Fabless semiconductor company, Entropic (News - Alert) Communications launched its next generation of high-performance set-top box system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for cable and IP-client markets.

The new solution, TSC17x/18x STB SoC family offers cable and IP markets a dual-core ARM (News - Alert) Cortex-A9 processor with integrated NEON technology. It delivers on performance, advanced security, and ecosystem support required by leading global multiple service operators and original equipment/device manufacturers.

"Our latest set-top box SoC portfolio enables MSOs to quickly and cost-effectively deploy high-performance multimedia-rich products by leveraging our cable and IP-client solutions that address evolving global digital TV standards," Mark Samuel, senior vice president, Set-top Box Group, Entropic Communications, said in a press release.

The rise in consumer HD interest, innovation in video services and a blending of multi-screen broadcast and streaming services have lead to a new generation of advanced set-top box SoCs featuring enhanced performance, security and support for online content viewing.

Entropic's TSC17x/18x family features high performance application execution platform, high computational power provided by a 1GHz dual-core 5000DMIPS ARM Cortex-A9 processor with NEON SIMD extensions, is ideal for open application frameworks and advanced user interface technologies.

It offers extensive mobile device ecosystem support centered on the ARM architecture, leveraging the latest industry-wide investments in platform software and user experience technologies including Google Android (News - Alert) 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

With extensive security support, it enables hardened implementations of digital rights management and conditional access technologies for protecting operator video services with the following security schemes natively embedded in its hardware: NDS NSK, Nagravision NOCS, CSA3, AES, RSA (News - Alert), baseband watermarking, and Cryptography Research International's             CryptoFirewall core technology.

Another key feature is its advanced graphics capabilities with which it leverages advanced 3D architecture with full OpenGLES 2.0 compliance, proven performance, mature APIs and an               extensive developer ecosystem. Also with broad format HD content decoding, it ensures STB compatibility for HD resolutions with commonly used online video on demand (VOD) and               over-the-top (OTT) services, including native support for VP8 codec.

Also, with powerful video decoder and display processing, the solution offers native support               for the latest stereoscopic multi-view video coding, scalable video codec and RealD 3DTVdecoding and picture formatting. Also with enhanced power management, it delivers a smaller footprint and achieves GHz operation in low-power fabrication process mode for low power consumption, not available from competing solutions.

Production volumes of this new solution are expected in Q3 2012, for early access partners.