Amit Dhir

Digital Television and Video

Digital television (TV) is the most significant advancement in television technology since the medium was created almost 120 years ago. Digital TV offers more choices and makes the viewing experience more interactive. Behind a simple digital TV, there is a series of powerful components that provide digital TV technology. These components include video processing, security and transmission networks. A TV operator normally receives content from sources such as local video, cable, and satellite channels. The content is prepared for transmission by passing the signal through a digital broadcasting system. When a digital TV signal is broadcast, images and sound are transmitted using the same code found in computers—ones and zeros. This provides several benefits such as cinema-quality pictures, CD-quality sound, more available channels, the ability to switch camera angles, and improved access to new entertainment services. A set-top box can be used to access digital TV. A typical set-top box is built around traditional PC hardware technologies. Moreover, larger broadcasting companies have started developing business models and technology platforms for personal TV. The concept of personalizing the TV viewing experience has become more attractive with offerings from companies like TiVo that sell digital video recorders (DVRs). A DVR stores programs on a hard drive rather than on recording tape. It can pause and instant-replay live TV. It can also let the consumer search through the electronic program guides for specific shows to watch and record.

Programmable Logic Solutions Enabling Digital Consumer Technology

This chapter discusses several advantages of programmable logic for use in digital consumer devices. Programmable logic devices (PLD) are standard off-the-shelf parts that offer customers a wide range of logic capacity, features, speed, and voltage characteristics. These devices can be changed at any time to perform any number of functions. With a PLD, a designer can develop, simulate, and test their designs instantly. PLDs do not require long lead times since they are already on a distributors shelf and are ready for shipment. The PLD that is used for prototyping is the same one that will be used in the final production of a piece of end equipment such as a network router, a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, DVD player, or an automotive navigation system. Another key benefit of using PLDs is that product designers can change the circuitry as often as they want until it operates to their satisfaction. Since PLDs are based on rewriteable memory technology, the device is simply reprogrammed to change the design. Once the design is finalized, the product can go into immediate production by simply programming as many PLDs as needed with the final software design file. The two major types of PLDs are field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs). Of the two, FPGAs offer the highest amount of logic density, the most features, and the highest performance.

Chapter 4 – Audio Players

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the evolution of audio players and music formats. The success of the digital versatile disk (DVD) player and the definition of a DVD format audio specification have made DVD-Audio (DVD-A) one of the most popular of emerging formats. Some of the emerging audio technologies are MP3, DVD-A, and super audio compact disc (SACD). In general, music producers favor two types of media format—namely, physical-and Internet-based. Physical media formats include CD, MiniDisc (MD), SACD, and DVD-A whereas Internet media formats includes MP3, Secure MP3, MPEG2 AAC, and SDMI. The CD player has become hugely popular, with tens of millions sold to date. CD players have replaced cassette players in the home and car and they have also replaced floppy drives in PCs. MD technology is a small-format optical storage medium with read/write capabilities. It is positioned as a new consumer recording format with smaller size and better fidelity than audio. DVD-A is a new DVD format providing multi-channel audio in a lossless format. It offers high-quality two-channel or 5.1 channel surround sound. The winning technology could produce discs with 24-bit resolution at a 96-kHz sampling rate, as opposed to the current 16-bit/44.1-kHz format. An Internet audio player is a device or program that plays music compressed using an audio compression algorithm. The best-known compression algorithm is MP3. The Internet also extended its reach to influence the design of home radios, turning AM/FM radios into AM/FM/Internet radios. Internet radios enable consumers to stream music from thousands of websites without having to sit near an Internet-enabled PC.

Digital Imaging—Cameras and Camcorders

This chapter focuses on two distinct types of camera devices—namely, the digital still camera and the digital camcorder. Digital still cameras are one of the most popular consumer devices at the forefront of todays digital convergence. They enable instantaneous image capture, support a variety of digital file formats, and can interoperate through an ever-growing variety of communications links. With the Internet providing the superhighway to disseminate information instantaneously, digital images are now at virtually everyones fingertips. From e-mail to desktop publishing, captured digital images are becoming pervasive. The digital camera market is currently in the midst of unprecedented growth. The segments include entry-level models up through 5 MP (megapixel) point-and-shoot models. Digital camcorders are also used for instantaneous image capturing. There are two categories of camcorder models—namely, analog or digital. Analog camcorders record video and audio signals as an analog track on videotape. This means that every time a copy of a tape is made, it loses some image and audio quality. Analog formats lack a number of the impressive features that are available in digital camcorders. Digital camcorders differ from analog camcorders in a few very important ways. They record information digitally as bytes—that is, the image can be reproduced without losing any image or audio quality.

Screen and Video Phones

This chapter focuses on screen and video phones. Screenphones are the corded cousins of smart phones. Screenphones offer many of the same options as smart phones, including Internet access, shopping, and email. However, screenphones do have one important advantage over smart phones—the viewable screen area can be significantly larger than that of a smart phone, thus making Web browsing easier on the eyes. Screenphone commands and functions are activated on the virtual keyboard by touching desired keys and icons with a finger or specially designed pen. The screenphone communicates cordlessly via Bluetooth with the compact, color screen that can be carried from room-to-room. It provides Internet access for applications such as email, messaging, informational services, and Web browsing. The screenphone delivers features driven by concept familiarity, product suitability, and existing network/service support. Screenphones also include several useful applications such as broadband transmission and reception, email, Internet connectivity, safe and secure transactions, PC-like features, and Internet phone calls that allow the user to call and surf at the same time. Furthermore, another popular category of Internet videophones has hit the market. These phones incorporate an Internet videophone, the PC, digital camera, microphone, speakers, and a modem. These videophones use the Internet/IP backbone to transmit voice, video, and data among users based miles apart.

