Faroudja Laboratories was pleased to announce the introduction of a significant new product, the FLI2000 NTSC/PAL Video Decoder and Signal Processor Integrated Circuit. This new 10-bit decoder IC is the first decoder to have on-chip Time Base Correction (TBC) circuitry built in.

The FLI2000 NTSC/PAL Video Decoder and Signal Processor chip auto detects NTSC or PAL composite input signals, and integrates the complete Faroudja Laboratories' patented 2-D Adaptive Comb Filter decoding path to provide sharper video signals for the large display projector systems, large screen TVs, PC graphics and video boards, and broadcast industry format conversion products.

The FLI2000 combines the updated technologies of three previously designed Faroudja ASIC chips into one, highly integrated, mixed-signal IC containing more than 1.2 million transistors equivalent to more than 300,000 logic gates.

The FLI2000 has three main processing sections:

1. Chroma/Luma separation, 2-D Comb Filtering, Chroma Demodulation.
2. Time Base Correction.
3. Enhancement, Matrix Processing, On-Chip DACs.

"Faroudja Laboratories has taken a significant step in making available our superior decoding technology on an OEM basis. Previously, this technology was only available in chassis products for Home Theater and for the broadcast industry. Now we can offer a high quality front-end decoding processor for selected partner companies wishing to enhance their video equipment," said Yves Faroudja, founder of the company and Chief Tecnical Officer.

It would be easy to berate this press release and other documentation in the misuse of the words "chroma" and "luma" and the continuing industry-wide (both broadcast and PC) misuse of YUV, but I would specifically point out that the second paragraph's use in the release of "auto detects NTSC or PAL composite input signals" would suggest to a reader that this part takes in PAL/NTSC composite signals. It does but only in a digitized format -- when they are no longer PAL or NTSC. Nevertheless this part will be a major commercial success for the company in converting digitized PAL/NTSC (or the S-Video versions) or D-2 (where do you get a D-2 PAL signal I wonder?) into 10-bit D-1, or just about analog anything. It will see major use in large-screen TVs and projectors particularly since the built-in TBC will take care of jitter and mathematically-incorrect signals from VCR sources, although it is only a 2-line TBC. Combining previously separate ICs together is undoubtedly the right way for the company to go.

The IC does require an external oscillator at 13.5 or 15 MHz with a tolerance better than 100 ppm, and that is unfortunate since the technology for on-chip fabrication of such an oscillator is now quite straightforward. The IC operates at 3.3 V (1.75 W dissipation) and is always the slave on the I2C bus. I have always been 'anti' auto-detect circuits in equipment when they are not essential and the auto-detect for PAL/NTSC here will probably be subject to the same flakiness they all are when there are signal problems (and with PAL-M and -N.) With a 10-bit ADC on the input circuitry for a composite source -- adding probably $20 in total associated circuit costs -- a 56 dB SNR should be obtainable on the analog outputs. But take note that the analog output rise times are between 1.0 and 2.5 ns, so watch where you intend to feed these signals without a filter!

The FLI2000 is in a 20 mm 144-pin TQFP and is priced at $36.00 in 1000-piece lots. An evaluation board -- the DEB2000 -- is also available.