Broadcom has integrated market leading Wi-Fi and video chipset platforms, paving the way for the next generation of connected DTVs, Blu-ray Disc players and cable/satellite/IPTV STBs. As a top supplier of both Wi-Fi and digital video solutions, Broadcom is providing consumer electronics manufacturers with a series of "video over Wi-Fi" reference designs that provide a superior video experience over a wireless connection.

With the growing popularity of in-home networks and the increasing availability of Internet-based video, many CE vendors are adding Wi-Fi to provide easy access to digital content on video products throughout the home. By providing CE manufacturers with video platforms that offer fully integrated Wi-Fi hardware and software, Broadcom is eliminating the need for complicated systems integration efforts. As a result, Broadcom's customers can deliver connected products that use Wi-Fi to bring entertainment applications such as iTunes, BD-Live and Netflix to a large screen.

802.11n is currently the only wireless technology with sufficient bandwidth, coverage and quality of service for multimedia applications. Broadcom has optimized its 802.11n technology and video over Wi-Fi designs to overcome the technical challenges of using wireless protocols for IPTV, providing the industry's first integrated carrier-grade solution for IP set-top boxes. When combined with DLNA functionality, Wi-Fi-enabled devices provide consumers with a transparent way to access and share media between TVs, PCs, cell phones and other devices throughout the home.

Optimized for IPTV

Broadcom's new video over Wi-Fi reference designs provide better wireless performance to support the most demanding video applications, including IPTV. Today's Wi-Fi networks have difficulty handling the special kind of multicast traffic and protocols used by IPTV carriers worldwide, resulting in frequent video glitches that consumers find unacceptable. Broadcom has optimized its 802.11n solutions to deliver enough bandwidth to support at least three HD streams and four SD streams, while maintaining robust performance throughout the home. To reduce throughput variation and packet errors, Broadcom employs a combination of advanced PHY techniques including maximum likelihood decoding, rate and antenna selection algorithms and packet error correction technology. Its Wi-Fi solutions also help to avoid performance-degrading interference by using the extra channels available in the 5 GHz band. These unique hardware and software features are now available on five of Broadcom's IP/satellite/cable set-top box designs, as well as its digital TV and Blu-ray platforms.

Broadcom's video over Wi-Fi reference designs provide the flexibility to build a variety of wireless-enabled video products by combining 802.11n components and HD video/audio system-on-a-chip solutions. In addition to mixing and matching silicon components, manufacturers can leverage the software from Broadcom's most popular 802.11n reference designs (BCM94323U USB adapter, BCM94322MP Mini PCI adapter, and BCM94717 family of access point, video bridge and MII adapters) in the following consumer video platforms:

• Digital TV platforms that include the recently announced BCM3549 and BCM3556 solutions and combined platforms resulting from the AMD digital television acquisition, such as the complete 120 Hz advanced video coding connected TV platform;
• Blu-ray Disc player platforms including the BCM7440 and BCM7601; and
• Cable, satellite and IP set-top box platforms with Broadcom's highly-integrated SoC solutions.

Availability

Broadcom's video over Wi-Fi reference designs are sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request.