Broadcom Corporation announced that its highly integrated Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution has been selected by LG Electronics to power its dual-format Super Blu BH200 high definition disc player. By combining full support for both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats in a single SoC, Broadcom enables leading consumer electronics manufacturers to build universal high definition players capable of playing back all high definition movie titles thereby increasing the high definition entertainment choices for consumers.

The Broadcom BCM7440 SoC solution is a single-chip platform that fully meets the requirements of next generation Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD player designs. It provides the multiple processing cores and the necessary performance required to support next generation interactive technologies and network connected applications currently being developed by Hollywood studios using sophisticated BD-Java (Blu-ray Disc) and HDi (HD DVD) technologies. This includes enhanced interactive menus, gaming capabilities, real time director's comments, and full support of networked interactivity from select and forthcoming Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD titles. The Broadcom BCM7440 SoC continues to be the only solution in the industry that fully supports both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats in a single monolithic IC, providing consumers with exactly what the film's authors had intended -- the best possible high definition multimedia experience.

The Broadcom BCM7440 SoC incorporates the decoding, processing and memory functions for both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD media players, eliminating the need for manufacturers to build two different hardware platforms. The BCM7440 offers the following advanced capabilities:

• Single-chip high definition SoC solution supports Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD and universal dual format high definition players.
• Highest performance platform with multiple processors, dual decoders and dedicated graphics engines assures robust applications performance.
• Robust and proven universal optical disc (UOD) software stack reduces development risks and supports all Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD profiles.
• Complete hardware and software reference design dramatically reduces OEM/ODM development time.
• Fully integrated SoC enables highly optimized solutions

The BCM7440 SoC also supports a wide variety of mandatory audio and video compression standards required for Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD optical disc formats, including H.264/AVC, VC-1, MPEG-2, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. The SoC also provides full backwards compatibility for current DVD video titles as well as DVD-R, DVD-VR and audio CDs.