Broadcom Expands Its Leadership in Enabling Digital TV Transitions in South America

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --BROADCAST & CABLE -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced its industry-leading ISDB-T product family designed specifically to support South America's transition to digital TV programming.  With the industry's only integrated high definition (HD) ISDB-T tuner and demodulator, optimized software support and FastRTV™ channel change acceleration technology, Broadcom's technology enables new cost efficiencies while exceeding the requirements for performance, quality and low power.

Featuring support for TQTVD's AstroTV platform, Broadcom's field proven and market leading solutions enable DTVi interactive TV content and e-government services.  The product family includes the Broadcom® BCM7405 set-top box (STB) system-on-a-chip(SoC) solution and the Broadcom BCM7540 ISDB-T HD digital terrestrial converter box SoC solution, and both will be demonstrated at the upcoming Broadcast  & Cable 2010 show in São Paulo, Brazil from August 25th through August 27th.

Highlights/Key Facts:

• Broadcom's highly integrated BCM7405 and BCM7540 SoC solutions are designed specifically for meeting South American requirements to cost-effectively enable the digital TV transition and includes the following advantages:
  • Features the industry's first and only integrated ISDB-T tuner, digital channel demodulator and HD decoder for very small form factors and cost optimization
  • Fully integrates AstroTV software support
  • Features unique FastRTV channel change acceleration technology that improves channel change speeds by up to 5 times
  • Integrates a dynamic power management controller that is capable of managing power very efficiently and can switch from a very low power standby mode to a fully active mode in seconds
• As Brazil's population (of approximately 189 million) transitions to digital TV programming (the analog TV broadcasting shut-off date is scheduled for 2016), Broadcom's ISDB-T technology will enable Brazil to cost effectively complete this transition while also offering consumers  the innovative and interactive AstroTV platform.  
  • By supporting AstroTV, Broadcom's technology enables iDTV interactive services such as shopping, voting, viewing statistics, education and public announcements, all of which provide a more exciting and informational TV experience.
• Over 95 percent of homes in Brazil receive open TV broadcasting while only 23 percent have a broadband Internet connection.  As a result, a large majority of households in Brazil have little or no access to information online or to public service announcements*.
  • By transitioning to iDTV, the Brazilian government can cost effectively provide informational and governmental services to a large number of households, and interactive applications can be implemented to include public services, banking, health information and long distance education.  
• The BCM7405 STB SoC solution and the BCM7540 digital terrestrial converter box SoC solution feature AstroTV support for iDTV interactive services and are currently shipping to manufacturers.

Supporting Quotes:

David Britto, TQTVD Group Director

"We see interactivity as dramatically changing the TV entertainment and information experience in the home with the aim to benefit society and increase communications.  Broadcom's field proven, mature and market leading digital TV technology offers manufacturers reduced complexity and cost while accelerating the time-to-market to deploy converter box solutions, supporting the future growth of AstroTV and bringing an interactive digital TV experience to Brazil."

Charlie Lou, Product Line Manager, Broadband Communications Group, Broadcom

"As Brazil looks to transition to interactive digital TV programming, Broadcom's ISDB-T technology leverages our proven track record and mature technology in supplying highly integrated SoC solutions.  As a worldwide leader in digital TV innovation, our advanced and scalable designs enable a quick-to-market and cost effective solution for the South American market.  By supporting the interactive AstroTV platform, consumers can experience a whole new way to watch TV with real-time information updates and interactive services."  

Subscribe to RSS Feed: Broadband Communications Group

Other Supporting Resources:

BCM7405 Product Information

BCM7540 Product Information

*Sources: www.teleco.com.br and www.anatel.org.br

About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications.  Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment.  We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices.  These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.

Broadcom, one of the world's largest fabless communications semiconductor companies, with 2009 revenue of $4.49 billion, holds more than 4,300 U.S. and 1,800 foreign patents, and has more than 7,900 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video, data and multimedia.

A FORTUNE 500® company, Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe.  Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at www.broadcom.com.

Cautions regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry and business, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change.  Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words.  Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, references to the Brazilian government's plans regarding conversion to ISDB-Tb and our ability to enable Brazilians to cost effectively complete this transition.  These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with the Broadcom BCM7405 set-top box SoC and the BCM7540 digital terrestrial converter box SoC solutions include, but are not limited to:

• the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets for next generation PC, cable, satellite, IPTV and terrestrial set-top box applications;
• delays in the adoption and acceptance of industry standards in those markets;
• general economic and political conditions and specific conditions in the markets we address, including the volatility in the technology sector and semiconductor industry, trends in the broadband communications markets in various geographic regions, including seasonality in sales of consumer products into which our products are incorporated;
• the risks and uncertainties associated with our international operations; and
• the effects of natural disasters, public health emergencies, international conflicts and other events beyond our control.

Additional factors that may cause Broadcom's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the list that can be found at http://www.broadcom.com/press/additional_risk_factors/Q32010.php.

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.  The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.

Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, and the Connecting everything logo are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU.  Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Broadband