Supporting Digital Television Trends with Next-Generation FPGAs

Question: What do the following items have in common? ■ iPhones ■ Avatar 3D (James Cameron’s new movie) ■ Digital SLR cameras ■ LCD digital televisions Answer: They are all evidence that consumers strongly prefer products with “stunning” visuals. This white paper shows how these trends towards new features and faster introduction rates of new models are fueling increased FPGA use within high-definition television electronics. Introduction The digital television market is growing, with the number of liquid crystal display (LCD)-based digital televisions growing at 22% CAGR (Figure 1). More recent forecasts show growth in 2010 of 6% over 2009’s 1% decline(1). Figure 1. LCD Digital Television Growth Rate