Digital Video/Versatile Disc (DVD)

This chapter focuses on digital versatile disc, popularly known as DVD. DVD is an advanced optical disc technology that is rapidly replacing video home system (VHS) tapes, laser discs, video game cartridges, audio Compact Discs (CD), and CD-ROMs. DVD technology is faster and provides a storage capacity that is about 6 to 7 times greater than the CD technology. Both have the same aerial space—4.75 inches and 3.1 inches, 1.2mm thick. DVD technology provides multiple languages on movies with multiple language subtitles. Since a beam of laser light touches the data portion of a DVD disc, it is never touched by a mechanical part when played, thus eliminating wear. There are three application formats of DVD—namely, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, and DVD-ROM. The DVD-Video format which is commonly called “DVD” is by far the most widely known. DVD-Video is principally a video and audio format used for movies, music concert videos, and other video-based programming. The DVD-Audio format features high-resolution, two-channel stereo and multi-channel (up to six discrete channels) audio. DVD-ROM is a data storage format developed with significant input from the computer industry. It may be viewed as a fast, large-capacity CD-ROM. It is played back in a computers DVD-ROM drive. It allows for data archival and mass storage as well as interactive and/or web-based content.

Web Terminals and Web Pads

This chapter focuses on Web terminals, also known as Web pads. Web terminals are stand-alone devices used primarily for Web browsing and e-mail. These appliances are typically based on embedded operating systems, are packaged in an all-in-one form factor that includes a monitor, and are tethered to a Web connection. Web terminals generally use passive matrix color LCD screens around the 10-inch size. Display variations include LCD panels in sizes of 8-12 inches, touch-screen capabilities, and the much cheaper (and bulkier) cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors. They are marketed as an instant-on, easy-to-use device for browsing the World Wide Web (WWW) or Web-like services such as e-mail. They do not typically allow a user to install off-the-shelf applications that run outside a browser. The primary market for Web terminals is the consumer, but they are sometimes used in vertical applications such as hotels and schools. The main objective of the Web terminal is to provide easy Web access for the consumer. However, recent Web terminal products have added applications such as calendars and scheduling tools that can be synchronized with personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Internet Smart Handheld Devices

This chapter focuses on Internet smart handheld devices (SHD). Internet SHDs provide direct Internet access using an add-on or integrated modem. SHDs include handheld companions, smart handheld phones, and vertical application devices (VAD). VADs are pen-and keypad-based devices that are used in specific vertical applications in a variety of industries. Key applications for VADs include: routing, collecting, and delivering data for a vendor in the transportation industry, and providing physicians access to patients records in hospitals. Smart phones are usually cellular voice handsets that also have the ability to run light applications, store data within the device, and in some cases, synchronize with other devices such as a PC. Smart handheld phones also include the emerging enhanced, super-portable cellular phones that enable both voice and data communications. Some of the applications for smart handheld phones include cellular voice communications, Internet access, calendar, and Rolodex data such as names, addresses, and phone numbers. On the other hand, handheld companions include personal and PC companions, and personal digital/data assistants (PDA). PC companions normally feature a keyboard, a relatively large screen, a Type I and/or II PC card expansion slot, the Windows PocketPC operating system, data synchronization with a PC, and in some instances, a modem for wire-line Internet access, and a pen input for use with a touch screen. While PDA is effectively a handheld PC, capable of handling all the normal tasks of its leather-bound ancestor—address book, notepad, appointments diary, and phone list.

The Digital “Dream” Home

This chapter discusses the dynamics leading to the growth of an ideal digital home. The digital home is the result of trends leading to increased communications, entertainment, home control, and convenience. The design of the digital home is affected by five key trends—namely, digital consumer devices, broadband access, home networking, residential gateways, and middleware. The emergence of the digital home is driving demand for high-speed Internet access and new smart-networked appliances. The growth of home networking is being fueled by the emergence of digital consumer devices, such as PCs, PC peripherals, control devices, telecommunication products, and digital consumer devices. The home network enables the distribution of data, voice, and video among consumer devices. Home networking has evolved from its roots in automation and security to include the distribution of audio, video, and data content in the home. Home networking is also the interconnection and interoperation of different home electronic appliances, entertainment devices, PC hardware, and telecommunication devices. Home network control systems allow user to perform functions remotely using a telephone keypad, voice, or via the Web. Logging in to the homes network from a remote computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) allows user to see a live picture from cameras mounted in and around the house.

Chapter 2 – Digital Consumer Devices

This chapter describes the types of digital consumer devices that are emerging and how they interact with each other. The home product industry is bustling with new digital consumer devices. They are also called information appliances, Internet appliances, intelligent appliances, or iAppliances. Some of the more common digital consumer devices are audio players, digital cameras and camcorders, digital televisions (TVs), digital videocassette recorders (VCRs) or digital video recorders (DVR) or personal video recorders (PVR), DVD players, eBooks, email terminals, gaming consoles, Internet-enabled picture frames, mobile phones, NetTVs or iTV-enabled devices, robot animals, and screen phones or video phones. All these devices are made intelligent by embedded semiconductors and their connection to the Internet. They are lightweight and reliable, and provide special-purpose access to the Internet. Their advanced computational capabilities add more value and convenience when they are networked. Digital consumer devices cover hardware, software, and services, and are designed specifically to enable the management, exchange, and manipulation of information. They are enabled by technologies such as Internet convergence and integration, wired and wireless communications, software applications, semiconductors technology, personal computing, networking, and consumer electronics.