STMicroelectronics released details of its STi8K architecture, which addresses future systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) for the digital home. The goal is to create a smooth transition from 32- to 64-bit computing. Based on the latest ARMv8-A cores, the STi8K architecture uses the increased data throughput, extended memory addressing, and reduced power consumption of the ARM Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57 64-bit processor technology.
The architecture features Faroudja transcoding. As a result, it will be able to manage, for example, eight high-definition streams and advanced hardware-assisted networking capabilities. This will lead to extremely advanced scenarios for distributing multimedia content, as required by satellite, cable, and hybrid home servers and gateways.
STi8K supports up to 60-frame/s Ultra High Definition with wide gamut and 10-bit color, as well as high-performance, full-frame-rate graphics based on OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenGL ES 3.0 standards. In addition, HDMI2.0 running at a maximum of 6 Gbits/s per channel, combined with the latest HDCP 2.2 (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) security and DisplayPort v1.2, provides the high-speed connectivity to full-color and full-frame-rate Ultra HD screens.
The first STi8K SoCs will join ST’s already available Cannes/STiH3 (FHD/UHD HEVC Client-Box), Monaco/STiH4 (FHD/UHD HEVC Server/Gateways), and Alicante/STiD12 (DOCSIS) product families.