Renesas Electronics announced the development of a reference board that can be used as an IP network–compatible High Definition set-top box (STB) solution. The board adds cloud features to non connected TVs, enabling multi-room content distribution (home content distribution). It supports Full-HD quality 1920 × 1080/30 progressive (1080/30p) content.

It also provides several features that allow the reference board to achieve an 88-percent reduction in size, a 170-percent boost in performance, and a 25-percent decrease in power consumption in comparison with Renesas’ existing reference boards. Measuring 6.5cm x 2.1cm x 1.1cm, the board offers portability and flexibility.

Users can move it around the house and use it with multiple devices, simply connecting it to a TV or other HDMI or MHL compatible screen device to enjoy content distributed via the Internet or by a service provider, content recorded from broadcasts, or home videos. The Renesas SoC’s power efficiency enables the compact size and also makes it possible to build lower cost STB systems.

The reference board supports two kinds of audio and video (AV) output: MHL (mobile high-definition link) and HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface). The MHL version can be plugged directly into the MHL interface of a TV or other device, making it even more convenient to enjoy video content.

A SoC is mounted on the reference board, enabling high-performance processing with low power consumption. The SoC is built around the dual core ARM Cortex-A9 with the NEON media extension. It also incorporates an on-chip AV engine capable of decoding HD content, which allows playback of full-HD quality of 1920 × 1080 pixels/30 progressive (1080/30p) in multiple formats such as H.264, MPEG4, and VC-1. The 2-D/3-D graphics engine makes it possible to implement a user interface with advanced functionality.

Finally, the SoC delivers sophisticated content protection and security functions. The board also supports Wi-Fi, making it easy for users to connect devices such as tablets that have wireless networking capabilities.