Philips Delivers Chipset and Reference Design for 8X DVD+RW Recording

For optical drive manufacturers targeting the PC industry, Philips offers a highly integrated chipset, optical pickup unit (OPU), software and reference design for the industry's highest-speed DVD+R/RW (DVD+Recordable/ReWriteable) recorders. The software and chipset, based on Philips Nexperia™ streaming media technology, will allow consumers to create 4.7 GByte DVDs of home videos, photo albums and PC data in less than 15 minutes - half the time of existing drives.

Designed primarily for PC use, the Nexperia DVD+RW system solution is capable of supporting record speeds up to 8x. This leap forward in recording speed is achieved by a new approach to optical recorder design: Philips moved the write strategy generator (WSG) to the same board as the laser driver, eliminating the data bottleneck that limited recording speed. The new design also supports disk reading during the record process. This in turn supports a Philips innovation that eliminates most recording errors caused by common defects on the disc surface and ensures higher levels of compatibility with legacy DVD players.

The Philips chipset includes the PNX7850 main processor, the TZA1039 analog processor and the TZA1047 laser power controller. The entire system is designed to work with Philips OPU66.20. For fast time-to-market, Philips offers a kit that includes the DVD+RW chipset, the OPU66.20, and a complete set of design tools.

DVD+RW design kit The Philips Nexperia DVD+RW reference design is a complete development platform with hardware and software. It gives developers of DVD recorders everything they need to quickly demonstrate the very fast write/read performance of the Philips DVD+RW chipset. The reference design is also a starting point for developing computing or consumer recording products. It includes a reference board with the Philips DVD+RW chipset, memory, power drivers and a system clock, plus a complete DVD mechanism containing a laser driver, motors, actuators, memory, and the OPU66.20, a Philips-manufactured optical pickup unit. Software design tools include an industry-standard toolset (with RTOS kernel), plus datapath, engine and DSP software.

DVD+RW chipset The Philips DVD+RW chipset brings industry-leading speed and accuracy to computer and consumer applications, such as home video recording, creating digital photo albums on DVD, PC data backup, and data archiving. The chipset includes the Nexperia PNX7850 processor, the TZA1047 analog processor, and the TZA1042 laser power controller.

Nexperia PNX7850 DVD+RW processor
The PNX7850 processor performs the encoding and decoding functions required for very fast write and read performance in a DVD recorder. Integrating a 32-bit MIPS RISC processor, a servo DSP, a buffer manager with UDMA66 ATAPI host interface, and an audio processor, the PNX7850 delivers advanced functionality in a single-chip format. Extensive hardware automation reduces processor load.

TZA1047 analog processor
The TZA1047 is a flexible analog processor for use in the optical bit engine of a DVD/CD-recordable system. It provides RF functionality, a read laser controller, and a sophisticated servo processor. High integration reduces chip count, and lowers overall system cost. Programmable options let the designer fine-tune performance.

TZA1042 laser power controller
The TZA1042 is a laser power controller for DVD/CD recordable systems. It manages operation of the laser diode driver IC, and controls the writing process. The TZA1042 supports real-time compensation for fingerprints and other defects. On-chip features and programming options improve performance in high-speed drives.

OPU66.20 opitcal pickup unit Optimized for use with the Philips DVD+RW chipset, the Philips OPU66.20 integrates the write-strategy function, thus off-loading the PNX7850 processor and improving write performance. The OPU measures only 20.25 mm in height and weighs only 40 g, making it suitable for portable or desktop applications. The OPU optics, designed for high-speed DVD and CD operation, are supported by a 3D actuator controlled by four wires.
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