At the Mobile & Embedded DevCon in Las Vegas this week, chipmaker STMicroelectronics is demo’ing a Windows CE-based HD set-top box reference design which it developed in partnership with Microsoft, and which is targeted at developers of such devices as IP set-top boxes, DVR’s, and HD-DVD players. The design combines Windows CE with STMicroelectronics’ STB7109 high-definition decoder: according to the companies, it takes advantage of Microsoft’s recently launched Windows CE 5.0 Networked Media Device Feature Pack. It embeds a high-speed Ethernet interface, allowing set-top boxes based on it to serve as home media hubs, and also provides connectivity through the availability of a USB 2.0 host port and a serial ATA port. In addition, it features a high-speed digital copy-protected High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) for connection to HD-ready flat-panel displays. According to the companies, the new reference design supports, among other things, audio and video formats such as VC-1, H.264, MPEG2 HD, Dolby+, and DTS-HD; Windows Media Connect; and Windows Media DRM 10 for Networked Devices. "Customization based on the Networked Media Device middleware and DVR engine found in the Windows CE 5.0 Networked Media Device Feature Pack, coupled with ST’s highly integrated system-on-chips, helps streamline development, and makes it easier for consumer-electronics developers to focus on product differentiation and innovation to build their next generation of cutting-edge networked media devices and IP set-top boxes," Kevin Dallas, Microsoft’s general manager for Windows Embedded, said in a prepared statement.
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