China's high-definition home theater market

BEIJING, USA: Himfr.com, one of China's leading B2B search platforms with more than 30 B2B industry websites to its name, issued its thoughts and analysis on China's high-definition home theater market.

With high-definition projectors, Blu-ray Disc players and amplifiers, such high-definition devices have increased market demands, while combined home theater stations have also shown the diversification of such devices.

The full HD projector with its large display size and amazing picture performance has become the preferred equipment; but there are all kinds of playback devices, including the BD player, HD player, PS3/XBOX360 game consoles, HTPC and HD set-top boxes and so on wide, highlighting the wide range of choices available.

In addition to the upgraded video specifications to 1080p full high-definition standards, the traditional DTS and AC3 audio is also upgraded to next-generation standards, meaning the user can be literally blown away by the sound effects.

Compared with a movie theater, home viewers can basically see any film they choose, enjoy snacks without disturbing others, lie-down or sit, and or anything else of their choosing. And more importantly, today's high- definition home theaters, with their rich array of entertainment functions, not to mention the improved sound and picture quality, have completely enhanced the traditional movie to a whole new level.

Celluloid film has been used in film distribution and screenings for more than 100 years, but repeat play easily leads to scratching, bleaching, and sudden flashes and jittery playback, etc., which further impacts the overall playback quality. However, due to the relatively low cost of traditional film projectors compared to the latest digital cinema projectors, digital cinema is temporarily unable to replace traditional celluloid film movies.

In the home theater, full HD projectors and other playback devices can use HDMI digital interfaces to connect, and through such digital technology the viewer can enjoy maximum quality, without any loss in picture or sound, meaning the viewer can enjoy true high-definition screenings.

In addition, films for release in China must first be submitted for approval, with only a limited number of foreign films being accepted, meaning the number of Hollywood films a consumer will see in a movie theater is limited.

However, the latest home theaters mean you can watch the newest Hollywood blockbusters in high-definition at home any time you wish, along with TV programs and music videos, making them far more flexible than movie theaters.

Generally speaking, the importance of sound effects are often greater than the video quality, but by watching a movie at a movie theater the viewer can not guarantee to get best seats, meaning that if sitting in the front, the last row, far left or far right positions, it is bound to seriously affect the sound quality and visual effects.

In the home theater, however, the audio signal through the HDMI digital interface is a near flawless method to enjoy true Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HDMA and LPCM high-definition sounds, which is far beyond traditional DTS and AC3 audio.

In addition, only before buying tickets at the movie theater, can you select the original or Chinese dubbing, knowing that both can not be chosen, but when watching movies at home it is not a problem as BD discs will often provide a number of soundtracks to allow the user to easily switch to a favorite dubbing, while subtitles can also be chosen at the viewers discretion.

Silicon Image intros products with HDMI 1.4 for DTV, home theatre apps

SUNNYVALE, USA: Silicon Image Inc., a leader in semiconductors and intellectual property for the secure distribution, presentation and storage of high-definition (HD) content, today introduced the SiI9387 port processor and the SiI9334 transmitter, the first semiconductor products to incorporate the latest HDMI 1.4 specification features for digital TV (DTV) and home theatre applications.

The new devices offer a richer, more interactive HDMI entertainment experience by enabling new connectivity applications via Ethernet, such as Silicon Image’s LiquidHD technology.

The SiI9387 port processor and the SiI9334 transmitter support the following HDMI 1.4 specification features:

HDMI Ethernet Channel: Devices using these chips will be able to transmit and receive full duplex data at 100Mb/sec over an HDMI cable.
Audio Return Channel: Drives a high quality S/PDIF signal through a single HDMI cable, simplifying connectivity in the home theatre.
Content Type Bits: Optimize and enhance the HD viewing experience by automatically matching content type to video mode.

Silicon Image’s port processors are platforms for innovation that offer new features, technologies and standards for DTV HDMI ports that go above and beyond the basic HDMI switch function offered by analog switches. Port processors support multiple HDMI inputs and interfaces to the System-on-Chip (SoC) over HDMI technology.

In addition to the HDMI 1.4 features, the SiI9387 port processor also supports key differentiating Silicon Image technologies such as InstaPort for faster port switching between HDMI-enabled consumer electronics devices, and MHL Mobile High-Definition Link technology, a low pin count HD audio and video interface that connects portable electronics devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, camcorders and portable media players to HDTVs.

The SiI9334 transmitter also supports full 48-bit Deep Color for high-end audio/video receiver (AVR) and Blu-ray Disc player applications for exceptional rendering of trillions of colors in stunning detail.

“By integrating the HDMI Ethernet Channel feature of the HDMI 1.4 specification into the SiI9387 we continue to expand our innovations in port processors for DTVs,” said Waheed Rasheed, director of marketing at Silicon Image, Inc. “The HDMI Ethernet Channel simplifies the connectivity infrastructure that enables personal entertainment technologies like LiquidHD to bring new services and applications to the home.”

LiquidHD technology is a suite of protocols that runs over standard IP networks such as the HDMI Ethernet Channel. Designed to quickly and easily connect TVs, consumer electronics devices, personal computers, portable media devices, and home theaters into a seamless network, LiquidHD technology lets consumers enjoy their digital content from any LiquidHD-enabled source device on any LiquidHD-enabled display in the home.

LiquidHD technology over an HDMI 1.4 Ethernet channel provides the foundation for consumer electronics products to become simpler to connect and easier to use. For example, consumers can identify and control source devices connected to the TV, such as a Blu-ray Disc player or a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), using a single remote control.

The SiI9387 port processor and the SiI9334 transmitter are expected to sample in the second half of 2009.