iboum.com : Future Entertainment Technology : Chipsets in Media Players
This page gives some background to the history of Media Player chipsets and lists the key players associated with each.
863X:
Popcorn Hour A-110
WDTV (mk1)
Dune HD Base
EGreat EG-M34A
Myka
Tvix M-7000A
QNAP NMP-1000
HDX 1000
Sigma 863X
CPU: 300mhz
The first chipset to be capable of decoding 1080p full-HD video was the 863x, clocked at 300mhz, from a company called Sigma Designs. The Sigma 863x spawned a whole series of Media Players from early 2008 onwards. It was these players that kick-started the Media Player revolution. Manufacturers released machines with modified versions of the original Sigma firmware, so the Sigma 863x machines are not identical. There are differences in all areas, from user interface to marginal decoding performance. Ultimate performance will always be a combination of hardware and software.
The Sigma 863x is now being superseded by newer chipsets, aimed squarely at the growing Media Player market. Limitations of the Sigma 8635 such as slow user interface, limited DTS support, and just general lack of power are being addressed in a new generation of chips released in 2009.
Realtek 1073/1283
CPU: 400/450mhz 1073/1283:
Xtreamer
Mvix Ultio
ACRyan Playon!HD
Asus O!Play
DViCO Tvix 6600
MediaGate M2TV
Brite-View CinemaTube
IcyBox IB-MP305
The Realtek 1283 / 1073 chipset range appeared in mid 2009 and is clocked between the old Sigma 863x and the newer Sigma 864x/865x. The Realteks use one CPU, clocked at 400mhz. A flood of cheap Realtek based Media Players have arrived through 2009. These have included the 1073 based ACRyan PlayOn, ASUS O!Play, Mvix Ultio, and the 1283 based Xtreamer, amongst many others. The 1073 is simply the 1283 with some DTV functions stripped out, they are otherwise the same chip providing the same performance in a Media Player. The only hardware performance difference amongst the Realteks is that the Xtreamer is clocked at 450mhz rather than 400mhz.
The Realtek chipsets provide fast and reliable performance at a low cost. These players can cope with all Media files you are likely to come across with only abnormally high reframe files or some HD audio formats providing any problems. The one big problem common to all the Realteks is a fairly unattractive user interface. This should be fixed in future software updates.
Sigma 864X
CPU: 667mhz 864X:
Popcorn Hour C-200
Dune HD Base 3.0
Sigma released both 864x series and 865x series chipsets in late 2009, with the first player featuring the 8643 (Popcorn Hour C-200) shipping in September 2009, and the first 8655 players (WDTV Live / Eminent EM7075) arriving in October 2009.
The Sigma 864x and the 865x are related and similar chips. The 864x has Blu-Ray capability and is the more powerful. It contains a 667mhz CPU and a 333mhz IPU (image processing unit), 2* HD video decoding, and three 333mhz Audio DSPs. The 865x lacks Blu-Ray support and uses a 500mhz CPU / 333mhz IPU, 1.25x HD video decoding, and one Audio DSP.
865X:
WDTV Live
Eminent EM7075
Datastor Media Player
WDTV (mk2)
Sigma 865X
CPU: 500mhz
Even at this early stage, it is apparent from testing that the new Sigma chips are more powerful than both their 863x predecessor (much more powerful) and the competing Realteks. Less testing has been done on the 864x because it is only available in one player with limited availability, however a decent amount of testing has now been done on the 8655. All these tests indicate that this is hugely impressive chip, capable of dealing with anything you throw at it in terms of reframes/bitrate. Other problems from the previous generation have been solved, the user interface is now much quicker, and DTS is supported.
In late 2009 Intel is expected to release it's own new media processor, the 800 MHz CE3100. This chip promises to take everything one stage further towards a single integrated home entertainment hub with computer functions. In some ways it is really just a Pentium M rebadged. It will be interesting to see how this chip compares (including for price) when devices are released utilising it such as the Conceptronic Yuixx.
CE3100:
Conceptronic Yuixx
Intel CE3100
CPU: 800mhz
2009 has seen many Media Player chipset developments. The old Sigma 863x is now a relic of the past, with new more powerful and cheaper chips being available from both Realtek and Sigma. The players using these chips are all at an early stage in their development so it is impossible to make any final judgements. What we can say though is that both the new Realteks and the new Sigmas are capable of playing back flawlessly almost any file you will find in the wild. In this sense, the choice of which to buy has become slightly irrelevant. Of more concern should be the usability of the device and it's price. In the near future we would expect the range of HD formats being used to become much more narrow, largely negating the format issue. Interface and additional web-based services will become much more important to the bulk of users.
