Via Offers HDTV Chipset for Tiny Devices

Via Technologies has announced a new chipset that brings HDTV playback to small, battery powered-devices.

The CX700M digital media chipset works with Via’s C7 and Eden microprocessors. It integrates premium graphics, audio, storage and memory, along with HDTV (high-definition television) support, into a single package.

It will be available to device makers later this month and could end up in products such as handheld media players and small laptops.

The HDTV digital format offers cinema-like picture and audio quality. It was a highlight of the World Cup soccer tournament earlier this year, with 25 high-definition cameras broadcasting each match.

The new chipset continues Via’s strategy of selling products that allow device makers to create smaller gadgets with extended battery life.

Earlier this year it launched the VX700, a chipset for ultramobile PCs. It quickly won an important design win with Samsung Electronics’ Q1B UMPC, which uses the VX700 and a 1.0GHz Via C7 microprocessor. The device has not yet gone on sale

Via competes with global giants Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, which tend to leave little market share for smaller microprocessor makers. Via’s strategy of focussing on particular markets appears to be paying off with its design wins.

More information about the CX700M chipset can be found here.

-Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service (Taipei Bureau)

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