Entertainment is on its way to becoming a leading driver in the mobile marketplace. Games and cameras, for example, are already taking hold. At the same time, video waits impatiently on the horizon. Many companies are looking for ways to enable these new applications in existing devices. In contrast, Texas Instruments hopes that its two mixed-signal video decoders will spawn new types of portable and home-entertainment devices.

The TVP5150 and TVP5146 video decoders convert NTSC, PAL, and SECAM video into digital component video. Specifically, the TVP5150 plans to enable products like video-capture devices and portable personal video recorders. It flaunts power consumption of 115 mW in typical operation and the footprint of a 32-pin thin-quad flatpack (TQFP). Applications for the TVP5150 include PDAs, notebook/PCs, cell phones, MPEG4 video players, and USB-powered video devices.

In contrast, the TVP5146 targets high-quality, high-performance video applications. It is well suited for the high-growth DVD-recordable (DVD-R) market. It also may be integrated into PVR/DVR; LCD TV and monitor; digital-TV; and video-capturing devices. The flexible TVP5146 has 10 video inputs and SCART support. It also includes a five-line adaptive comb filter for Y/C separation. Superior noise performance is derived from four 10-b, 30-Msample/s analog-to-digital converters.

The TVP5146 supports up to 10 component video inputs including S-Video, YPbPr, and RGB. The TVP5150 supports two composite or one S-Video input. Both products output ITU-R BT.656. They support Macrovision copy protection as well as advanced VBI functionality. Evaluation boards, software tools, and application notes are available from TI.

The TVP5150 and TVP5146 multi-standard digital video decoders are in volume production today. In quantities of 10,000 units, pricing is $5.23 each for the TVP5150 and $10.87 each for the TVP5146.

Texas Instruments, Inc.
12500 TI Blvd., Dallas, TX 75243-4136; (800) 336-5236, www.ti.com.