Renesas to extend line-up of digital broadcast reception middleware for automotive SoC devices

JAPAN: Renesas Electronics Corp. announced the development of digital TV broadcast reception middleware products for automotive SoC devices: a new ISDB-TB (Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting—Terrestrial Brazil) (One-Seg) broadcast reception, middleware product for the Brazilian market and the addition of the new “content protection system” standard for Japan to the ISDB-T (Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting—Terrestrial) (Full-Seg) broadcast reception middleware product. Both products will be available starting in April 2013.

The adoption of digital television broadcasting is advancing at a rapid pace worldwide. In Brazil in particular, the ISDB-TB system, which is based on the terrestrial digital broadcasting system used in Japan (ISDB-T), has been selected, and analog TV broadcasting is scheduled to be discontinued in 2016.

Major world-class sporting events such as the World Cup in 2014 in the Olympics in 2016, combined with the continued expansion of the country’s economy, have led to an acceleration in the purchase of digital TVs to replace existing analog sets as well as a rise in demand for vehicle information systems incorporating digital TV functionality.

In Japan, in addition to the existing reception control system employing IC cards (B-CAS cards), a new reception control system: “content protection system” standard that does not utilize an IC card is standardized and adopted. The new system is scheduled to enter widespread use in April 2013, and it is expected to bring enhanced convenience alongside reduced system cost.