PC-centric architecture speeds HD-DVD to market
By Maury Wright, Editor in Chief -- EDN, September 28, 2006
 
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A 2.5-GHz Pentium 4 and standard Intel core logic mean that Toshiba's HD-A1 HD-DVD player could essentially function as a PC. In fact, the system employs the Linux operating system. The standardized design may have reduced time to market, but it also resulted in a sluggish user interface relative to most consumer products.
1. Four Analog Devices SHARC DSPs, each with dedicated memory, handle high-end audio processing, including support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD.
2. A Broadcom BCM7411 handles video-decoding tasks, supporting the MPEG-2, H.264, and Microsoft VC-1 video formats. The IC also handles audio decoding, although as mentioned, the HD-A1 depends on DSPs to support high-definition-audio formats.
3. A module with flash memory and an M-Systems DiskOnChip IC connects to the system using a USB link, serving in essence as a bootable drive and operating-system store.
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4. An Ethernet connector provides Internet connectivity—not only allowing DVDs to support enhanced downloadable content but also enabling firmware upgrades.
