STMicroelectronics today announced the first HDMI switch in the world to support a video data-transfer rate of up to 3.4-Gigabits per second, enabling full 16-bit color depth — 65k colors — to be maintained for a true high-definition picture. The STDVE003A is designed to be used in LCD and Plasma TV sets to provide multiple HDMI inputs for external program sources, such as game consoles, high-definition DVD players (Blu-ray and HD-DVD), and set-top boxes . In addition, its integrated equalizer is designed to overcome signal degradation when long (greater than 20m) and lossy cables are used. The STDVE003A is an active digital multiplexer designed for high-performance TMDS data transfer.
Configured as a 3:1 switch, it enables TV designers to provide as many as three input ports while using only a single HDMI receiver chip.The STDVE003A complements ST’s existing STHDMI002A two-way high-speed TMDS switch. It is supplied in a TQFP80L package, priced at $1.50 in quantities of 100,000.
