Sigma Designs, Inc. a provider of silicon-based IP video streaming solutions, announced today the launch of its new family of advanced MPEG decoder chips that support MPEG-4, as well as Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) standards. This is the first time this technology has been demonstrated publicly. Joining Sigma Designs with announcements of new MPEG-4 based streaming appliances are CoCom and Eagle Broadband.

With the emergence of MPEG-4 solutions, consumers will be able to receive high quality video-on-demand (VOD) or multicast video across the same networks currently providing them with high-speed Internet connections. The new EM8470 series, based on the company's award-winning REALmagicı Video Streaming Technology, provides fully integrated solutions for high-quality decoding of MPEG-4, as well as MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and DVD decoding. Beyond simple decoding, the EM8470 represents the industry's first MPEG-4 chip to support full resolution (720x576) and the streaming profiles of ISMA specification 1.0.

"The emergence of the new MPEG-4 decoders marks the beginning of a whole new era of broadband IP video streaming appliances based on high-efficiency CODECs," stated Ken Lowe, Sigma Designs' vice president of business development. "Sigma is proud to lead this advancement with the EM8470 MPEG-4 solution, which provides a silicon solution that's pin-compatible with our EM8400, the most widely used MPEG-2 decoder chip for IP video streaming appliances."

About the Standards

MPEG-4 is the next-generation digital video compression standard, enabling content developers to create sophisticated programs containing audio, video, text, graphics and interactivity. The object-oriented environment of MPEG-4 provides for complex scene manipulation at low bit rates, making it ideal for streaming content over today's 300-1500bps broadband connections.

Further enabling the broad deployment of MPEG-4 video streaming is the new streaming media specification from the ISMA. The ISMA alliance created the specification that encapsulates the MPEG-4 objects in a set of protocols and formats that standardize its use in the streaming environment. The desired result is a ubiquitous open standard used by both server and client system vendors to ensure complete interoperability-similar to the way that the DVD standard allows DVD media to work in every DVD player.

The EM8470 series is a cost-effective solution for streaming video clients and advanced digital set-top boxes, enabling manufacturers to easily incorporate IP video streaming (with video-on-demand or IP multicast), progressive DVD playback, PVR functions and other digital video processing into their products. The convergence of these applications into a single solution for the consumer is key to offering enhanced content and achieving market acceptance.

Video decoding capabilities include MPEG-4, MPEG-2 and MPEG-1. The MPEG-4 Advanced Simple Profile supports DVD resolution (720 x 480 or 720 x 576), B pictures for improved video quality and interlaced format. Sophisticated scan conversion of standard video to progressive HDTV resolutions is also supported. Progressive video, one of the modes of digital television, recreates the picture quality of the cinema on home televisions.

Audio capabilities also include Dolbyı Digital, MPEG-1 Layers 1 and 2 as well as MPEG-4 high-quality audio profile (CELP and AAC). Additional features include a flexible on-screen-display (OSD) capability, composite and s-video TV outputs, interlaced or progressive analog component video outputs (YPbPr or RGB) scalable up to HDTV resolution, S/PDIF digital audio output and stereo audio analog outputs.

Sigma Designs, Inc., Phone: 408.957.9850

The EM8470 MPEG-4 chip from Sigma Design should be a winning solution for streaming video clients and advanced digital set-top boxes. Currently, the majority of streaming content is created by major news organizations like CNN and MSNBC and is closely linked to huge media events. Media streaming is also very popular for watching sporting events and watching movie trailers. However, to use streaming media effectively you need a broadband connection. The predictions for the number of households that will have broadband capabilities within the next two years range from 15 to 21 million. So, it's a good bet the market is there and will grow dramatically for companies involved in the development of products for streaming media, especially those for MPEG-4.

MPEG-4 is an ISO/IEC standard developed by MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group), and designated ISO/IEC 14496. It became an International Standard in early 1999. Then, in December of 2000, the Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) was formed to promote open standards for developing end-to-end media streaming solutions over the Internet. ISMA 1.0 is the result of the group's first efforts. It identifies two profiles, Profile 0 (narrowband/wireless) and Profile 1 (broadband), which is a superset of Profile 0. Profile 0 has a maximum bit rate of 64Kbps for visual data, and maximum combined audio and visual bandwidth of 128Kbps. Profile 1 supports a maximum bit rate of 1.5Mbps for visual data and the same for visual and audio data combined.

Sigma Design is a member of the ISMA and realized that the MPEG-4 market was gaining momentum. They designed the EM8470, which is a pin-compatible superset of their EM8400, an MPEG-2 decoder used in broadband set-top appliances.

The market driver for the EM8470 is the developing support for MPEG-4. Three forces drive the support. First, the deployment of IP Video solutions across DSL, Cable and other bandwidth-contained media, evidenced the need for more compression efficient solutions. At its current state of evolution, MPEG-4 is approximately twice as efficient as MPEG-2 (for given quality levels). Secondly, serving a large installed base of IP video set-top vendors, most have been pushing for MPEG-4 as a means of increasing demand for their products. Thirdly, the IP video streaming market, being tied into Internet connectivity, has been building demand for interactivity to enable built-in control of video-on-demand, ecommerce and other two-way scenarios. MPEG-4 has interactivity built into its framework.

The feature of the EM8470 that impresses me is the full resolution MPEG-4 decoding. It offers this on top of a feature-set for handling MPEG-2 decoding, On-Screen Display and high quality TV output. This will be a winning solution for the first wave of users that will include manufacturers of advanced set-top appliances that feature IP video streaming for delivery of video-on-demand (a souped-up version of pay-per-view where you get to pause, fast-forward) and IP multicast, which is an enhanced version of video broadcast across the internet where you can have an unlimited number of 'channels'.

Data sheet

More information can be found at:
Internet Streaming Media Alliance - http://www.isma.tv/
MPEG-4 Industry Forum - www.m4if.org