Synopsys announces industry's first HDMI 1.4 PHY IP in 28-nm processes for multiple foundries

MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: Synopsys Inc. announced the immediate availability of DesignWare® HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) 1.4 PHY IP in advanced 28-nanometer (nm) processes for multiple leading foundries.

System-on-chip (SoC) designs for high-end mobile multimedia and digital home applications are migrating to 28-nm processes to minimize power consumption and maximize performance. The DesignWare HDMI 1.4 PHY IP has been optimized for low power, small area and high performance at 28-nm, enabling design teams to quickly integrate the HDMI interface into their chips with less risk and effort.

"As a pioneer of wireless high-definition video chips for consumer electronic devices and as the founder of the WHDI Consortium (www.whdi.org), it was essential for us to partner with a trusted IP supplier like Synopsys to mitigate the development risks of our next-generation SoC," said Dr. Zvi Reznic, CTO and co-founder of AMIMON.

"Synopsys' proven DesignWare HDMI solutions offer a compelling combination of small area, low power and support for the latest features, including HDMI Ethernet Audio Return Channel and 3D formats. Using Synopsys' high-quality DesignWare HDMI IP enables us to lower integration risk and achieve a predictable path to silicon success."

The DesignWare HDMI 1.4 IP solution is a comprehensive and fully tested suite of HDMI TX (transmitter) and RX (receiver) digital controllers and high-speed PHY IP. The configurable TX and RX controllers enable designers to optimize the IP for their specific area, power and frequency requirements, and the mixed-signal PHY hard macro offers a superior analog front-end supporting category 2-certified HDMI cables up to 20 foot in length.

To keep pace with rapidly evolving 3D technology and achieve audio and video quality on par with digital cinema systems, Synopsys' HDMI IP supports all major 3D and 4K resolution modes with a bandwidth of up to 3.4 Gbps. Additionally, baseline software drivers are included to ease integration into the full SoC. The DesignWare HDMI 1.4 IP solution is fully compliant with both the HDMI and High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) specifications and has received certification from HDMI authorized testing centers.

"The rapid adoption of advanced technologies like 3D in high-end multimedia applications is driving an increased need for chips that deliver high performance with lowpower consumption," said John Koeter, VP of marketing for IP and systems at Synopsys.

"Synopsys has worked closely with leading foundries to help our mutual customers meet their evolving multimedia requirements. Availability of our DesignWare HDMI 1.4 IP on multiple 28-nanometer processes ensures designers have access to the high-quality, silicon-proven IP they need to quickly incorporate the latest audio and video functionality into their next-generation mobile and digital home devices."