronics market in history. The large installed base of VCRs is quickly being replaced by DVD recorders. The digital format lets consumers enjoy unlimited playback without degradation of quality-a noted problem with yesterday's VCR technology. Home networking allows the content to be sent to any device in the home. DVD players make up a majority of DVD device sales, but beginning in 2006, DVD recorder design starts outpaced DVD player design starts.
With media content moving to high definition (HD) formats, the standard definition of red laser technology is fast giving way to blue laser technology, with its higher storage capacity. These new systems based on blue lasers are used for Blu-rayTM Disc.
Challenges
Red laser playback systems only need low-performance MCUs, but for blue laser, even a simple playback-only device demands enormous processing horsepower to handle dramatically more complex interactivity, content protection and network interfaces. User interactivity for blue laser systems requires high-performance Java in Blu-ray Disc.
These high-performance systems require a MIPS-BasedTM SoC solution.
MIPS Technologies' Solution
More than two out of every three DVD recorders shipped since 2003 is MIPS-Based, and this trend is growing year over year. Most leading SoC vendors today have selected the MIPS® architecture for their DVD recorder designs. This choice is likely to continue for Blu-ray Disc systems. MIPS is uniquely positioned, given its industry standard architecture, licensable cores and enormous software ecosystem. MIPS Technologies and its ecosystem partners deliver top-performing operating systems, including support for multi-threading. Additionally, MIPS offers RISC-based quality audio solutions, high-definition video engines, the world's highest performing Java solution (a requirement for Blu-ray Disc) and leading DVD burn and navigate engines for the embedded market.
MIPS Technologies also offers a broad portfolio of analog IP encompassing data conversion, connectivity, audio, power management and wireless, providing a one-stop shop for analog and digital IP cores for next-generation DVD SoC designs.
