ST picks ARM for tv processor

The chips, which will appear from 2010 onwards, will also feature the Mali-400 graphics processor. According to Laurent Remont, director of the R&D/Architecture Group, within ST's Home Entertainment and Displays division, the way in which we watch tv has been changing for some time. "Now, we see a move to something which is more open; where services are being added. All consumer devices are now becoming connected and this brings new requirements in terms of processing power and so on." These trends require greater processing power and graphics capability. ST's solution is devices which pair the Cortex-A9 with its ST40 processor and the Mali-400 gpu. "It's the way to enable new viewing experiences," Remont continued, "and we're leveraging our relationship with ARM, which makes sense." A future chip will feature the SMP version of the Cortex-A9 to provide a full internet tv platform.