Multimedia system on a chip for set-top box applications

The MAP VLIW processor architecture provides an integrated programmable solution for set-top box (STB) terminal manufacturers-enabling multiple media applications (e.g. MPEG2 decode of one channel, digital PIP on another) to operate simultaneously on one chip. Alternately one can operate a single high quality application, like down decoding of high-definition television (HDTV) to standard television (STV). STB designers can program these applications using their proprietary algorithms in a high-level language, enabling easy product differentiation (such as cost vs. features, picture/sound quality, etc.) in a market segment full of several fixed-function solutions. New applications or upgrades can be downloaded to the STB. We describe how typical STB applications are mapped to the MAP parallel processing architecture.