This page gives some background to the history of Media Player chipsets and lists the key players associated with each.
863X:
Popcorn Hour A-110
WDTV (mk1)
Dune HD Base
EGreat EG-M34A
Myka
Tvix M-7000A
QNAP NMP-1000
HDX 1000
Sigma 863X
CPU: 300mhz
The first chipset to be capable of decoding 1080p full-HD video was the 863x, clocked at 300mhz, from a company called Sigma Designs. The Sigma 863x spawned a whole series of Media Players from early 2008 onwards. It was these players that kick-started the Media Player revolution. Manufacturers released machines with modified versions of the original Sigma firmware, so the Sigma 863x machines are not identical. There are differences in all areas, from user interface to marginal decoding performance. Ultimate performance will always be a combination of hardware and software.
The Sigma 863x is now being superseded by newer chipsets, aimed squarely at the growing Media Player market. Limitations of the Sigma 8635 such as slow user interface, limited DTS support, and just general lack of power are being addressed in a new generation of chips released in 2009.
Realtek 1073/1283
CPU: 400/450mhz 1073/1283:
Xtreamer
Mvix Ultio
ACRyan Playon!HD
Asus O!Play
DViCO Tvix 6600
MediaGate M2TV
Brite-View CinemaTube
IcyBox IB-MP305
The Realtek 1283 / 1073 chipset range appeared in mid 2009 and is clocked between the old Sigma 863x and the newer Sigma 864x/865x. The Realteks use one CPU, clocked at 400mhz. A flood of cheap Realtek based Media Players have arrived through 2009. These have included the 1073 based ACRyan PlayOn, ASUS O!Play, Mvix Ultio, and the 1283 based Xtreamer, amongst many others. The 1073 is simply the 1283 with some DTV functions stripped out, they are otherwise the same chip providing the same performance in a Media Player. The only hardware performance difference amongst the Realteks is that the Xtreamer is clocked at 450mhz rather than 400mhz.
The Realtek chipsets provide fast and reliable performance at a low cost. These players can cope with all Media files you are likely to come across with only abnormally high reframe files or some HD audio formats providing any problems. The one big problem common to all the Realteks is a fairly unattractive user interface. This should be fixed in future software updates.
Sigma 864X
CPU: 667mhz 864X:
Popcorn Hour C-200
Dune HD Base 3.0
Sigma released both 864x series and 865x series chipsets in late 2009, with the first player featuring the 8643 (Popcorn Hour C-200) shipping in September 2009, and the first 8655 players (WDTV Live / Eminent EM7075) arriving in October 2009.
The Sigma 864x and the 865x are related and similar chips. The 864x has Blu-Ray capability and is the more powerful. It contains a 667mhz CPU and a 333mhz IPU (image processing unit), 2* HD video decoding, and three 333mhz Audio DSPs. The 865x lacks Blu-Ray support and uses a 500mhz CPU / 333mhz IPU, 1.25x HD video decoding, and one Audio DSP.
865X:
WDTV Live
Eminent EM7075
Datastor Media Player
WDTV (mk2)
Sigma 865X
CPU: 500mhz
Even at this early stage, it is apparent from testing that the new Sigma chips are more powerful than both their 863x predecessor (much more powerful) and the competing Realteks. Less testing has been done on the 864x because it is only available in one player with limited availability, however a decent amount of testing has now been done on the 8655. All these tests indicate that this is hugely impressive chip, capable of dealing with anything you throw at it in terms of reframes/bitrate. Other problems from the previous generation have been solved, the user interface is now much quicker, and DTS is supported.
In late 2009 Intel is expected to release it's own new media processor, the 800 MHz CE3100. This chip promises to take everything one stage further towards a single integrated home entertainment hub with computer functions. In some ways it is really just a Pentium M rebadged. It will be interesting to see how this chip compares (including for price) when devices are released utilising it such as the Conceptronic Yuixx.
CE3100:
Conceptronic Yuixx
Intel CE3100
CPU: 800mhz
2009 has seen many Media Player chipset developments. The old Sigma 863x is now a relic of the past, with new more powerful and cheaper chips being available from both Realtek and Sigma. The players using these chips are all at an early stage in their development so it is impossible to make any final judgements. What we can say though is that both the new Realteks and the new Sigmas are capable of playing back flawlessly almost any file you will find in the wild. In this sense, the choice of which to buy has become slightly irrelevant. Of more concern should be the usability of the device and it's price. In the near future we would expect the range of HD formats being used to become much more narrow, largely negating the format issue. Interface and additional web-based services will become much more important to the bulk of users.
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