Philips Electronics NV is now sampling 143MHz versions of the Trimedia TM-1300, the latest version of its media chip. But, as the Microprocessor Report points out, the part is both late and slow, having originally been promised in samples at the end of last year at speeds of up to 180MHz. Parts running at that speed will not now be available until next year, the company said, although a 166MHz part is expected to enter into production with the 143MHz version in the fourth quarter of this year. It should cost around $35 in quantity shipments, 40% less than the current TM-1100. The very long instruction word chip is aimed at set-top boxes, video processing and security applications. The TM-1300 will be described at the Hot Chips conference, later this month.
