3GSM 2006—BARCELONA, SPAIN—FEBRUARY 13, 2006—NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in programmable graphics processor technologies, today announced that it is collaborating with DiBcom, the leader in semiconductor technology for mobile digital TV, to create a DVB-H reference design for mobile handset TV platforms. By working together, the two companies can offer a solution that will deliver dramatic advancements in the broadcast quality of mobile TV on next-generation mobile handsets.
IDC anticipates that by 2009, over 30 million U.S. wireless subscribers will be consuming commercial video/TV content and services over their wireless devices. In addition, IDC also states that with an ARPU (average revenue per user) approaching $10 per subscriber per month at that stage, commercial video and television may well emerge as the single largest cell phone-oriented ARPU driver among consumers outside of voice.[i]
The reference design incorporates both the NVIDIA® GoForce® 5500 handheld graphics processing unit (GPU) and the DiBcom DIB7000H DVB-H demodulator, delivering the latest in high-quality video processing and state-of-the-art DVB-H reception for mobile devices. The benefits of such a collaboration mean that the two companies can deliver a modular, high-speed, low-power, and cost-effective solution to handset manufacturers enabling them to deliver high-quality digital TV to their customer base.
“The NVIDIA GoForce 5500 GPU has been designed to deliver true, fluid digital TV on mobile handsets,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager of handheld GPUs at NVIDIA. “The combination of the DiBcom demodulator and our GPU means mobile phone manufacturers get high-quality video decoding capabilities with high bitrates, low interference, and extremely low power levels, giving consumers the ability to enjoy great looking TV for longer.”
“There is a clear need for solutions that facilitate the integration of DVB-H into mobile handsets. Using this reference design, handset providers can add support for reception of DVB-H digital TV services with minimal effort and time. With the DIB7000H demodulator and NVIDIA GoForce 5500 GPU, we now have the most advanced solution on the market where there is a growing demand for mobile TV solutions on mobile phones. The extremely small form-factor and lowest possible power consumption of this design is unsurpassed in the industry,” stated Yannick Levy, CEO of DiBcom.
The reference design comes complete with software drivers for most mobile handset platforms including WinCE 5.0, Linux, and Symbian. Additional operating systems may be supported on demand.[1]Data taken from IDC's recent study, U.S. Wireless Commercial Video and Television 2005-2009 Forecast and Analysis: Rise of the Third Screen
