China's first ever home-made digital TV chip "Zhongshi No. 1"
Saturday passed technical appraisal by experts from Chinese Academy
of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.
The chip, which integrates more than 70 memory units, 2 million
logic gates and 20 million transistors, has outperformed European
and American products in terms of sensitivity and anti-jamming
capacities at far lower costs.
The chip was made by Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing
Corporation and Semiconductor Manufacturing International
Corporation, according to Zhou Dian, president of the School of
Microelectronics of Fudan
University, independent designer of the product.
"Zhongshi No. 1" was based on China's DMB-T standard and has
outdone European and US standards for experimental broadcasts of
digital TV, respectively known as DVB-T and ATSC, in terms of
definition, noted Zhou.
He acknowledged that a dozen domestic electronics makers have
integrated the new chip technology into their products, including
Changhong, TCL, Skyworth and Haier. Central China's Henan Province
has applied the new technology to launch mobile TV programs, and at
least 10 other localities -- including Beijing, Tianjin and
Guangzhou -- have reported success in trial operations.
Analysts say mass production of the cost-effective chip is for
sure to boost China's digital TV industry.
The chip embodies the core technology for the new generation
high definition television (HDTV) that has been the focus of
research and development for many countries since the early
1990s.
Official statistics say the world's most populous nation has
more than 370 million TV sets and an average 40 million sets are
being sold each year. China plans to broadcast the 2008 Beijing
Olympics with digital TV and to popularize digital TV nationwide by
2015.
(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2005)