Universal single chip set-top box

• US 20060123457A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turner, Tony M., Chen, Joey Y., Fiorenza, Joseph J.
• Application Number:
  US11/046,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20060123457A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence

Abstract

A universal integrated set-top box is implemented on single semiconductor substrate. The set-top box includes video and audio baseband functions on the common substrate. The set-top box is a universal set-top box chip that can process and demodulate multiple different types of inputs including satellite, cable, Internet, or other device inputs. This can be accomplished because the set-top box does not have a specific tuner integrated on the substrate, and therefore can take generic down-converted inputs, e.g. MPEG packets. In other words, an external tuner/decoder (of any type) can be connected to the set-top box input for processing, including for example, a satellite tuner, cable tuner, or any other type of tuner/decoder that can produce digital outputs (e.g. MPEG packets) for further processing in a set-top box. The set-top box also includes Ethernet and USB connections so as to receive inputs from other set-top boxes, Internet device, or other devices, with similar types of connections.

Claims

1. A set-top box, comprising:

a common substrate;

an input port for receiving a digital input signal;

a divider module, coupled to said input, separating a video portion from an audio portion of said digital input signal;

a video module, coupled to said divider module output, for processing said video portion of said digital input signal;

an audio module, coupled to said divider module output, for processing said audio portion of said digital input signal;

an Ethernet interface; and

a universal serial bus (USB) interface;

said input port, said divider module, said video module, said audio module, and said Ethernet interface, all disposed on said common substrate.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein said input port is coupled to one of:

a satellite receiver, a cable receiver, and a DSL receiver, one of which provides said digital input signal.

3. The set-top box of claim 1, further comprising a first memory interface disposed on said common substrate.

4. The set-top box of claim 3, wherein said digital input signal is down-loaded to a first external memory device connected to said first memory interface.

5. The set-top box of claim 4, further comprising a second memory interface disposed on said common substrate, said digital input signal temporarily down-loaded to said second memory interface prior to storage in said first external memory device.

6. The set-top box of claim 5, wherein said first memory interface is a hard drive interface and said first external memory device is a hard drive, and said second memory interface is a DRAM interface, and said second external memory device is a DRAM.

7. The set-top box of claim 1, further comprising a satellite decoder coupled to said input.

8. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein said common substrate is a CMOS substrate.

9. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein said video module receives said video portion and generates a video output from said video portion.

10. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein said audio module receives said audio portion and generates an audio output from said audio portion.

11. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein said digital input signal includes Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) packets.

12. The set-top box of claim 11, wherein said divider module separates video MPEG packets from audio MPEG packets.

13. The set-top box of claim 12, wherein said video module processes said video MPEG packets to produce a video output, and said audio module processes said audio MPEG packets to produce an audio output.

14. The set-top box of claim 13, wherein said video module includes the following:

a video decoder that decodes said video MPEG packets;

a graphics module, coupled to an output of said video decoder, that adds text to said video MPEG packets;

a video encoder, coupled to an output of said graphics module; and

a video digital-to-analog converter that converts an output of said video encoder to analog.

15. The set-top box of claim 13, wherein said audio module includes:

an MPEG audio decoder that receives and decodes said audio MPEG packets; and

an audio digital-to-analog converter, coupled to an output of said MPEG audio decoder, that converts an output of said MPEG audio decoder to analog.

16. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein said Ethernet Interface is configured to receive a second digital input signal over an Internet connection for processing in said set-top box.

17. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein said USB interface is configured to receive a third digital input signal over a USB cable or a wireless USB connection.

18. The set-top box of claim 1, further comprising a peripherals interface, disposed on said common substrate.

19. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the digital input signal represents television programming.

20. A method of processing a digital input signal in a set-top box, comprising:

receiving the digital input signal;

separating a video portion of the digital input signal from an audio portion of the digital input signal;

processing the video portion of the digital input signal to produce a video output; and

processing the audio portion of the digital input signal to produce an audio output.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the digital input signal is received from one of the following:

a satellite receiver, a cable receiver, a DSL receiver, an Ethernet connection, and a USB connection.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

storing the digital input signal to an external memory device.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the external memory device is a hard drive.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of temporarily storing the digital input signal to a DRAM prior to storage in the hard drive device.