Toshiba Automotive Infotainment Companion Chip Supports Multimedia Connectivity And Camera Devices

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)*, a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today launched a key new addition to its extensive portfolio of solutions for the automotive market. The TC358791XBG automotive companion chip was created to drive high-resolution multimedia (audio, video) and camera connectivity for next-generation infotainment applications in the connected car.

The new chip supports the latest automotive Gigabit Ethernet AVB standard for a wide range of applications, such as front/rear/surround-view cameras, digital audio and transferring high-resolution video content to head-unit and rear-seat entertainment systems. The TC358791XBG can also seamlessly interface with and support many leading-edge automotive application processors on the market, thanks to its USB 3.0, MIPI(®) CSI-2 and DSI connectivity for both audio and video, and will support Automotive Electronics Council reliability specification AEC-Q100 (Grade 3).

“With its complement of interfaces – including the latest Ethernet AVB standard, which Toshiba is one of the leading silicon vendors to support for the automotive market – our new chipset enables fully integrated connectivity throughout the car,” noted Deepak Prakash, senior director of marketing, Logic LSI Business Unit, System LSI Group at TAEC. “By addressing this range of connectivity needs in a single-chip solution, the TC358791XBG can help reduce both time to market and overall system bill-of-materials costs for automotive infotainment systems.”

The TC358791XBG can split one video input into two pictures and can simultaneously drive two high-resolution low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) digital displays. Examples include head units, instrument clusters, and parking aid vision systems. The chipset can also send high-resolution audio and video data from the host processor to multiple displays or other electronic control units in the car, and it has a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI(®)) 1.4 receiver interface to allow connection of HDMI-enabled devices to the application processor.

The new chip is housed in a FBGA257 15mm x 15mm package with 0.8 mm ball pitch. Additional features include differential CVBS (composite) interfaces for analog composite video sources, support for early back-up camera view (CVBS to LVDS), and ability to relay packetized IQ audio tuner data to the host via USB.

Availability

Samples of the TC358791XBG automotive infotainment chipset are available now. Volume production is slated to begin in March 2015.

*About TAEC

Through proven commitment, lasting relationships and advanced, reliable electronic components, Toshiba enables its customers to create market-leading designs. Toshiba is the heartbeat within product breakthroughs from OEMs, ODMs, CMs, VARs, distributors and fabless chip companies worldwide.  A committed electronic components leader, Toshiba designs and manufactures high-quality flash memory-based storage solutions, solid state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state hybrid drives (SSHDs), discrete devices, custom SoCs/ASICs, imaging products, microcontrollers, wireless components, mobile peripheral devices, advanced materials and medical tubes that make possible today’s leading smartphones, tablets, cameras, medical devices, automotive electronics, industrial applications, enterprise solutions and more.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, Japan’s largest semiconductor manufacturer and the world’s sixth largest semiconductor manufacturer (Gartner, 2013 Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue, April 2014). Founded in Tokyo in 1875, Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide. Visit Toshiba’s web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm.

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